Any computer enthusiast knows that when things are going well, technology can be a dream, but when things start to go wrong, the dream can rapidly turn into a nightmare.
Particularly printers can be a source of irritation. They are machines that behave as though they have a mind of their own and frequently flat-out refuse to comply with your orders, no matter how well you treat them or how skillfully you charm, threaten, or plead with them.
One of the main obstacles is usually getting the printer connected to the Wi-Fi, but happily, we are here to try and lessen the strain, ease the burden, and get your printer connected quickly.
Ready? Now let’s take a deep breath and begin.
Before You Connect Your Brother Printer
You must first locate the wireless network settings attached to your access point or wireless router before you can successfully connect your Brother printer to the network.
There are two precise details you must find, and they are as follows:
- Network Name (this may also be referred to as SSID or ESSID )
- Network Key (this may also be referred to as your Security Key , Password or the Encryption Key )
You can find the network name (or SSID) and network key (or password) on the side or the bottom of your wireless router or access point. To find out precisely where these are, you may need to go to the specific instructions that came with your router or access point.
The Network Password and Network Name belong to your internet service, not your printer, so you will need to contact the manufacturer of your ruler, or your internet service provider, if the information isn’t listed on your router or access point. It’s important to note that you won’t be able to get this information from Brother.
You may begin the process of connecting your printer to your Wi-Fi once you have obtained the network details for your access point or wireless router.
As a reminder, you should be careful to only record the first WEP key if your access point or wireless router uses multiple WEP keys for its encryption.
Connecting Your Brother Printer To The Wireless Network
When you have all the information you require, you can proceed to network-connect your printer.
Step
Turn on the printer
Your printer must first be plugged in with a power cord and turned on before continuing.
Step
Navigate To Network
Then, go to your computer’s control panel and click the Menu button. Scroll through the menu using the arrow keys, hitting Up or Down to arrive at your desired location, and keep scrolling until you reach Network. Then click OK.
Step
Go To WLAN
Then, navigate through the menu once again using the Up and Down keys until you find WLAN.
When you arrive, click OK. It should be noted that not all Brother machines have this feature, so it is worthwhile to do some additional research to determine whether this applies to you.
Step
Install Wizard
Use the Up and Down keys to scroll once more using a third time until you reach Setup Wizard. Click OK after finding this.
Step
Network Wireless enabled
The control panel will then show WLAN Enable? shortly after that. By selecting this and pressing Yes, you’ll start the wireless setup procedure and turn on the network.
The printer will start looking for your Wi-Fi network and will give you a list of potential Network Names (or SSIDS) to select from as it does so.
Step
Browse the List of Network Names
Use the Up and Down keys to navigate the list after it appears until you find the Network you require. This will be the SSID that you earlier discovered and noted down. Click OK once you’ve located the required network.
Step
Specify Password
Depending on your machine, the next step will be to input the password (or Network Key) if your encryption and authentication mechanism requires you to do so. Then, click OK to make the changes, and then press Yes to confirm that all modifications have been made.
On the other hand, if you choose Open System as your authentication system, None will be the chosen encryption technique.
Your computer will then attempt to connect to the Wi-Fi network that you previously selected from the menu; if this is successful, a message reading “Connected” will appear on the screen.
Your printer will automatically print you a wireless connection report if the connection drops. You can use the error code in this to identify the issue and start troubleshooting a fix.
Step
Software and Drivers
It’s crucial to keep in mind that configuring your printer and connecting to Wi-Fi are just the beginning of the process; there is still one crucial step that is all too frequently skipped but which will determine whether or not your printer is actually functional.
Try to keep in mind that making this a priority will help you avoid a lot of tension and headaches in the future.
Before using your Brother printer, you must download and install the driver. The driver is the software that translates computer data into a format that your particular printer can read and understand.
Keep in mind that every printer has distinct hardware and software, so it’s critical that your computer, laptop, or other device be able to provide each individual machine the instructions it needs. The printer driver’s job is to perform this.
By visiting the Downloads section of the Brother website, finding your product, and choosing the option to get the Complete Driver and Software Package, Windows users can download drivers.
You will receive complete installation instructions along with your download, which you can use to install your drivers and set up your printer.
For Mac users, the procedure is the same, but you must download the choices market Complete Software Package from the Downloads part of the Brother website, where you can also find the installation guidelines.
The Complete Software Package might not always be visible, in which case you can download the Scanner Driver and Printer Driver instead and proceed as directed on the download page.
In addition to printing, AirPrint allows users to connect to networks.
Final Thoughts
You should now have a better grasp of how to configure your Brother printer and join a wireless network. It is crucial to remember that this manual only covers the fundamental procedures, and that the Brother website contains more details.
Please bear in mind that depending on the operating system you are running, the methods listed above may vary significantly.