Why Is My Computer Not Communicating With My Wireless Printer

Change The Default Printer

Troubleshoot a Wireless Printer Connection | HP Printers | @HPSupport

Windows will attempt to set the default printer by selecting the one used most recently on the connected network. This is toggled on by default and will mean that the OS can remember which printer to use when switching between networks. Not everyone needs or wants this functionality, and luckily it’s really easy to turn it off.

Open Windows search by pressing Windows Key + Q.

Type in “printer.”

Setting Up Your Printer

Theres no one single way of setting up a wireless printer. The major printer brands Brother, Canon, Epson, and HP, among others all use different steps to set up their printers on Wi-Fi networks or via Bluetooth. Even within the same brand, the way you get started changes from product to product.

The best advice is to consult your printers product or user manual. If you cant find yours, try searching for it online using the exact product name, which should be somewhere on the printer, either printed directly on the case or on a sticker. Only download user manuals from the manufacturers website.

On this page:

Words to know

What To Check When A Computer Wont Detect Network Printers

It is not uncommon to encounter problems with your computer printer. One of the most prevalent problems you will face is when the printer isnt detected by your network.

If you print plenty of documents regularly, this can cause a lot of headaches. The good news is that it is not unsolvable. There are various things you can check to determine the problem and then fix it.

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Additional Checks To Establish Whether The Router Or Access Point Is Working Correctly

The access restriction security settings on your wireless router or access point might be enabled. Carry out the checks recommended below and take action, where necessary.

Make sure any privacy separator options are disabled.
If there are more than two routers, the settings of all wireless routers and access points may not be configured correctly.
If using MAC address filtering in the wireless router or access point, you need to configure the MAC address of your Brother machine.

Properly Add The Printer To Your Network

How to Install a Wireless Printer to a Toshiba Laptop ...

Now lets try to properly add the wireless printer to the network.

Turn on the Wireless Printer first.

Now from the instructions manual that came with the Wireless printer follow the instructions on how to add it to the network.

Next you will need to log in to your Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 device which is connected to the same network.

Move the mouse cursor over to the upper right side of the screen.

Left click or tap on the Search feature presented in the menu that pops up.

In the search box you will need to write the following: network without the quotes.

After the search has finished left click or tap on the Network icon.

Now with the printer turned on check to see if in the Network menu you can see the Wireless Printer.

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Try Network Connection Repair Tool

This tool assists you in restoring printing capability with minimal user interaction. This utility will automatically locate and update your Brother machine’s IP address within your printer driver.

You must log on with Administrator rights. Make sure the Brother machine is turned on and is connected to the same network as your computer.

The instructions of Network Connection Repair Tool are available on the download page.

Try to print. If you still cannot print, set up your Brother machine again, go to 2.5.

Cannot Connect To A Printer Via Wireless Lan

Check1Check the power status of printer, network devices , and smartphone/tablet.

Turn on the printer or devices.

If the power is already turned on, cycle the power switch.

It may be necessary to resolve wireless router problems or to update the wireless router firmware.

For details, contact the manufacturer of your wireless router.

Check2Can you view any web pages on your computer?

Make sure your computer is connected to the wireless router properly.

For more on checking computer settings or connection status, see the instruction manual supplied with the computer or contact the manufacturer.

Check3Is the printer connected to the wireless router?

Use the icon on the LCD to check the connection status between the printer and wireless router.If the icon is not displayed, Wi-Fi is disabled.Turn on wireless communication on the printer.

Check4Make sure the printer and wireless router network settings match.

Make sure the network settings of the printer or network key , etc.) are identical with those of the wireless router.

To check the settings of the wireless router, refer to the instruction manual provided with it or contact its manufacturer.

Note

Use 2.4 GHz frequency band to connect to a wireless router.Match the network name set for the printer with that for 2.4 GHz frequency band of the wireless router.

To check the current network settings of the printer, print out the network setting information.

See below for starting up IJ Network Device Setup Utility.

For Windows:

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Make Sure The Brother Machine’s Wireless Network Interface Is Enabled

If you cannot print wirelessly, your Brother machine’s wireless network interface may be disabled. To enable the Brother machine’s wireless network interface:

When you have completed the checks in this section, try to print. If you still cannot print, go to 2.3.

File And Printer Sharing Disabled

Printer Not Connecting to Computer in Windows 10 FIX

This is another often overlooked reason for network printers not working properly. You need to enable File and Printer Sharing on your network printer server. If this feature is not enabled, there is no way for the computer to access the printers. To allow your computer to connect and print, you need to turn on this feature.

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How To Connect Your Printer

For this guide, I’ll be using my trusty HP 4500, but any wireless printer or all-in-one should work just fine.

This guide will cover direct connections, so if you’re interested in learning more about HomeGroup in Windows 10, be sure to check out our in-depth guide, which will enable you to set up and configure the sharing of printers and content.

Open Windows search by pressing Windows Key + Q.

Type in “printer.”

Select Printers & Scanners.

Turn on the printer.

Refer to the manual to connect it to your Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately, this process varies not just from manufacturer to manufacturer, but often from printer to printer.

Hit Add a printer or scanner.

Select the printer from the results.

Click Add device.

You should be now good to go. This process will also work with wired printers, simply plug in the unit, and follow the steps above.

Why Wont My Printer Connect To My Wireless Router

A reader asks:

Why is my canon printer not connecting to my wireless router? Since last night my Canon printer wont connect to my Wi-Fi network. Ive tried everything to get this working, but I still see that my printer is not connecting to Wi-Fi.

Troubleshooting this problem will vary depending on the type of printer you have and the type of computer youre pairing it with. The process for setting up a printer on a wireless network differs a bit from printer to printer, and fixing the issue will be different depending on if it had been previously connected without issue or if youre having issues with the initial setup.

The first thing to do is to check the documentation that came with the printer and follow the instructions for connecting to a network. You should be able to find a copy on Canons support site if you have lost the original .

Generally, with printers, you can use the disc or over-the-air installation software that came with the printer and run the setup program again if something has changed with your Wi-Fi network. Follow the on-screen prompts , and it should reconnect to your network.

Aside from this, make sure that all the drivers are up to date. They should also be available on your printers website.

Also, it could be something even more simple than that: Check to see if your printers Shared Preferences is turned OFF. If so, turn it back on again.

For more printer tips:

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How Do I Connect My Hp Printer To The Wifi

Use the HP Smart app to connect the printer to your wireless network.Make sure your Android device is connected to the same wireless network that you want to connect your printer to.Go to 123.hp.com from a browser on your phone or tablet and install the HP Smart app.Turn on the printer.Lisää kohteita

How Can I Find The Ip Address Of My Printer Without A Computer

It doesnt matter if you are using a Mac or a PC, you can find your printers IP address by accessing your router.Type your routers local IP address into the address bar of any web browser.Enter your username and password.Your printers IP address will be under the list of devices connected to the network.

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Make Sure That All Your Wireless Devices Are Working Correctly

Turn all the following devices off and then on again in the order shown in the illustration:

Wait at least five minutes for your Brother machine to join the wireless network, and try to print.

If you still cannot connect, use the Network Connection Repair Tool to diagnose and repair your wireless network connection.

Connect A Printer To Windows 10

Different printers have their own set-up processes for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Consult your owner’s manual to see how to get started.

Tip: You might need to update to the latest version of Windows 10 to make sure you have up-to-date driver support.

Wi-Fi printers

Windows 10 should easily find any printer connected to the same local network via Wi-Fi.

Go to the Start menu and click Settings, Devices, then Printers & scanners. Select Add a printer or scanner and wait for your printer to appear in the list, then select it and hit Add device.

If Windows doesn’t find your printer, select The printer that I want isn’t listed and follow the instructions.

Another solution could be to plug the printer into your laptop or desktop with a USB cable. This can force the computer to recognise the printer and install the drivers. After it’s done, unplug the printer from USB and see if your computer continues to detect it.

If Windows doesn’t already have them, the printer drivers should download and install. If not, you can get them from the manufacturer’s website.

Bluetooth printers

First, make sure your printer is open to new Bluetooth pairings. Check your owner’s manual for instructions.

To enable Bluetooth on your Windows computer, click the notification icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen and check that Bluetooth is toggled on. You might have to click Expand to see the Bluetooth control.

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Fix : Update Your Printer Driver

The missing or outdated printer driver can lead to your printer not connected issue, so you should verify that your printer driver is up to date.

Updating your printer driver to the latest version can not only resolve any possible printer issues, like printer not printing, printer error, etc, but also bring you the best possible experience.

There are two ways to update your printer driver: manually and automatically.

Manually: you can manually download the printer driver from the manufacturer, and install it in your computer. Ensure to download the latest correct version thats compatible with your Windows system. As this varies from manufacturers and printer models, so we wont cover it here.

Automatically: if you dont have time or patience, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You dont need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you dont need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you dont need to worry about making a mistake when installing.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks :

1) and install Driver Easy.

2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

4) Restart your computer to take effect.

Try to use your printer again to see if its connecting.

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Troubleshooting tips for WiFi printer issues

When following a printer’s set-up guide, you might run into the following terms.

Driver

A printer driver is a piece of background software that teaches your device how to use it. Without the driver, your PC, tablet or phone won’t know how to ‘drive’ the printer.

When first connecting to a printer, your computer, tablet or phone should automatically download and install or update the drivers, so an internet connection might be needed during set-up. However, Windows has some up-to-date printer drivers pre-installed, so you might be able to skip this step. And Apple’s AirPrint technology side-steps the need for drivers.

If the installation isn’t automatic, you can search for the drivers online. Make sure you only download them from the manufacturer’s website, wherever possible.

Network key

Your network key is your home network’s password, including your Wi-Fi. If you never changed your network key, it should be on the same sticker as the SSID. However, we strongly advise you create your own personal key or use a password manager.

SSID

Your Service Set Identifier is the name of your home network and Wi-Fi connection.

If you never changed your router’s SSID, it’ll be printed on a sticker, usually on the bottom of the route.

Wireless connection

This is a vague term that can refer to any wire-free connection technology. For printers, it usually means Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or both.

WLAN

Your Wireless Local Area Network is your Wi-Fi network.

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Accessing Macoss Printer Diagnostics

Sometimes . you may need to dig a little deeper and perform diagnostic functions. The diagnostic process will vary depending on your model of printer. However, youll typically find diagnostic settings in your Macs System Preferences. Follow the below instructions to do so.

1. In the upper-left corner select the Apple logo.

2. Navigate to System Preferences -> Printers & Scanners.

3. In the menu on the left, select the printer you want to troubleshoot.

4. Choose your printer from the menu on the left.

5. Select the Options & Supplies button.

This should launch a window containing various settings. Youll typically find your printers diagnostic options in an area labelled Utility or Diagnostics.

Wireless Printer Not Communicating With Computer

03-29-201410:58 AM

Email to a Friend

I got a new computer and my first wireless printer a month or so ago. I had everything working, then suddenly the printer stopped working. The printer seems to be connected properly to the wireless setup, and the computer is connected, but they are not talking to each other.

If I submit something to print, it doesn’t go on the printer queue. I can print a printer test page from the computer, but nothing else. I tried the HP Print and Scan Doctor, and spent several hours trying to figure this out. I am probably missing something that would be obvious to a more experienced user.

I did uninstall the printer software and install an up to date version from online, but that didn’t help either.

Printing To A Network Printer

1Connect your printer to your home network. The process for this will vary from printer to printer.

If you are connecting your printer via Ethernet, connect the Ethernet port on the printer to an open port on your router or network switch. This is typically all you’ll need to do for an Ethernet printer.

If you are connecting a wireless printer, you’ll need to use the printer’s display screen to connect to your wireless network. You’ll need to select your wireless SSID and enter the password if it is secured. The exact process will vary depending on the printer, so refer to your documentation for exact instructions.

If you don’t know which method of connecting your printer uses , the manual should state this. If you don’t have a home network to connect your printer to, you’ll need to skip to the method that covers connecting your printer to another computer and sharing it.

2Connect to the network printer . Once the printer is installed on the network, you can connect to it from your laptop. These instructions work for all versions of Windows, so if you’re setting up a network printer on a Mac, skip this step.

Open the Control Panel by typing “control” into the Windows search bar and clicking Control Panel.

Click Devices and Printers or View devices and printers.

Click Add a printer and select your printer from the list .

Select the “Print & Scan” option from the System Preferences menu.

Why Does My Epson Printer Show Communication Errors

HP Printer not Connecting to Mac, How to Troubleshoot?

As mentioned earlier, communication errors on Epson printers are the most frequent and commonly occurring errors, and there are several reasons behind the problem. It is always essential to learn the causes of any technological error so it would become easier for you to resolve it later. Lets have a light on the probable reasons for the Epson printers communication error

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Reboot Or Unplug To Start Fresh

It’s become a cliche in tech circles, but with printers, it’s true more often than not: sometimes you just need to turn it off and turn it back on again. Often, that means pressing and holding the power button until it shuts down . If this doesn’t workmine sometimes says “busy” and won’t let me power it offyou may have to unplug it completely, then plug it back in.

It’s nice when this works, but it means there’s no permanent solution to this recurring issue, and much like a router that stops broadcasting, you may have to go through this process whenever the printer drops its connection. You could, however, plug your printer into a smart plug and use a voice assistant like Alexa to reboot it on command.