# Printer cannot connect to the wireless network

These are possible solutions. Try one or more of the following:

Note: | You may need to enter your root password. If you are not the root user or you do not know the root password, contact your system support person. Root access allows users to perform system changes and may affect your operating system if incorrectly used.

Make sure that your computer and printer are connected to the same wireless network

> The printer may not be on the same wireless network as the computer. The SSID of the printer must match the SSID of the computer.

> 1. From the desktop panel, click .

>    Note: | A different icon may appear if the computer is connected to both an Ethernet network and a wireless network.

>    The computer is connected to the selected network in the Wireless Networks list.

> 2. Write down the computer SSID.

>    Note: | Make sure you copy it exactly, including any capital letters.

> 3. Print the network setup page.

>    From the printer control panel, navigate to Print Setup Page:

>    > Network Setup > Print Setup Page

>    The network setup page prints.

>    In the Wireless section, look for SSID.

> 4. Compare the SSID of the computer and the SSID of the printer.

>    If the SSIDs are the same, then the computer and the printer are connected to the same wireless network.

>    If the SSIDs are not the same, then run the Wireless Setup Utility again.

>    1. Open the Printer ToolBox.

>    2. Click .

>    3. Follow the instructions on the computer screen to set up the printer wirelessly.

>       Make sure you select the SSID used by the computer when you are asked to select a wireless network.

Turn the wireless access point (wireless router) off and then back on

> Turning the wireless access point off and then back on again can sometimes refresh network connections and resolve connectivity issues.

Move the computer and/or printer closer to the wireless access point

> The range of your wireless network depends on many factors, including the abilities of your router and network adapters. If you are having trouble printing, try placing the computer and printer no more than 100 feet apart and then run the utility again.

Check the wireless signal quality

> Print the network setup page and check the signal quality. If the signal quality is listed as good or excellent, then another factor is causing the problem.

> From the printer control panel, navigate to Print Setup Page:

> > Network Setup > Print Setup Page

> The network setup page prints.

Check your WEP key or WPA passphrase

> A WEP key or a WPA passphrase is like a password. All devices on the same wireless network using WEP security share the same WEP key, and all devices using WPA or WPA2 security share the same WPA passphrase.

> Note: | Make sure you copy the WEP key or WPA passphrase exactly, including any capital letters, and store it in a safe place for future reference.

> ### WEP key

> The WEP key must be:

> - Exactly 10 or 26 hexadecimal characters. Hexadecimal characters are A–F, a–f, and 0–9.

>   or

> - Exactly 5 or 13 ASCII characters. ASCII characters are letters, numbers, and symbols found on a keyboard.

> ### WPA passphrase

> The WPA passphrase must be:

> - From 8 to 63 ASCII characters. ASCII characters in a WPA passphrase are case-sensitive.

>   or

> - Exactly 64 hexadecimal characters. Hexadecimal characters are A-F, a-f, and 0-9.

Check your advanced security settings

> - If you are using MAC address filtering to limit access to your wireless network, you must add the printer MAC address to the list of addresses allowed to connect to the network.

> - If you set your wireless access point to issue a limited number of IP addresses, you must change this so that the printer can be added.

> Note: | If you do not know how to make these changes, see the documentation that came with the wireless access point, or contact your system support person.

Check communication between the printer and the wireless access point

> ### Ping the printer

> 1. Obtain the printer IP address.

>    From the printer control panel, navigate to Print Setup Page:

>    > Network Setup > Print Setup Page

>    The network setup page prints.

>    In the TCP/IP section, look for Address.

> 2. Open the terminal window.

> 3. Type ping, followed by a space and the IP address of the printer. For example:

>    ping 192.168.1.100

> 4. Press Enter.

> 5. If the printer responds, you will see several lines that display the number of bytes received from the printer. This ensures that your computer is communicating with your printer.

>    If the printer does not respond, then an error message is displayed.

>    - Your computer might not be connected to the network. Open the NetworkManager:

>      1. Right-click , and then click Edit Connections.

>      2. Make sure your wireless settings are correct.

>      Note: | The Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the NetworkManager may vary depending on your operating system and desktop environment. Examples of desktop environments are KDE and GNOME. For more information on the NetworkManager, see the help pages of your operating system.

>    - If you need to change the wireless settings of your printer, then run the utility again.

>      1. Open the Printer ToolBox.

>      2. Click .

>      3. Follow the instructions on the computer screen to set up the printer wirelessly.

> ### Ping the wireless access point

> 1. Make sure wireless networking is turned on.

>    If does not appear, then right-click , and then select Enable wireless.

> 2. Obtain the IP address of the wireless access point.

>    1. Check the name that is assigned to your wireless network adapter. It could be “wlan0”, “eth1”, or a name you specified depending on your wireless configuration and your operating system.

>    2. Open the terminal window.

>       Note: | Make sure the Ethernet connection is turned off before you proceed to make sure the wireless connection is fully enabled.

>    3. Type netstat -rn, and then press Enter.

>    4. Find the name assigned to your wireless network adapter under “Iface” and see its corresponding IP address under “Gateway”.

>       - The “Gateway” entry is typically the IP address of the wireless access point.

>       - The IP address appears as four sets of numbers separated by periods, such as 192.168.2.134.

> 3. Open the terminal window.

> 4. Type ping, followed by a space and the IP address of the wireless access point. For example:

>    ping 192.168.1.101

> 5. Press Enter.

> 6. If the wireless access point responds, you will see several lines that display the number of bytes received from the wireless access point. This ensures that your computer is connected to the wireless access point.

>    If the wireless access point does not respond, then an error message is displayed. Open the NetworkManager:

>    1. Right-click , and then click Edit Connections.

>    2. Make sure your wireless settings are correct.

>    Note: | The Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the NetworkManager may vary depending on your operating system and desktop environment. Examples of desktop environments are KDE and GNOME. For more information on the NetworkManager, see the help pages of your operating system.

Make sure your computer firewall is turned off

> Check if a firewall is installed on your computer. Firewall settings may stop the printer from connecting to your computer. For more information on turning off the firewall, see the help pages of your operating system.

Unplug the Ethernet cable from the computer

> If the computer connects to an Ethernet network and a wireless network at the same time, then turn off the Ethernet connection to fully enable the wireless connection.

Activate your wireless network adapter

> Add the wireless network adapter to your hardware devices. If the computer still does not detect any hardware device, you may need to install a compatible driver to make the wireless network adapter work. For more information on configuring and activating the wireless network adapter, see the documentation that came with the driver.

Make sure Demo Mode is turned off

> The Demo Mode may be turned on. Selected printer features are not available when Demo Mode is turned on.

> From the printer control panel, navigate to Demo Mode:

> > Demo Mode

> Select Off, and then save the setting.

Check if your wireless access point has an association/registration button

> Your wireless access point may be a wireless broadband box. Wireless broadband boxes offered outside North America may require you to press an associate/registration button when adding the printer to your wireless network.

> Some examples of these boxes are LiveBox, AliceBox, N9UF Box, FreeBox, and Club Internet. If you are using one of these boxes and need more information, see the documentation that came with your box, or contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Check the color of the Wi-Fi indicator light

> The colors of the Wi-Fi indicator light show the network status of the printer.

> - Off means one of the following:

>   - The printer is turned off or is powering up.

>   - The printer is not connected to a wireless network and is in Power Saver mode. In Power Saver mode, the power light pulses on and off.

> - Solid orange means that the printer has not yet been configured for a wireless network.

> - Blinking orange means one of the following:

>   - The printer is out of the range of the wireless access point (wireless router).

>   - The printer is trying to communicate with the wireless access point, but the wireless access point is turned off or not working properly.

>   - Either the configured printer or the wireless access point has been turned off and back on, and the printer is trying to establish communications with the network.

>   - The wireless settings of the printer may no longer be valid.

> - Green means that the printer is connected to a wireless network and is ready for use.

Tell me more

How do I find the MAC address?