# Printer cannot connect to the wireless network

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

Try one or more of the following:

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. Obtain the SSID of the network that the computer is connected to:

>    1. From the desktop panel, click the NetworkManager icon that corresponds to your wireless connection.

>       Notes:

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

>    2. Write down the computer SSID.

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

> 2. Obtain the SSID of the network that the printer is connected to:

>    1. Print a network setup page.

>       For more information, see the User's Guide.

>    2. In the Wireless section, look for SSID.

> 3. 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. From the desktop panel, navigate to:

>       System > Administration > Wireless Setup Utility

>    2. Follow the instructions on the computer screen.

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

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

> Wait one minute for the printer and computer to reestablish the connection. This can sometimes refresh network connections and resolve connectivity issues.

Move the computer and printer closer to the access point

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

Check the wireless signal quality

> Print a 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.

> For more information, see the User's Guide.

Check your WEP key or WPA/WPA2 passphrase

> A WEP key or a WPA/WPA2 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/WPA2 passphrase.

> Note: | Make sure you copy the WEP key or WPA/WPA2 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 or WPA2 passphrase

> The WPA/WPA2 passphrase must be:

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

>   or

> - From 8 to 63 ASCII characters. ASCII characters are letters, numbers, and symbols found on a keyboard. ASCII characters in a WPA/WPA2 passphrase are case-sensitive.

Check your advanced security settings

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

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

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

Check communication between the printer and the access point

> ### Ping the printer

> 1. Obtain the printer IP address.

>    1. From the printer, print a network setup page.

>       For more information, see the User's Guide.

>    2. In the TCP/IP section, look for IP Address.

> 2. From your computer, open a 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, then you will see several lines that display the number of bytes received from the printer. This means 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. From the desktop panel, right-click the NetworkManager icon that corresponds to your wireless connection.

>      2. Click Edit Connections.

>      3. 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. From the desktop panel, navigate to:

>         System > Administration > Wireless Setup Utility

>      2. Follow the instructions on the computer screen.

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

> ### Ping the access point

> 1. Make sure wireless networking is turned on.

>    From the desktop panel, right-click the NetworkManager icon, and then select Enable wireless.

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

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

> 3. Open a terminal window.

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

>    ping 192.168.1.101

> 5. Press Enter.

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

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

>    1. From the desktop panel, right-click the NetworkManager icon that corresponds to your wireless connection.

>    2. Click Edit Connections.

>    3. 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 the hardware devices of your computer. If the computer still does not detect any hardware device, then 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.

Check if your access point has an association/registration button

> Your 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, then see the documentation that came with your box, or contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Reconfigure the wireless settings of your printer

> 1. Reset the printer network settings to factory defaults.

>    For more information, see the User's Guide.

> 2. From your computer, run the utility again.

>    1. From the desktop panel, navigate to:

>       System > Administration > Wireless Setup Utility

>    2. Follow the instructions on the computer screen.

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