How to Connect Brother Printer to WiFi: Making Peace with Your Wireless Setup

I've been setting up printers for nearly two decades, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that Brother printers have their own peculiar personality when it comes to WiFi connections. They're like that friend who's incredibly reliable once you get to know them, but the initial introduction can be... interesting.

The first time I tried connecting a Brother printer to WiFi was back in 2008. I spent three hours wrestling with it, only to discover I'd been typing my password with caps lock on. These days, the process has gotten significantly smoother, though Brother still has its quirks that can trip up even seasoned tech folks.

Understanding Your Brother's Brain

Brother printers come with different WiFi connection methods, and which one you'll use depends entirely on your model. The newer ones are surprisingly clever – they can practically set themselves up. But even the older models from the early 2010s can connect wirelessly; they just need a bit more hand-holding.

Most Brother printers manufactured after 2015 support something called WPS (WiFi Protected Setup). It's basically a digital handshake between your router and printer. If your router has a WPS button – usually a small button with two curved arrows forming a circle – you're in for an easy ride.

But here's something the manual won't tell you: Brother printers are notoriously picky about WiFi bands. If you've got a dual-band router broadcasting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, your Brother printer will almost certainly prefer the 2.4GHz band. I learned this the hard way after spending an afternoon troubleshooting a "perfectly good" connection that kept dropping.

The Control Panel Method (For the Button Pushers)

If your Brother printer has an LCD screen – even a tiny one – you can usually set up WiFi directly from the control panel. This method works particularly well for models like the MFC series or the newer HL-L2350DW.

Start by pressing the Menu button. On some models, you might need to hold it for a few seconds. Navigate to Network settings using the arrow keys. The exact menu structure varies wildly between models, which is classic Brother. Some hide it under "Initial Setup," others under "Network," and I've seen one model that tucked it under "Preferences" of all places.

Once you find the network menu, look for "WLAN" or "Wireless LAN." Select it, then choose "Setup Wizard." Your printer will start scanning for networks like a digital bloodhound. This can take anywhere from 10 seconds to a full minute, depending on how many neighbors you have and how chatty their devices are.

When your network appears, select it and prepare to enter your password. This is where things get medieval. Unless you have one of the touchscreen models, you'll be using arrow keys to select each character. It's tedious, yes, but think of it as a meditative exercise. Pro tip: if your password contains special characters, they're usually hiding at the end of the character list, after the numbers.

WPS: The Magic Button Method

WPS is genuinely the easiest method when it works. And when it doesn't work, it's absolutely maddening because there's no clear indication of what went wrong.

First, make sure your router supports WPS. Look for that button I mentioned earlier. On your Brother printer, navigate to the Network menu and find "WPS/AOSS" or sometimes just "WPS." Select it, and your printer will tell you to press the WPS button on your router.

Here's the crucial bit: you typically have about two minutes to press that router button after initiating WPS on the printer. Miss that window, and you'll need to start over. I once had a client whose router was in the basement, and they kept missing the window because they couldn't sprint fast enough. We ended up using a phone to video call someone downstairs – necessity breeds innovation.

The USB Cable Setup (The Reliable Old Friend)

Sometimes, the wireless setup wizard just won't cooperate. Maybe your printer's control panel is too basic, or perhaps Mercury is in retrograde. Whatever the reason, the USB cable method almost always works.

You'll need to install Brother's software on your computer first. Head to Brother's support website and search for your exact model. Download the "Full Driver & Software Package" – not just the driver. The full package includes the wireless setup utility.

During installation, the software will ask how you want to connect. Choose "Wireless Network Connection" even though you're currently using a USB cable. The software will then prompt you to temporarily connect via USB. This is Brother's way of having a private conversation with your printer about WiFi credentials.

Follow the prompts, and at some point, the software will transfer your WiFi settings to the printer. Once complete, you can unplug the USB cable and your printer should maintain its wireless connection. It's like teaching someone to ride a bike by running alongside them – eventually, you let go, and they keep going.

Mobile Device Setup (For the Phone-First Generation)

Brother's mobile app, called "Brother Mobile Connect," has gotten surprisingly good over the past few years. If you're comfortable doing everything from your phone, this might be your preferred method.

Download the app, and make sure your phone is connected to the same WiFi network you want your printer on. The app will search for Brother printers and usually finds them even if they're not yet on the network – it uses a temporary direct connection.

What I appreciate about the mobile method is that it handles password entry through your phone's keyboard. No more arrow-key gymnastics. The app walks you through the process with actual helpful illustrations, not the cryptic hieroglyphics you sometimes see in printed manuals.

When Things Go Sideways

Let me share some hard-won wisdom about Brother printer WiFi issues. First, if your printer suddenly stops connecting after working fine for months, check if your router recently updated its firmware. Some routers default to newer security protocols that older Brother printers don't understand. I've seen WPA3 cause particular havoc with pre-2018 models.

If you're getting a "Connection Failed" message, double-check that your network name (SSID) doesn't contain special characters. Brother printers can be surprisingly fussy about apostrophes, spaces, and other punctuation in network names. I once spent two hours troubleshooting, only to discover the issue was an emoji in the network name. Yes, really.

Another gotcha: some Brother printers won't connect if MAC address filtering is enabled on your router. You'll need to either disable it temporarily or add your printer's MAC address to the allowed list. The MAC address is usually printed on a label somewhere on the printer, often inside the cartridge compartment.

The Nuclear Option: Factory Reset

If you've inherited a Brother printer or bought one secondhand, sometimes the easiest path is to wipe its memory clean and start fresh. The reset procedure varies by model, but often involves holding down certain buttons while powering on the printer.

For many models, you hold the "Go" or "OK" button while turning on the power. Keep holding until all the lights flash, then release. The printer will think it's fresh from the factory, forgetting all previous network settings and grudges.

Living with Your Connected Brother

Once your Brother printer is successfully connected to WiFi, it's generally rock-solid. These printers tend to hold onto their network settings like a dog with a favorite toy. However, they can be slow to reconnect after power outages or router restarts. Don't panic if your printer shows as offline immediately after your router reboots – give it a few minutes to find its bearings.

One quirk I've noticed: Brother printers seem to perform better when assigned a static IP address through your router's DHCP reservation feature. It's not necessary, but if you're experiencing intermittent connection issues, it's worth trying.

Also, keep your printer's firmware updated. Brother regularly releases updates that improve WiFi stability and compatibility with newer routers. You can usually update firmware directly from the printer's menu if it's successfully connected to the internet.

Final Thoughts from the Trenches

After all these years, I've developed a grudging respect for Brother printers. They're like that reliable car that needs specific maintenance but runs forever if you treat it right. The WiFi setup process has definitely improved over the years, though it still has room for growth.

My advice? Be patient, especially with older models. Read error messages carefully – Brother printers often tell you exactly what's wrong, just in obtuse language. And remember, there's no shame in using the USB cable method if the wireless wizard is being stubborn. The end result is the same: a printer that works wirelessly.

The most important thing is not to let the initial setup frustration color your entire experience. Once connected, Brother printers are workhorses that'll serve you well for years. Just maybe keep that USB cable handy, you know, just in case.

Authoritative Sources:

Brother International Corporation. Brother Printer User's Guide MFC-L2750DW. Brother International Corporation, 2020.

Brother International Corporation. Network User's Guide: Brother Laser Printer. Brother International Corporation, 2019.

Consumer Reports. Printer Buying Guide 2021. Consumer Reports, Inc., 2021.

IEEE Computer Society. IEEE Standard for Information Technology - Telecommunications and Information Exchange Between Systems - Local and Metropolitan Area Networks. IEEE, 2016.

Mitchell, Bradley. Wireless Networking Absolute Beginner's Guide. Que Publishing, 2013.

Mueller, Scott. Upgrading and Repairing PCs. 22nd ed., Que Publishing, 2015.

Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi Protected Setup Specification Version 2.0.7. Wi-Fi Alliance, 2019.