Cannot connect my Brother printer to Ignite network

[bg47]

I just had Ignite installed and all my devices have gone over to the new modem/network other than my Brother Inkjet Printer. I did a factory reset on my printer and tried to connect using the wizard. It found my SSID but when I enter my password after searching for many minutes it says connection failed Should I be setting it up with the SSID and password on the modem or the network ID and password that I re assigned after installation that was actually done by the Rogers tech? I am using a laptop for printing, Windows 11. What am I doing wrong?

*Added Labels*

[LordDrakkon]

The issue is more than likely one of two things. The combined 2.4GHz and 5GHz as one WiFi network and or the security protocol. Most Brother printers use WPA or older security protocols so lowering the security of the WiFi to WPA/WPA2 should help. You will need to rerun your printers setup wizard again to see if it connects. Also make sure the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi are separated and not using auto for their channel.

[bg47 · Accepted solution]

I suspect you are correct. When I google my printer it clearly states it will not work on 5ghz. It operates on 2.4 ghz. I have no idea how to correct this other than contacting Rogers Technical support for help. Thanks for your solution.

[Pauly]

I do not have ignite myself so I am not sure, can you just turn off the 5G in the modem and connect to the 2.5G network then once connected turn on the 5G back again?   

[57]

---

@bg47 wrote:   Thanks for your solution.

---

Does this mean that it's working OK now?  Just as an FYI, I recently purchased an HP printer and had a similar issue the first time I tried to run the setup.  I simply ran it again and everything was fine the second time. Also make sure your printer has the latest firmware once connected to the web.  (My HP does this via the HP Smart app.  I assume Brother or Epson have something similar.)

[bg47]

Hi 57, No, it's still not working. I have tried it many time. Same result, Connection failed. I googled my model MFC-490CW and found that it only operates on 2.4 GHZ so based on that, I concluded this is the problem. I just do not know how to take the Ignite modem off auto and have it select both 5 ghx and 2.4 ghz.

[57]

---

@bg47 wrote:  I just do not know how to take the Ignite modem off auto and have it select both 5 ghx and 2.4 ghz.

---

Here's a post on the topic of selecting 2.4 to have the printer connect and then revert:

https://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Internet/Rogers-Ignite-and-Smart-Device/m-p/522111

[-G-]

I have a 10+ year old Brother multi-function laser printer that only supports 802.11b/g.  It will not connect to any Wi-Fi networks that have band steering enabled, and I don't even try to connect it to Wi-Fi since Brother has not patched known vulnerabilities in their drivers.  The only reliable way to connect that printer to the network is with wired Ethernet.

[57]

When I purchased my HP printer a few months ago, I specifically looked for one that had a USB port (I had a USB cable for HP from an old printer).  That way I could (and do) connect via USB, however, a lot of new printers:

1. Do not have any such ports like USB or Ethernet.

2. Even if they do, the printer manufacturers now "demand" that the printer be connected to the Web. This way they can "control" what you do with the printer, like using their cartridges, getting usage patterns, firmware updates, etc.  It's a sad world that it has come to this, but it's very difficult to get around this sort of intrusion.  I preferred my 20-year old "dumb" HP6110, but after 20 years of "medium" use, it broke in a way that was not fixable and cartridges were getting almost impossible to source since they were no longer manufactured.

[Pauly]

USB is great, and a lot of printers do come with usb ports, however gone are the days where people have just one device in their home. A USB Port is only good for one computer/device, but if you have multiple computers or devices in  your home which is pretty common now a days, you should have a network compatible printer, that could mean ethernet or wifi.  Ethernet would be better preference but costs more, but wifi is also good, but susceptible to issues such as wifi standards incompatibility and wifi signal issues.

[bg47]

I previusly accepted your solution but in fact I still cannot connect. It's a real head scratcher. Here is what has been attempted.

Split the bands to 2.4, 5 and 6. Renamed 5 and 6 temporarily and changed 2.4 GHZ to WPA2 on the Rogers app and WPA2-PSK which is the selection on my printer.

Factory reset my Bother printer. Signed in to the network with Brother network wizard. My printer picked up the correct SSID. I accepted and entered my password which has a capital letter and  confirmed it correct from my other devices previously, which BTW all connected to this modem with no issues. The printer tries to seach -WLAN connecting- for many minutes. I then get an error message - Connection failed. 

I performed a Brother online diagnosis and all my installed drivers etc. checked OK. All connections checked as FAILED. 

I have also unplugged and restarted the modem and the printer all with the same result.

Any ideas other than buy a new printer?

[bg47]

57, see my earlier response today to LordDrakkon. No, it is not working. I have tried dozens and dozens of times. My earlier message details my progress.

[Pauly]

No one mentioned this, you can look for a simple inexpensive access point and dedicate it just for your printer, it is a device that connects to your modem, and you can program it to broadcast a unique separate wifi network just for your printer alone since your printer is incompatible with the latest and greatest wifi standards this might actually work.   I had bought a wifi access point on amazon a few years ago, they usually support older wifi technologies, some are wired to wireless bridges, while others are wireless to wireless access points, you simply plug it in.  give that a shot perhaps? or yikes, you may just need a new printer, you might want to think about ethernet printers, because they will almost always work and not susceptible to wifi incompatibility

[bg47]

My machine does not have any ethernet capability. It is wireless only.  Brother MFC-490CW model.

[bg47]

If the senior tech Monday cannot get it to connect I will source a new printer. I guess my unused cartridges  and perfectly good MFC printer are the cost of upgrading to new technology! Annoying.

[Pauly]

---

@bg47 wrote:

My machine does not have any ethernet capability. It is wireless only.  Brother MFC-490CW model.

---

Whats wrong with the Wifi access point / repeater solution?  you should be able to connect your printer to an access point easier than to your own modem, which should solve your problem, you can buy one for literally $5-$10 dollars used or $20 dollars new

[Datalink]

@bg47 , I think you should be able to connect the printer to the modem, either via wifi or ethernet.  I don’t know if you’ve tried this yet, but set the printer network settings manually thru the printer’s control panel.  Hopefully that will force the exact settings that the printer needs to connect to the modem’s network instead of using an automatic settings search which appears to fail.

If and when you have the time and patience to give it another go, follow the instruction included below.

The Brother support page for printer is located here: MFC-490CW | Canada | Brother support website

Download the MFC-490CW Network Users Guide from the Manuals section located here:

Manuals | MFC-490CW | Canada | Brother

Log into the modem and turn off the 5 Ghz wifi network, leaving the 2.4 Ghz network up and running.  Check the mode and encryption type of the 2.4 Ghz network.  The mode will have to include 802.11 b/g as that is what the printer supports for wifi.  So, I’d expect something like 802.11 b/g/n if the modem will allow 802.11b in the selection.  The encryption should be WPA2-PSK (AES).  If it reads some form of WPA2/WPA3, reselect the setting to WPA2-PSK (AES).  If the modem is running WPA3, its possible that the printer would see this and have no idea of what to do with it.  When the printer was built, WPA3 was probably nothing but a proposed change to the wifi spec. 

Since you factory reset the printer, check to see if the printer’s wifi is the selected network interface.  The printer appears to use a selectable network interface, wifi or ethernet.  You have to select either one in order to connect to a single network.  Looks like the printer won’t run both wifi and ethernet networks at the same time.  So, you have to choose, print via wifi, or, print via ethernet.

On your printer, press Menu.

Press up or down to choose Network and press OK.

Press up or down to choose Network I/F and press OK.

Press up or down to choose Wireless and press OK.

Press Stop/Exit.

Follow the MFC-490CW Network Users Guide starting on page 27 to use the printers control panel instead of using a Windows interface to change the wifi settings. 

1.  Work your way down from step 1 to step 7, select the network SSID and press OK.  Skip down to step 11.
2. Select WPA/WPA2-PSK.   Skip down to step 16.
3. Select AES for the Encryption type.  Press OK.  Skip down to step 17.
4. Enter the network password and press OK.  Skip down to step 18. 
5. To apply the settings, choose Yes.  The printer should start to connect to the network.
6. “If your wireless device is connected successfully, the display shows connected for 60 seconds configuration is complete.
7. Press OK.

To connect the printer via ethernet, download the Quick Setup Guide from the Manuals section of the support page, located here:

Manuals | MFC-490CW | Canada | Brother

Take a look at the Quick Setup Guide page 21 to see where the ethernet port is located inside the printer.  Take note of the “Important” note on page 22, which directs you to select Wired LAN from the Network Interface section of the printers user controls if you intend to run the printer via ethernet. 

Depending on where the modem and printer are located, you might be able to run an ethernet cable to support the printer.  Food for thought, as they say. 

As indicated above, you could buy a cheap router to use as an access point for the printer.  I don’t think that you should have to do that, but, experimenting with the settings indicted above might finally prove that a cheap router is the only way this will work.  That would be hugely frustrating…..

You could also buy a cheap router and use that router in a “Wifi Media Bridge” mode.  In that mode the router is set up to connect to the modem via wifi instead of an ethernet cable.  Then, you would connect ethernet cabling from the router to the devices.  That results in a router which should be compatible with the modem and which supports the printer and any other ethernet connected device.  With external antenna, the transmit / receive performance between the router and modem should be better than what you would see between the printer and modem.  My choice would be to run a router in a Media Bridge mode, with higher security settings, rather than running in Access Point mode with reduced security settings.  And, if the printer isn't located anywhere near the modem, you should be able to leave it in place, connect it to the router via ethernet and run the router in a Media Bridge mode. 

If you switch to an ethernet connection, you might have to rerun the Windows printer setup so that it locates the printers IP address via ethernet path. 

And lastly, turn the modem's 5 Ghz network back on.  If you managed to get the printer connected via the 2.4 Ghz network, run a test to see if you can print from a 5 Ghz connected device.  I don't know if the modem will automatically route the print data across the wifi networks.  I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't.  That's why its usually much easier to run printers via ethernet, leaving the wifi issues alone. 

Hope this helps.  Please let us know if you try this and whether it fails miserably or by some miracle, manages to work.