Ten Steps on How to Connect a Wireless Printer

So you’ve bought a new printer which has Wifi connection capabilities and now you need to connect it to your computer…let’s start.

Step One – Setup Your Wireless Printer

The first step is to set up your printer and install the ink cartridges/toner cartridges, paper etc.

Then, on the control panel set up the printer, you will need to answer the questions it asks such as language, country, time, date etc. Your wireless printer should have a “Get started” sheet of paper which came with it.

Once this has been done then the next step is to connect the printer to your Wifi router. Again the “get started” sheet that came with your particular make and model of printer will help you with this. If it does not, then it is best to go online and in Google search “how to connect wireless printer and make and model” (obviously exchanging the make and model for yours).

Step Two – Using Control Panel

If after Step One above you are still having issues in trying to connect your wireless printer, the setup is generally under “Maintenance” or “Network” sections on the control panel. Sometimes it is a cog wheel. Look for Network, then Wifi Setup. Under that setting, you should see “Easy Setup” (or words to that effect) and choose WPS Setup.

Step Three – WPS Setup

WPS Setup is an automatic setup system that allows both your router and printer to “talk” to each other and thereby swop information. This includes what the printer needs are; the SSID (name of the router); and the wireless password. Both of these should be on a label on your router and you also may have a credit card with this information. It is the same basic information you would use to connect the smartphone, computer or iPad etc to your router.

Step Four – Router

Step four on how to connect a wireless printer is to start the WPS Setup on your printer and then go to your router and press the button that states WPS. Most routers have a button to do this. If your model of the router does not then you would need to log into the router to activate WPS. This may be a more complicated way of doing it and would take too long to cover that in this article.

Step Five – Start the WPS

You need to start the WPS “talk” between router and printer within a certain time frame, usually 2 minutes but the quicker you can hit the button on the router (after starting it on the printer) the better. This system generally works 9 times out of 10 but some printers and routers won’t “connect” with each other by this method.

Step Six – Manually Connect a Wireless Printer

If the WPS option does not work then on the printer you would need to “manually” set up the wireless printer by choosing the SSID name and typing in the password. This can be more time consuming and difficult to do.

Step Seven – Download Software

Once the printer is on your network and connected, you need to download the relevant software or use the CD which came with the unit and install the software and drivers for the printer to work correctly. If you just install the drivers and not the software then scanning, faxing and some printing may not work.

Step Eight – Apple Operating System

The above information applies to both Microsoft and Apple computers or iPads etc. With Apple computers, there generally is no need for Step Seven (to download and install software) unless you particularly need to. Apple through their operating system will do this for you when you “Add a printer”. Apple users will know what I mean here.

Step Nine – General Information on How to Connect a Wireless Printer

This is, of course, a general guide to “How to Connect a Wireless Printer” as each printer is different and so to try and explain each one would be a mammoth task.

Step Ten – Contact Affordable Computer Repairs and Service

If you still have issues in trying to connect a wireless printer, then please call us at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service (we are a Brisbane computer repair business) on 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707 and we can assist you further.