Wireless printing is now a feature in any modern printer and is extremely convenient because it allows you to keep the printer away from the computer, perhaps a little hidden or even in another room, without having to lay unsightly and uncomfortable cables.
For those who have problems with the wireless printer or for those who have never configured it and have just bought it, in this guide we will show you how to connect the Wi-Fi printer of the main brands, so you can follow the procedure suitable for the device in our possession.
We will also show you a very quick procedure to quickly add the printer to your home network and PC with Windows 10 and a collection of common problems, so that we can solve and use the wireless printer.
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How to connect the Wi-Fi printer to the router
Connecting the printer to the home or office Wi-Fi network is all in all very simple, as we will see in the various chapters below.Connection via WPS
All Wi-Fi printers (of any manufacturer) can be connected to the wireless network using the WPS button on the router and setting the printer to be able to make the quick connection, without having to manually enter the network password (often very laborious to enter, since the screens and buttons on the printer are very small).First, press the WPS button on our router or enter its router configuration panel and activate the WPS from there; if in the past we have deactivated the functionality for safety, we can also reactivate it temporarily and deactivate it once the printer is connected.
Within 120 seconds from its pressure we turn on the printer and press the WPS button (if any) on it; alternatively we enter the printer settings, go to the Wi-Fi, Wireless or WLAN menu and make sure to select the WPS connection mode .
In a few seconds the printer will be connected to the Wi-Fi network in our possession, without having to manually enter the network password; if the connection does not happen within 120 seconds, make sure that the printer is close enough to the router and repeat the steps.
This is undoubtedly the most comfortable and simple procedure to connect to the Wi-Fi printer to the network, but WPS has often been the victim of hackers so we strongly recommend that you deactivate it immediately after using it for the printer.
To learn more about WPS technology, we refer you to reading our guide on How to use the WPS Wifi button safely and quickly .
Manual connection to the Wi-Fi network
If we do not want to use the WPS key or it is not present, we will have to manually configure the Wi-Fi connection, so as to make the printer available to all network devices.
To connect the printer to the network, turn it on, press the Menu or Setup button, go to the Wi-Fi, Wireless or WLAN menu and select the manual password entry mode.
A search will start for the Wi-Fi networks available nearby: at the end of the scan, we select our wireless network and use the buttons on the printer to enter the access password.
At the end of the configuration, press OK and turn on the Wi-Fi by pressing the appropriate button, so as to establish the connection.
If the printer in your possession does not have a display, we can also establish the connection with an alternative method: we hold down the Wi-Fi button for a few seconds, we install the specific app (according to the printer manufacturer) on our smartphone and let's connect to the temporary Wi-Fi network created by the printer itself (usually recognizable because it does not have an access password and has the same name as the printer); after making the connection we follow the steps offered by the app to enter the password to access the Wi-Fi network.
To deepen the discussion on all the connection methods present for each printer manufacturer, we recommend that you read the suggestions in the various official guides, which we have collected in the list below:
- Canon
- Epson
- HP
- Brother
- Samsung
- Lexmark
Connect Wi-Fi printer to Windows
Once the printer is connected to the Wi-Fi network, we will have to configure Windows to be able to manage it correctly, installing the right driver and any app or management program.Tool built into Windows 10
The fastest way to connect the Wi-Fi printer to Windows 10 involves using the tools integrated in the operating system, which will download the right print driver from the Internet and make the printer available to all programs.To use the integrated tool, make sure that the printer is already on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network where the computer is used, then open the Start menu, open the Settings app, go to the Printers and scanners menu and click on Add a printer or scanner .
The system will start looking for any printer present on the network; as soon as the new printer is visible, select it and click Add device . Windows will start looking for a compatible driver, so you can immediately start printing. If the printer is a multifunction printer, the scanner driver will also be downloaded.
Driver and program from CD or site
If we want to obtain the maximum print quality, we use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 as operating system or check the ink levels without entering the printer settings every time, we recommend installing the driver and support programs on the CD included in the package the printer.
Once the CD is inserted, we wait for the start then we launch the installation setup, in which we can choose (in most cases) whether to install only the printer driver or the driver and the support programs (often very useful to take advantage of the scanner or to perform head cleaning).
If our computer does not have a disc player, we can always get an external USB DVD burner or download the updated drivers and programs from the printer manufacturers' websites, which we have collected below:
- Canon
- Epson
- HP
- Brother
- Samsung
- Lexmark
Solve common problems with the Wi-Fi printer
If we encounter connection problems for the Wi-Fi printer, the reason is usually related to the printer and the fact that it is not seen on the network. By default the printer should appear in Windows Explorer, even if the connection to the computer has not yet been made. If this does not happen, it is necessary to verify that the printer is really connected to the wifi network coming from the home router. For example, the network access password may not have been written correctly or the printer's IP address may not have been assigned by the router.At the first connection attempt, it is worth placing the computer and printer close to each other, in order to rule out any bad signal reception. If the printer and the router are far away, we can also test the connection via Ethernet cable, so that we can start it, install the drivers and try if it works. From the printer manager, there should be the option to configure the wireless printer.
If you cannot find the IP address of the printer, we access the router settings (using a browser, usually just open the address 192.168.1.1) and check if the network printer is present among the connected devices, noting the its IP address.
If the connection is there, but the printer still isn't working, then it can be a driver problem . We completely uninstall the printer following the steps of our guide on how to remove and uninstall hidden drivers or old hardware devices, then we use the drivers on the package CD or by downloading the new ones from the sites, as shown in the previous chapter.
For any other problem, refer to the guide that explains what to do if the printer does not print (HP, Epson and others)
Conclusions
Connecting a Wi-Fi printer to the network and to the computer is very simple, just use the most congenial or most practical method for us, so you can print wirelessly even between different rooms (of course, be careful with the wireless signal, which must always be good) .If we want to configure a printer on one PC and share its configuration on other computers on the network (without repeating all the steps), we recommend you read our guide on how to configure a network printer shared between PCs .
If instead we want to print the documents and photos from the smartphone or tablet, we can read our guides on How to print from Android on any printer and Ways to print from iPad and iPhone on any printer, so that we can also use the printer from mobile.
To print remotely, even when we are not at home or in the office, we can read the suggestions proposed in our guide on how to print online from other PCs, mobile phones and remotely, so you can print from anywhere on the planet.
