Brother HL-2170W

Thank you very much for posting this! I literally spent 2 hours each on three separate days trying to get this to work wirelessly. Today I scrapped my Linksys Router, received my Airport Extreme from the UPS man, and finally got it going!

It should not matter which router you are using. I don't remember there being any particular problems but I've been using the Brother printer from both my laptop and my wife's over wireless without any problems (osx 10.6 and 10.5). I think I have a Linksys router (or maybe dlink) and it works fine.

I also could not find "Add wireless client..." from Base Station drop-down menu and I also felt like an idiot. I finally found the Base Station drop down menu on the top of the screen. I was looking in the utility. Now I see why another person added a "duh!" comment. I also feel like saying "duh!"

Now that I've found it, I'm still trying to follow the steps to get it to work.

Yes! Thanks so much... love this printer but totally NOT intuitive to set up. Luckily, your help saved me many hours of frustration. Worked like a charm once I reset the printer from its old settings (holding the GO button down while turning the printer on, waiting for all three lights to come on, releasing the button, then pressing it seven times). This reset the printer and re-activated the wireless settings. I was then able to print the PIN using your instructions and get it all set up through the Airport Utility. Thanks again!

ARRRRGH! I just updated the firmware on the Airport Extreme and now I've lost the ability to print! I tried following the same steps for PIN access and now, for some insane reason, it's not working! Can anyone offer a suggestion as to what I need to do to get this up-and-running again? The PIN process worked like a breeze las t time, so now I'm at a total loss. SO FRUSTRATING! Thanks in advance.

WindyPoint, have you had any issues with your printer once the firmware on your router was reset? I just lost connections to the printer and I was thinking that may be why... any ideas why the PIN process would not be working for me now... it worked so well before! Thanks for any help you can offer.

Scratch that... not sure how I got it to work: I did change the router name to SETUP and took off the encryption, then returned it to my previous settings with a unique name and WPA2 password. I had reset, printed, and tried entering about 5 new PINs for the wireless access, to no avail. Then, after doing the above, I tried one more time and this time, it worked! Ah, sweet mystery of technology!

This is a known problem that had caused me hours of frustration not only after I installed a wireless-N router but then snow leopard. I called Brother and got this response - and it worked! After many hours of frustration, IT WORKED! There are two solutions here (divided by the ***) and the first is more complicated, but that's the one that helped me.

Description of Problem 100000014394

On a Macintosh, how do I configure the wireless printer and install the printer driver WITHOUT a cable?

Description of Solution 200000018578

NOTE: For successful wireless setup, you MUST know your network security settings.

STEP I: Gather the wireless network settings of your wireless access point or wireless router

The network settings information for your network can be found on the network configuration sheet of your wireless access point or wireless router. Please contact the manufacturer of your wireless access point or wireless router or refer to the user’s guide for your wireless access point or wireless router for instructions on printing a network configuration sheet. This information includes:

A. SSID (Service Set ID or Network Name): Your access point or router is identified by an SSID or network name.

B. Authentication Method: For example, Open System, Shared Key, WPA-PSK, WPA2, etc.

C. Encryption Mode: For example, Open, TKIP, AES, etc

D. PASSPHRASE: For routers that use a Pre-Shared Key (PSK), the PASSPHRASE is more than 7 characters and less than 64 characters in length.

NOTE: If you do not have the network settings information or cannot find this information, refer to the solution "How do I find the Wireless Security Information?"

STEP II: Perform a factory reset on the printer network card

1. Turn OFF the power switch on the right side of the printer.

2. Hold down the GO button as you turn on the power switch. The GO button is located on the top left side of the printer below the Toner, Drum, and Error LEDs.

3. Keep the GO button pressed down until the Toner, Drum, and Error LEDs light up. Release the GO button. Make sure that all the LEDs turn off.

4. Press the GO button 7 times with 5 seconds. The network card is now reset.

STEP III: Enable the Wireless Network Card

With the printer power turned on and the printer Ready, hold down the GO button for about 15 seconds. Release the GO button when the printer prints a Network Configuration page.

NOTE: The text to the right of IEEE 802.11b/g in the Node Type section will indicate that the Wireless network card is active or inactive. Active means that the wireless setting is enabled and Inactive means that the wireless setting is disabled. If it shows Inactive, repeat STEP II to reset the wireless network card and STEP III to enable wireless.

STEP IV: Print out the Printer Settings pages to determine the IP Address

1. Make sure the printer is powered on and the front cover is closed. The printer should be in Ready mode with the blue Ready light on steady.

2. Wait approximately 1 minute, and then press the GO button 3 times to print the Printer Settings page. 3 pages should print out. If 4 pages print out, please go to Step III and reset the network card again.

3. Verify the IP Address of the printer is a 169.254.x.x number (Figure 1) and that the Comm. Mode is Ad-hoc and the Name (SSID) is SETUP (Figure 2).

STEP V: Communicate to the printer WITHOUT a network cable and configure the wireless settings

To communicate with the printer in Ad-hoc mode, the wireless computer needs to join the printer’s SETUP network.

NOTE: If you are using a third party utility to manage your wireless connections, contact the manufacturer for assistance with the following steps.

If you are using the Macintosh operating system to manage your wireless connections:

1. In the Airport Wireless Utility, connect to SETUP.

2. The wireless icon will turn gray.

Configure the Wireless Network Card

1. Open a web browser. An error message will appear informing you are not connected to the internet

2. Enter the IP Address of the printer into the web browser address line and press ENTER. The Brother Web Management screen will appear.

3. Click on Network Configuration near the top of the screen. (Figure 3).

4. A login screen will appear. Enter the following:

Username: admin. Password: access.

5. Then click OK.

6. Click Configure Wireless (Figure 4).

7. Change the Communication Mode to Infrastructure (Figure 5).

8. Click BROWSE next to the Wireless Network Name (SSID) (Figure 5). For the SSID, refer to the network settings information gathered in Step I.

9. Select the appropriate Name (SSID) from the list and click OK (Figure 6). Refer to the network settings information gathered in Step I.

10. Leave the Channel setting as is.

11. Select the appropriate Authentication Method from the drop down list (Figure 7). Refer to the network settings information gathered in Step I.

12. Select the appropriate Encryption Method (Figure 8). Refer to the network settings information gathered in Step I.

NOTE: If WEP is selected as the Encryption Method, enter the hex code for the WEP Key 1. There is no need to enter the Passphrase for WEP Encryption.

NOTE: If an Authentication Method other than Open or Shared is selected, then a Passphrase must be entered on the Passphrase line (Figure 9).

13. Click Submit to update the printer with your wireless settings (Figure 10).

14. The computer will display a screen indicating the settings have been updated successfully (Figure 11).

15. The Wireless Network Card on the printer is now Active on the network.

16. Reconnect your computer to your wireless access point or wireless router. If you assistance doing this, please refer back to the start of STEP V.

17. Verify the printer is now attached to the wireless access point or wireless router.

a. Wait approximately one minute.

b. Press the GO button 3 times to print the settings pages.

c. Look at the last page printed. Confirm that the IP address on that page is assigned via DHCP (Figure 12).

d. Confirm the Comm. Mode is set to Infrastructure, the Name (SSID) matches your access point or router and the Wireless Link Status is Link OK (Figure 13).

NOTE: 3 Pages should print out. Verify on the last page the Node Type. If the Node Type is NOT the NC-7400W, the wireless interface is not enabled. To enable the wireless interface, press and hold down the GO button until a page prints out. It should take about 20 seconds.

NOTE: If the IP Address is 0.0.0.0, wait another minute and print out the settings pages again. If the IP Address is still 0.0.0.0, please reset the router by powering it off, then back on. Also, turn the printer off, then back on. Wait approximately one minute. Print out the Network Settings page again and verify the settings. If the IP Address is still a 0.0.0.0 number, please verify your security information in STEP I is correct and start again from STEP II.

If the IP Address is a 169.254.x.x number and the Wireless Link Status in LINK OK, please check your router for MAC filtering. If MAC filtering is enabled, please enter the MAC address to the list. If MAC filtering is not enable, please reset the router by powering it off, then back on. Also, turn the printer off, then back on. Wait approximately one minute. Print out the Network Settings page again and verify the settings. If the IP Address is still a 169.254.x.x number, please verify your security information in STEP I is correct and start again from STEP II.

If the IP Address is a 169.254.x.x number and the Wireless Link Status in FAILED TO ASSOCIATE, please reset the router by powering it off, then back on. Also, turn the printer off, then back on. Print out the Network Settings page again and verify the settings. If the IP Address is still a 169.254.x.x number, please verify your security information in STEP I is correct and start again from STEP II.

The printer is now configured and is operating on your network.

If you have Brother software CD, continue to STEP VI. If you do not have the CD, go to STEP VII.

NOTE: If you have Macintosh OS X 10.7, click here.

STEP VI: Install the printer driver from the CD

1. Insert the Brother software CD into the CD-ROM drive. Double click the HL2100 CD icon on the desktop. Double click on Start Here.

2. The opening screen will appear automatically. Choose your printer model.

3. Select your language (English).

4. Click Install Printer Driver (for USA/Canada/Latin America).

5. Click Wireless Network Users.

6. Select Driver Install Only and click Next.

7. Click Continue on the welcome window.

8. Read the license agreement. If you accept the license agreement, click Continue.

9. Click Agree to accept the License Agreement.

NOTE: In Mac OS X 10.4.x: Select the destination volume to install the driver.

10. Click Install to continue with the standard installation.

NOTE: In Mac OS X 10.4.x, click Upgrade.

11. You will be prompted to enter your password. Enter your Macintosh password and click OK.

NOTE: If you do not know your system password, please contact Apple or your network administrator for assistance.

12. You will be informed that the computer will need to restart once the installation has completed. Click Continue Installation.

13. You will receive a message that the install has succeeded. Click Restart to complete the installation.

14. Once the computer is restarted, a window appears informing Setup is now complete. Click OK.

NOTE: For Macintosh 10.7, start here to add the printer.

15. Click the blue Apple icon and select System Preferences and select Print & Fax or Print & Scan (for Macintosh 10.7).

16. Click the plus ➕ sign.

17. In Default view, select Brother HL-2170W series. Click Add.

18. The Brother HL2170W series printer icon now appears in the window.

Setup is now complete.

You do not need to perform STEP VII. If you wish to install the printer driver on a different computer, please follow these printer driver installation steps again STEP VI.

STEP VII: Install the printer driver From the Web

The printer driver is available for free download from the Brother web site.

How to install the downloaded driver:

1. Open your Internet browser and browse to http://www.brother-usa.com/downloads

2. Choose your Product Group, Model, and click View.

3. Click on the link under Your Results.

4. Under Step 1: Select OS, select your operating system.

5. Under Step 2: Select Language, select your language.

6. Click on the Search button.

7. Under CUPS Printer Driver (Recommended) click Download & Information.

8. On the next page, click on the Download button.

9. On the End-User License Agreement for Brother Software page click I Accept. The download will begin.

10. Once the download is complete, the Installer Disk Image will be mounted on your Desktop. You will find the installer package icon on the desktop.

NOTE: If you don't find the installer package icon, extract the xxxxxxxx.dmg file manually with Disk Copy or Disk Utility. Disk Copy or Disk Utility can be found in /Applications/Utilites.

11. Double click the installer package icon.

12. Click Continue on the welcome window.

13. Read the license agreement. If you accept the license agreement, click Continue.

14. Click Agree to accept the License Agreement.

NOTE: In Mac OS® X 10.4.x: Select the destination volume to install the driver.

15. Click Install to continue with the standard installation.

NOTE: In Mac OS X 10.4.x, click Upgrade.

16. You will be prompted to enter your password. Enter your Macintosh password and click OK.

NOTE: If you do not know your system password, please contact Apple or your network administrator for assistance.

17. You will be informed that the Mac will need to restart once the installation has completed. Click Continue Installation to continue.

18. You will receive a message that the install has succeeded. Click Restart to complete the installation.

19. Once the computer is restarted, you will need to add the printer. Click the blue Apple icon and select System Preferences and select Print & Fax.

20. Click the plus ➕ sign.

21. In Default view, select Brother HL-2170W series. Next to Print Using, the CUPS driver should be listed. Click Add.

22. The Brother HL2170W series printer icon now appears in the Print & Fax window.

Setup is now complete.

If you wish to install the printer driver on a different computer, please follow these printer driver installation steps again STEP VII.

Additional FAQs and solutions are available on the Brother Solutions Center web site. The Brother Solutions Center also offers free downloads of Operational User Guides, Software User Guides, New Driver Releases, Firmware Updates and more. We encourage you to visit the Brother Solutions Center to learn more about your product and its operation.

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Thank you very much for your inquiry. Our Search Engine found the following Solution from our Solution Database that matches with your Problem description.

Description of Problem 100000021394

I am unable to print in Macintosh OS X using the wired or wireless network connection. What can I do?

Description of Solution 200000027119

Difficulty printing from your Macintosh can occur for various reasons. The most common reason a Brother machine may stop printing is because the connection between the computer and the Brother machine is lost. This can occur as a result of wrong settings or configuration on the printer driver. There are several basic troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve this issue.

STEP 1: VERIFY THE CONNECTION

1. Print the Network Configuration on the brother machine and obtain the IP Address. Press the blue GO button 3 times. Look at the last page that prints out for the IP Address of the printer.

2. On the Macintosh, open HDD => Applications => Utilities => Network Utility. Click the Ping button at the top of the window and enter the brother machine's IP address in the appropriate section.

3. Select Send Only _ Pings and change the value to 4.

4. Click the Ping button to the right.

- If the Brother machine responds, continue troubleshooting below.

- If the Brother machine does not respond, then you will need to setup your machine on the network properly using the Initial Setup steps in order to print.

STEP 2: VERIFY THE BROTHER MACHINE IS POWERED ON AND THERE ARE NO ERRORS

1. If the GO button is not lit, then the Brother machine is not powered on. Verify that it is plugged into a working outlet and any power switches are turned to the ON position.

2. Check the LEDs for any error indications. If the Toner, Drum, or Error light is lit, troubleshoot to clear the particular problem.

STEP 3: VERIFY THAT THE PRINTER DRIVER IS INSTALLED

1. From the Apple Menu or in the Dock select System Preferences.

2. Under Hardware click the Print & Fax or Print & Scan (for Macintosh 10.7)icon.

3. Verify that the Brother printer in the list.

- If the Brother printer is listed, continue to STEP 4.

- If the Brother printer is not listed, the driver may not be installed properly. Refer to STEP 8 to reinstall the Brother driver.

STEP 4: VERIFY THAT THE BROTHER PRINTER IS SET AS DEFAULT

This is especially important if you use the print icon to print from within applications. To set the printer as default:

While in Print & Fax or Print & Scan, click the Default Printer drop down and select the appropriate Brother "Printer Driver".

STEP 5: VERIFY THAT THE PRINTER STATUS IS READY AND THE PRINT QUEUE IS EMPTY

1. While viewing the printer list, verify that the Brother "Printer Driver" shows Idle not Paused.

- If the printer is paused, double click the "Printer Driver" and click Resume Printer at the top of the printer queue window or in the File Menu, click Printer => Resume Printer.

2. Verify there are no jobs in the Printer Queue.

- If there are any documents waiting in the queue, you can delete print jobs by selecting the job and clicking Delete in the top left of the print queue window or in the File Menu, click Jobs => Delete Job. This should clear the queue.

STEP 6: ATTEMPT A TEST PRINT

1. In Mac OS X 10.5 and newer, you can print a Test Page from the File Menu when the Print queue window is displayed. Click Printer => Print Test Page.

2. In previous Mac OS X versions you can open TextEdit, create a new document and attempt to print.

- If the Test Page or New Document prints, then the issue is resolved.

- If the Test Page or New Document does not print, continue to STEP 7.

STEP 7: DELETE THE PRINTER

1. From the Apple Menu or in the Dock select System Preferences.

2. Under Hardware click the Print & Fax or Print & Scan (for Macintosh 10.7)icon.

3. Highlight the printer you would like to delete from the list.

4. Click the - (Minus) button located below the Printers section on the left side.

5. Click OK to confirm that you want to delete the printer.

STEP 8: ADD THE PRINTER USING BONJOUR

1. While still in the Print & Fax window, click the + (Plus) button located below the Printers section on the left side.

2. Click the Default icon at the top of the window.

3. Select your Brother machine from the Printer Name list.

4. In the Print Using list, verify that the CUPS driver is selected.

5. Click Add. The Brother "Printer Driver" will now be available in the Print & Fax list.

6. Attempt to print again to determine if the issue is resolved. If you are still unable to print:

- Wired users can try another network cable.

- Reestablish the machine's network connection using the initial setup steps.

- Attempt to print from another network-connected computer.

These steps will help determine if the issue is specific to this computer. If you can print from other computers, then contact your computer manufacturer or network administrator for assistance troubleshooting this specific computer.

Additional FAQs and solutions are available on the Brother Solutions Center web site. The Brother Solutions Center also offers free downloads of Operational User Guides, Software User Guides, New Driver Releases, Firmware Updates and more. We encourage you to visit the Brother Solutions Center to learn more about your product and its operation.

Getting the Brother HL-2170W to work with a Time Capsule/ Airport Extreme unit.

Background: Just purchased a Time Capsule with built in Airport Extreme. I am using the Airport to replace the wireless router / access point from my last ISP.

Problem: Couldn't get the Brother HL-2170W to connect up to the Airport wirelessly or via ethernet. It was previously connected via wireless to my old AP.

This finally worked for me:

1. I connected the Brother HL-2170W to the Time Capsule via ethernet cable .

2. pressed the blue button 3 times to print the status / settings pages. (showed wifi was enabled but no IP address, printer was still trying to connect to my old access point SSID.

3. I performed the reset to factory settings on the HL-2170W by following the Brother instructions (turn printer off, hold blue button down while turning printer back on, release button after three lights come on...) I read somewhere that you press the blue button 10 times to reset the printer. That was incorrect in my case. Reading the Brother manual again, it says 7 times. Pressing 7 times only worked for me.

4. Printer was now reset to factory settings. I printed the status/settings pages again by depressing the blue button 3 times. Ethernet was now enabled & the printer had an IP address from the Time Capsule via ethernet.

5. I updated the firmware on the printer to latest version (because why not) but it probably didn't matter. I was in there so...

6. Looking at WindyPoint's instructions from this thread, I instead chose to download the Apple AirPort Utility to my iPhone rather than run it on my computer.

7. I downloaded the latest wireless setup utility from the Brother support page for the HL-2170W to my computer.

8. Started up the Brother wireless setup utility on my computer.

9. Selected "Wireless Setup & Driver Install" in the Brother wireless setup utility.

10. Selected "Automatic Install" and clicked "next" in the Brother wireless setup utility.

11. Unplugged the Ethernet cable between the Time Capsule and the Brother printer.

12. Within the Apple AirPort Utility App on my iPhone:

1. Selected my Time Capsule & hit "Edit" in the upper right corner

2. Scrolled down and hit "Advanced"

3. Scrolled down to where it says "add WPS Printer" in blue letters and selected it

4. menu says "ALLOW WPS PRINTER" : "With PIN" or "On First Attempt"

5. I selected "On First Attempt" instead of "With PIN" (WindyPoint's "with PIN" instructions didn't work, Brother HL2170W would not print PIN code for me)

6. Apple AirPort Utility App showed spinning status icon while it waited for the HL-2170W to attempt a connection.

13. I depressed the button on the rear panel of the Brother HL-2170W for 1 second only. Brother instructions for automatic WPS say to hold LESS than 2 seconds. (3 seconds + is for the PIN code method that WindyPoint provided earlier.)

14. I waited only a few seconds.

15. The Brother HL-2170W connected and the Blue button on the front glowed solid blue.

16. The Apple AirPort Utility App showed the printer was connected and showed the MAC address, etc.

17. I saved the settings changes in the Apple Airport Utility App by clicking "Done" several times (upper right corner of the app.)

18. I finished the Brother wireless setup utility process & driver installation on my computer.

19. Restarted my computer.

20. Checked the printer settings in "System Preferences" in OSX.

21. I already had the printer loaded as a CUPS printer in the Printer settings so I clicked the Brother, and printed a test page.

Hope this helps others.