Connect Brother HL-L2460DW printer to MacBook Air M3

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Connect Brother HL-L2460DW printer to MacBook Air M3

I want to print documents (PDFs mainly) from my MacBook Air M3, macOS Sonoma 14.5. I was told (by Apple Support) that my only option is to buy a Wi-Fi printer, thus avoiding the need to use cables to connect to the printer. I bought a Brother HL-L2460DW that claims to provide wi-fi access. But Brother hasn't kept up with upgrades to the Mac OS. Most of their drivers work with OS10 Macs.

My MB Air doesn't recognize the printer, turned on and sitting next to it. No printers available in System Settings. Somebody recommends that I obtain an adapter to connect the MB Air to the Brother printer, and never mind the wi-fi approach.

Can some kind person tell me exactly what cables/adapters I need to connect the MB Air to the Brother printer? Interesting that the printer came with a power cable but no USB cable. Curious: How do other people with MacBook Air laptops print anything?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Oct 26, 2024 7:13 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Carol Scott Zimmerman Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 29, 2024 5:23 PM in response to BnGhat

Late last night I went upstairs and turned off my router for about 10 minutes. Then turned it back on. After all the green lights came on, I retried the Brother instructions--and it worked! My network showed up, I entered the 12-character key/password, and the printer was ready to go. I've successfully printed several documents from my laptop, using wi-fi and no cables.

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Answer 2

BnGhat

Level 1

62 points

Oct 27, 2024 7:12 PM in response to Carol Scott Zimmerman

While I like the printer I have I do agree the instructions from Brother leave much to be desired. That said, looking at the specs of your printer it appears you need a USB-2 to USB-C cable.

Rather than contacting Apple I would contact the store directly where you purchased the printer from. They will know the printer better than Apple. If you bought the printer used try contacting Brother directly. I don't know where you live but here's a link to Brother Support USA to get you started. They should be able to help you more than I can: https://www.brother-usa.com/contact-us.

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Answer 3

BnGhat

Level 1

62 points

Oct 26, 2024 7:51 PM in response to Carol Scott Zimmerman

I don't have any issues with Sonoma or Sequoia on my MBA connecting to my Brother laser printer. I suggest reading the following instructions: https://support.brother.ca/app/answers/detail/a_id/183791 and Connect an AirPrint printer to a Wi-Fi network - Apple Support.

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Answer 4

Oct 27, 2024 2:20 PM in response to BnGhat

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I've gone through ALL the procedures provided by Brother.

* System Settings>Printers & Scanners>Add Printer gets me to a dead end.

The Brother printer does not appear as an available option. Nothing appears. When I type

the printer name and model number, it is not accepted or recognized.

Airport Utility>Base Station -- menu is dead; I cannot select Add WPS Printer

or any of the menu items.

Using the Apple Support advice about connecting an AirPrint printer to a Wi-Fi network

doesn't work either. If the printer has a built-in display (it does), they suggest I type the

name and password of my wi-fi network. Impossible. Name is 10 characters, password

is 12 characters. Brother display can't accommodate. No keypad.

So I'm down to the direct-connect option. I need to know what cable to buy that can plug into the Brother printer's USB socket (?) and has an adapter I can use to connect to the cable that came with my M3 MBA.

I apologize for omitting my hours-long attempts to follow Brother's instructions for connecting to my MBA. I think I've gone through everything they offer online. Downloaded and used BrotherEasySetup_100_13. Also downloaded MonoLaserPRT22_ULW_O and opened Wireless Network Setup. In their opening window WNS recommends using a USB cable for installation. If I don't have a USB cable, they say I must use "your machine's control panel." I assume they refer to the Brother machine, and its control panel is extremely difficult to navigate. (No instructions.)

All I really want is a way to connect my MBA to the Brother printer by cable. Maybe I'll go to the Apple Store and ask if they can help?

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Answer 5

BnGhat

Level 1

62 points

Oct 29, 2024 5:56 PM in response to Carol Scott Zimmerman

Excellent! Glad to hear you got it sorted out and it's now working for you. Well done. 👍🏼

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Connect Brother HL-L2460DW printer to MacBook Air M3

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