Wireless printers give you the ease of printing from anywhere in the house as long as you are connected to the home network. The wireless printer not detected by the network error commonly occurs during initial installation. To prevent this from happening, read the user manual or documentation before the setup to ensure smooth installation.
If you encounter an error saying wireless printer not detected by the network, below are some tips that you can use to make your wireless printer work.
i. Checking the security settings of your computer
ii. Checking the Wi-Fi settings of your router
iii. Checking network settings
iv. Isolating the problem
Checking the security settings of your computer
Security settings include the antivirus software and built-in firewall of your computer. There are some firewall and antivirus software that block some printer drivers necessary to detect the printer.
What you can do:
If you encounter an error saying wireless printer not detected by the network, below are some tips that you can use to make your wireless printer work.
i. Checking the security settings of your computer
ii. Checking the Wi-Fi settings of your router
iii. Checking network settings
iv. Isolating the problem
Checking the security settings of your computer
Security settings include the antivirus software and built-in firewall of your computer. There are some firewall and antivirus software that block some printer drivers necessary to detect the printer.
What you can do:
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Update the virus scan patterns of your antivirus or internet security software.
- Add exceptions for your printer manually.
NOTE: Contact your computer's customer support for guidance.
Checking the Wi-Fi settings of your router
The settings saved on your printer should match the settings of your network to ensure that you are in the same range with the rest of the devices. Although there’s a slim chance for your printer to connect to a different network, the possibility remains.
Check these settings:
The settings saved on your printer should match the settings of your network to ensure that you are in the same range with the rest of the devices. Although there’s a slim chance for your printer to connect to a different network, the possibility remains.
Check these settings:
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Wi-Fi name (SSID) – This is the name of your Wi-Fi.
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Network password, passphrase, or Pre-shared Key (PSK) – This is the password that you use to connect to Wi-Fi.
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Security Mode – The type of encryption that your network uses. Choose a security that is compatible to all the devices in your home.
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Wireless mode – The wireless technology that your network utilizes.
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Broadcast SSID – This should be checked. If the Broadcast SSID of your router is disabled, you need to add the network manually on your printer. Refer to the user manual for instructions on how to add the network manually.
NOTE: It is recommended that the above-mentioned settings are personalized to ensure that you are connecting to your own network. To check these settings on your Belkin router's web-based setup page, click here. For Belkin routers using the Dashboard, these can be found under Router Details. For guidance on locating it, click here.
Checking network settings
Another way to check if your printer is connected to your own network is through the printer's network settings. The following should be in range with your Wi-Fi:
Checking network settings
Another way to check if your printer is connected to your own network is through the printer's network settings. The following should be in range with your Wi-Fi:
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IP address
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Subnet mask
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Default gateway
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DNS servers
For instructions on checking these settings through your computer, click here. To learn how to check these settings on your printer, refer to its user manual or contact customer support for your printer.
Isolating the problem
After following all the instructions above and you are still getting the wireless printer not detected by the network error, you need to further isolate the problem. Here are some things that you can do:
Isolating the problem
After following all the instructions above and you are still getting the wireless printer not detected by the network error, you need to further isolate the problem. Here are some things that you can do:
-
Check if your other computers can detect the printer.
- Check if you can print directly to the printer (via USB or ethernet cable).
If none of these steps fix your issue, you may also contact your printer manufacturer to verify if there are special troubleshooting steps that you need to do to make your printer work.
