NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Nighthawk R7000 not showing/connecting Brother printer
We are trying to connect our wireless Brother printer to our network using our Nighthawk R7000 router. We have the printer plugged into the router via USB cable and USB port on the back of the router. Problem #1: When I go into router configurations, it doesn't even show up as a connected wired device, even when I make sure the printer is actively on (It's always on, jsut often sleeping). One laptop can print fine to the printer, wirelessly, no problem. Problem #2: From another laptop, we have to use the Netgear USB control center and manually connect the printer every time before we print something. Problem #3: We also have Samsung Android phones and tablets and cannot figure out at all how to connect those to print. There is not an Android Netgear USB control center app that we can find. Can anyone PLEASE help?
Thanks, everyone!! I connected the printer via Ethernet instead of USB, rebooted the router and voila! Wired device via Netgear Genie! And don't have to use the silly Netger USB Control Panel to print! And the Brother app worked on our Android devices! What an easy fix! We are getting a few hiccups when printing from our phones/tablet, but it works, and that's what matters!
9 Replies
Is your Brother printer capable of connecting to the R7000 via wired Ethernet or wireless 802.11b/g/n? I currently connect my Brother HL-5470DW to the R7000 via Ethernet cable. All wired and wireless computers are able to print to the Brother with no problem. I haven't tried to print from our phones.
The printer appears both in the router software's list of attached devices as well as in Netgear Genie.
Jeff
Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize I had any.
My printer model is MFC-8480DN which it turns out is not a wireless printer. I have conncted via wired Ethernet now, but that still doesn't solve our problems. It does now show up in our list of wired devices, but that's it. I still have to go through the Netgear USB control center to what seems like "wake up" the printer before I can print. And if there isn't a version of this for Android, then I'm assuming that will still be the roadblock to print from Android devices.
skyedobb wrote:Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize I had any.
My printer model is MFC-8480DN which it turns out is not a wireless printer. I have conncted via wired Ethernet now, but that still doesn't solve our problems. It does now show up in our list of wired devices, but that's it. I still have to go through the Netgear USB control center to what seems like "wake up" the printer before I can print. And if there isn't a version of this for Android, then I'm assuming that will still be the roadblock to print from Android devices.
If you have connected the printer via Ethernet, then you no longer need the Netgear USB Control Center, which is dealing with USB connected printer. I recommend that you remove the Netgear USB Control Center, unless you need it to print to a different printer.
You should proceed to add a network printer on your computer using the Add Printer dialog on Windows or OSX. If your computer cannot find drivers for your printer, then you can download them from here (link).
For Android, Brother's website says you need to install the Brother iPrint&Scan app from the Goople Play Store.
All of this should have been explained in Brother's Setup and Installation Guides.
If model number contains letter W it is wireless printer. N means just network type via Ethernet cable connection. Network printer has to be configured as such and all devices on the network should have printer driver installed to use the printer. Purpose of networked printer is to share it amongst network users for sure. It is not a PnP situation..
The only thing I can add is
I manually set the IP on my brother printer from the printer's front panel. I then reserve that IP in the routers dhcp list as belonging to the printer all the time.
What model of brother printer is it? I admit I'm not familiar with USB printing on the router. You could try a shorter USB cable although thats probably unlikely.
I use a wireless all in brother printer MFC-JDW43? (older ..cheap refills) and cannot recommend it enough. I simply
reserved its static IP in the Nighthawks dhcp table. For the android devices there is a brother app for printing and scanning.
Why bother with wired connection? Configure the printer to run as wireless network printer. Configuration is to be done at the printer.
Then all the users device need to have printer driver at their end then every one can see the printer and print. If printer can do NFC, or
Airprint, that works as well too. I am not a fan of connecting anything to USB port of the router. My Brother MFC-9130CW works great
set up as wireless network printer as well as Cannon Photo printer. Never have any issues. If anyone wants to print, select which printer (s)he wants to use. Then printer wakes up from sleep mode, goes to print right away. Always work like it is connected via cable. If the
printer has fixed ip address, it is even better.
