Where Do I Find the WPS PIN on My Brother Printer?

WPS PIN is basically an 8 digit PIN that comes encrypted with the WPA and WPA 2 personal security protocols. This WPS PIN is very important in order to complete the connection process. Only when you provide a WPS PIN, you can connect your printer to your desired device.WPS PIN is a safe and secure network which you can use to connect your wireless printer to the wireless router. It has been noticed that a lot of Brother Printer users when trying to set up their printer on a wireless network are prompted to provide a WPS PIN to complete the setup, however, they are unable to find the WPS PIN on their Brother printer. If you are also being prompted to provide WPS PIN when trying to set up your Brother Machine on a wireless network and you are unable to find it, you can overcome this problem by following the instructions provided below.

Guide to Find WPS PIN on Brother Printer

The setup process prompts WPS PIN generally when Wi-Fi Direct has enabled your printer and you try to add a Wi-Fi Direct connection using Printers and Scanners in Windows.  In such a case, it is suggested to better use the Wireless Setup Wizard or the Control Panel method to configure the wireless connection. Below are the steps that you will need to follow to successfully connect your printer and complete the setup process.

1. When you are on the screen where you see the message that reads – “Enter the WPS PIN for your multifunction printer”, you will need to click on the Cancel
2. After canceling the prompt, you will need to reset the network settings to the factory default. To know how to reset the machine to the factory settings, follow the steps provided below:

Steps to Reset the Network Settings to the Factory Default

NOTE: The following steps are for Brother Printer Model DCP-L2531DW/DCP-L2535DW/DCP-L2550DW/MFC-L2710DW/MFC-L2713DW/MFC-L2715DW/MFC-L2716DW

3. On your printer, you will need to press the Menu button.
4. Next, you will need to press the Up arrow icon or Down arrow icon to display the Network option, and press on the OK
5. Then again you will need to press the Up arrow icon or Down arrow icon to get to the Network Reset option and press the OK
6. After that, you will need to follow the instructions displayed on the printer to reset the Network Settings. This will force your Printer to restart.

For Brother Printer Model HL-L2395DW/MFC-L2730DW/MFC-L2750DW/MFC-L2751DW/MFC-L2770DW/MFC-L2771DW

7. On your printer, press the Settings button and go to All Settings > Network > Network Reset
8. Your printer will get rebooted after the reset process gets completed. You will need to press the OK button for 2 seconds to confirm. Your Printer will restart.
9. Now once you have reset the network settings to the factory default, you will need to reconnect the machine to the wireless network using the recommended wireless network configuration process.
10. To know how to set up your Brother Printer on a wireless network, follow the steps provided below:

NOTE: Before you begin configuring your Brother Printer, it is suggested to find out the wireless network settings of your wireless router or access point. Make sure to check and note down the current wireless network settings as you will need this information later.

• Network Name (This is also known as “SSID” or “ESSID”)
• Network Key (also known as “Password”, “Security Key”, or “Encryption Key”).

To find the Network Name (SSID) and Network Key (Password)

• See the side or base of your wireless router or access point.
• Check the documentation, manuals provided with your wireless router or access point.

In case you are still not able to find the Network Name (SSID) and Network Key (Password) of your wireless router or access point, you can find the wireless security information for Windows or Macintosh.

To Find the Wireless Security Information for Windows

Brother has a utility by the name “Wireless Setup Helper” which helps you in locating the security settings (e.g. SSID, Network key, etc.) of your wireless network. You can download the utility from here. Once you will be on this page, you will need to select the Windows version, press the OK button and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.

To Find the Wireless Security Information for Macintosh

If you are looking to find the Wireless Password (Network Key), you will need to retrieve it using the “Keychain Access”. Here are the steps:

1. Click on the Go option, go to Utilities, and double-click on the Keychain Access
2. Next, you will need to follow these steps in the Keychain Access section:

• For Mac OS X v10.5.x users, you will need to click on the All Items and find your Network from the given list. However, if the network doesn’t appear in the All Items section, you will need to click Password and find your Network from the given list.
• For Mac OS X v10.6.x or above version users, you will need to click on the Login option to find your Network from the list. However, if the network is not listed under the Login section, you will need to click on the System and find your Network from the list.

3. Next, you will need to double-click on the Network Name (SSID) under the Name
4. Then, go to the Attributes Tab, you will need to put a check next to show password
5. After that, you will need to enter the Mac Administrator’s password or Keychain password in the dialog box when prompted and click on the Allow or OK
6. Make sure to note down the password listed in the Show password section to use it when connecting to your wireless network.

If you are looking to find the Wireless Authentication Method, you will need to retrieve it using the Network Utility. Below are the steps to determine it:

1. In the Menu bar, click on the Wi-Fi or Airport
2. Next, you will need to click on the open Network Preferences
3. Then, you will need to select the Wi-Fi or Airport in the list of the network connections.
4. You will need to ensure that the correct Network Name is listed before you go to the Advanced
5. In the Wi-Fi or Airport section, you will need to note down the Network Name and Security type on the list of Preferred Network.

Well, once you have followed the above-mentioned steps and have access to all the required information for the configuration process, you can follow these steps to set up your Brother printer on a wireless network.

Steps to Connect Brother Printer on a Wireless Network

1. Start by connecting the power cord to your Brother printer. After connecting the power cord, you will need to connect it to an AC power outlet and turn ON your Brother printer.
2. Next, you will need to press the Menu or Settings option and press the Up or Down arrow key to select the following option on your machine:

• Select the Network and press on the OK button.
• Select WLAN and press on the OK button (you may not find this step in some models)
• Select the Setup Wizard option and press on the OK

3. If you see WLAN Enable? Or Enable WLAN? on your screen, simply enable the wireless network. This will begin the wireless setup wizard.
4. Your printer will begin searching for your network and display a list of available Network Names (SSIDs). Once the list of SSIDs appears on your screen, you will need to press the Up or Down arrow keys to select the SSID which you noted down earlier.
5. After that, press the OK button and perform one of the following:

• When your authentication method is Open System and your encryption mode is None, go to the next step.
• When using an authentication and encryption method which requires the Network Key (Password), you will need to enter the Network Key and then press the OK button to apply your settings. To apply the settings, you will need to select the Yes (You may not find this step in some models)

6. Your printer will try to connect to the wireless network you have chosen.

• When your Brother printer will get connected successfully, your printer’s LCD will display Connected.
• When the connection fails, the printer will print a wireless connection report. From the printer report, you will need to check the error code.

Steps to Download and Install Software for your Brother Printer

Once you have completed the configuration process of your Brother printer, you will need to install the driver.

For Windows Users: If you are a Windows user, you will need to download the driver from here. Once you are on this page, you will need to select the version of Windows you are using, press the OK button and follow the on-screen prompts.

For Macintosh Users: If you are a Mac user, you will need to download the driver from here. Once you are on this page, you will need to select the radio button next to the Mac option, select the appropriate version of macOS, press the OK button, and follow the on-screen prompts.

In most of the cases, following the above-mentioned steps should help you connect your Brother printer on a wireless network and help you overcome the “WPS PIN prompt” message. However, if even after completing the configuration process, you are unable to connect your printer, you may consider the workarounds provided below:

Workarounds for Windows System

To resolve the issue and be able to print from your printer, follow the instructions provided below:

1. Make Sure That Your Brother Printer is Ready to Use

Make sure the screen of your printer is not displaying any errors

If the screen of your printer is displaying any error, such as Ink/Toner Empty or Paper Jam, you may not be able to print anything from your printer. Make sure to clear such an error before you try to print.

Make sure that you have configured your Brother printer as the default printer

You always need to ensure that you have selected your Brother printer as the default printer. Here are the steps for configuration on different Windows version:

• For Windows 10: Go to Start > Control Panel and press the Enter Then go to Devices and Printers.
• For Windows 8: Go to Control Panel and select Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers.
• For Windows 7: Go to Start > Devices and Printers
• Here, if you see that the checkmark is not on your Brother printer, you will need to right-click on the icon of your brother printer and select Set as a default printer

Check the status of your Brother printer

To check the status of your Brother printer, you will need to hover the pointer of your mouse over its icon and wait until the information pop-up appears. If the status appears as Offline, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the icon of your Brother Printer and go to See what’s printing > Printer > Use Printer Online. Make sure that there is no checkmark next to the setting.
• In case the Use Printer Offline appears as greyed out, you will need to click Open As Administrator. Then, you will need to enter the administrator password and click Yes
• If the status of the printer appears as “Paused”, you will need to right-click on the icon of your Brother’s printer and go to See what’s printing > printer > Pause Printing. Here, you will need to make sure that no checkmark appears next to the settings. However, if the “Paused” status is greyed out, you will need to select the Open As Administrator option, enter the administrator password click Yes

After following these steps, try printing again and see if the problem gets fixed.

Delete all print jobs

To delete all print jobs, you will need to right-click on the icon of your Brother Printer and go to See what’s printing > Printer > Cancel All Documents. In case the “Cancel All Documents” option is greyed out, you will need to click the Open As Administrator option, enter the password for an administrator and click Yes option. Once you follow these steps, try printing using your printer.

2. Make sure to check and repair your wireless connection.

Check whether or not your computer or mobile device is connected to the wireless network

• You will need to test your internet connection first. For this, you will need to go to a website on your browser or send and receive emails. If you can access the internet, go to the next point.
• If your internet connection is working properly, try printing the WLAN report. The report will show you the status of your connection. If you see any error codes in the report, you will need to address them accordingly.

Make sure that your Printer’s Wireless network interface is enabled

• If you are unable to print wirelessly from your printer, the wireless network interface of your brother printer might be disabled. You will need to enable it.
• After enabling the Wireless network interface, try printing again and see if this fixes the problem.

Make sure that all your wireless devices are functioning correctly

• You will need to turn off and turn on all your devices in the following order – Wireless Router/Access Point > Computer/Mobile Device > Brother Printer.
• It is suggested to wait at least five minutes for your Brother printer to get connected to the wireless network before you try to print.

Use the Network Connection Repair Tool

If you are unable to print even after following the previous workaround, you can try the network connection repair tool to fix the issue. You can download the Network Connection Repair tool from here. Once you are on the download page, follow the on-screen prompts to use the repair tool.

3. Make sure to diagnose and solve other wireless connections issues
4. Print the Network Configuration Report and check the status of the connection to the wireless router or access point

• Press the Menu option.
• Next, press the Down arrow icon or Up arrow icon to display the Print Reports option and then press on the OK
• Then, press the Down arrow icon or Up arrow icon to select the Network Config option and then press on the OK

2. Check the IP address of your Computer and Brother Printer

To check the IP address of your computer

• For Windows 10: Go to Start > All apps > Windows System > select Command Prompt
• For Windows 8: Click down arrow icon on the Start If you don’t see any down arrow icon, you will need to right-click on an empty area and then select the All Apps option from the bar. Then, click Command Prompt.
• For Windows 7: Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > select Command Prompt

In the Command Prompt, you will need to type –iconfig and press Enter key. Then, you will be able to check the IP address and Subnet Mask. Here, you will need to make sure that the Subnet Mask is – 255.255.255.0. In case the subnet mask is different from the mentioned ones, you will need to contact your administrator. After that, you will need to type exit and press the Enter key on your keyboard to close the command prompt window.

To check the IP address of your Brother Printer

• Press the Menu option.
• Next, press the Down arrow icon or Up arrow icon to display the Print Reports option and then press on the OK
• Then, press the Down arrow icon or Up arrow icon to select the Network Config option and then press on the OK
• The result will contain the IP address of your printer

Once you have the IP addresses, you will need to ensure that The IP addresses are the same and only the end numbers are different. In case the Network Configuration Report shows 0.0.0.0, you will need to wait for at least 5 minutes and try connecting again.

Now, in the Command Prompt window, you will need to enter: ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Here xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx refers to the IP address of your printer listed in the Network Configuration report you printed. The press the Enter key to allow your computer to communicate with the Brother printer. Once this process will get completed, you will receive the ping statistics.

• If you get the replies and they are from the IP address of your printer, then your computer and printer are communicating with each other.
• However, if there are no replies or the replies are not from the correct IP address, there is some communication problem between your computer and printer. To fix this, make sure that your computer and printer are on the same wireless network. Also, make sure that no firewalls or applications are preventing the network connection from getting established.

So, these are the workarounds that you will need to follow to connect your printer successfully and be able to print from it. In most of the cases, following these workarounds should help you connect your printer and overcome the WPS PIN prompt.