So, you’ve got your new Brother printer sitting there, still in the box or half-unpacked, and now it’s time for the dreaded “printer setup.” And yeah, if you’ve tried doing this before and ended up swearing at the screen, you're definitely not alone.
But don’t worry—setting up your Brother printer wirelessly isn’t as bad as it sounds. Whether you're using Windows, Mac, or just your phone, I’ll walk you through it the way I do for family and clients. Straightforward. No buzzwords. No skipping steps.
Let’s just get it done.
Step 1: Power It Up and Connect to Wi-Fi
Take the printer out of the box first. Take off all the tape and boxes. It's simple: just plug it in and press the start button. Wait until it starts up all the way. You need to connect it to your WiFi now. From the printer itself, here's how to do that:
Press the Menu button on printers with buttons, or go to Settings on touch screen printers, on the screen.
Find something that looks like this: Network > WLAN > Setup Wizard.
It will begin to look for Wi-Fi networks nearby.
Find and click on the name of your home network. Then type in your Wi-Fi password.
Wait a minute; it will try to join. You should see a message that says "Connected" or "Connection OK" if the password is correct.
That's all there is to this part. You will need to use a USB cable to connect your printer to your computer if it doesn't have a screen. (More on that below.)
Step 2: Set up the software and driver
a lot of people don't do this and then wonder why their prints don't show up. Don't be that guy.
Visit Brother Printer main page at support.brother.com.Type in the name of your printer, like "Brother HL-L2370DW" or "MFC-J805DW." When you get to your models help page, look for Downloads and then get the Full Driver & Software Package for your OS.
Get it now. Open it up. Do what it says.
It will ask you how you want to join during installation. Select the Wireless Network Connection. The setup tool will look for printers that are already on your network and connect your computer to one of them.
If everything goes well, it should be done and you can print right away.
Step 3: Make a practice page.
You don't have to, but it would be smart to. Open a page or file, click Print, and then choose your Brother printer from the list. If it scans well, you're good to go.
If it's not on the list, add it by hand by going to Control Panel > Devices and Printers (Windows) or System Preferences > Printers & Scanners (Mac).
When you click "Add Printer," if both computers are on the same Wi-Fi network, the computer should find the printer on its own.
What If Your Printer Doesn’t Have a Screen?
No screen? No problem. You’ll need to use the Brother installer and a USB cable for the first-time setup.
Connect the printer to your computer using the USB cable that came in the box (or any working USB printer cable).
Run the Brother software you downloaded earlier.
When asked, select Wireless Setup using USB cable.
Enter your Wi-Fi network info during the setup.
Once it connects successfully, the printer will remember your Wi-Fi and stay connected from then on—even after you unplug the cable.
Step 4: Mobile Printing (Optional but Handy)
Want to print from your phone or tablet?
Download the Brother iPrint&Scan app (iOS or Android). Open it and it should detect your printer automatically if you're on the same Wi-Fi network.
You can print photos, PDFs, even scan documents straight from the app. It's simple and works surprisingly well.
Step 5: Tweak the Settings If You Want
Once everything’s up and running, you can log into the printer’s control panel using a browser for more settings.
Find your printer’s IP address (on the printer menu or a network report printout).
Open a browser and type that IP into the address bar.
You’ll get access to the printer’s admin panel.
From there, you can change sleep settings, set a static IP, update firmware, or even set up cloud print features depending on your model.
It’s optional—but nice to know it’s there if you want more control.
Final Thoughts
Wireless printer setup doesn’t have to be complicated. With Brother printers, once you get through the Wi-Fi step and run the right software, the rest is smooth sailing.
The most common mistakes I see? People skip the driver installs, mistype their Wi-Fi password, or try to print before the printer is fully connected.
Take it slow. Do one step at a time. And if it doesn’t connect the first time, try again—half of setup issues are just typos or timing.
Once it’s done, you’ll be printing from your laptop, phone, and everything else—no cables, no headaches.
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