How Do I Connect My Wireless Printer After Changing the Router?

This guide will walk you through the steps of how to connect your printer to a new wireless router after you've replaced or upgraded from your old one.

How Do I Connect My Wireless Printer to a New Router?

When you change your router, your Wi-Fi network changes, too. It might be faster, operate on new frequencies (like 5GHz), and it will undoubtedly have a new SSID. That means if you want to keep your printer connected to a wireless network, you're going to need to reconnect it.

1. Confirm your new router's wireless network is functioning if you haven't yet. Then, note down the Wi-Fi password your new router uses to secure your network.
   

2. Power on your printer and use its control panel to find the networking settings menu. This process will differ by the printer. Some have physical buttons and a display, others a touchscreen, and some an application on your phone. Consult the manufacturer's website or the manual for explicit instructions per model.

   You're typically looking for Networking, Wireless, or Wi-Fi settings. Possibly within a Settings or Setup menu.

3. In the Wi-Fi settings menu, search for the SSID of your new router. If you're unsure of it, consult the sticker on the router, the manual, or your manufacturer's website.

   When you've found it, select it.

4. When prompted, enter the Wi-Fi password. It will be the one you used during the router setup process or the default option, which you can find on the router sticker, the manual, or the manufacturer's website.

   If you're still using the default Wi-Fi password, it can be a good idea to change it in the router's admin settings. Changing your Wi-Fi password can help prevent hackers or malware from attacking your network.

5. It might take a second, but if all is correct, the printer will connect to the Wi-Fi network and give you some indication it has done so. Often it will show a connection strength symbol somewhere on the screen from then on to indicate how strong the connection is.
   

It's a good idea once you have connected your printer to do a simple test print from a device also on that network—though you may need to add the printer to your PC or another device to do so.

Do I Have to Reconnect My Printer After Changing Router?

If you aren't interested in printing wirelessly, you don't need to reconnect your printer after changing the router. You will, however, need a wired connection to use the printer in the future.