Brother printer IP keeps changing

ervtwl

Posts: 14   +0
Hello,

Please help provide instructions to prevent this from happening whenever the internet or power goes out. I always have to change the ip under tcp/ip port monitor in order to use the printer again. Thank you.

Router: Actiontec
Model: GT784WNV
Printer: Brother MFC-8810DW
 
You need a FIXED address for the printer - - we typically do this in the router as an Address Reservation, where the MAC of the printer is assigned a constant IP address, typically at the high end of the router's subnet, but not x.255
 
Thank you for your response. Would you be able to guide me through this process? It's a hassle having to do this every time internet goes down.
 
So I went ahead and logged in to my router, chose the Mac address of the printer and selected an available IP from the drop down box and pick one IP. We're these the right steps?
 
Yes!! good for you. Just make sure the printer address has the same three numbers as the router's first three;
eg: if the router is 191.162.0.1 then change only the last digit to say 100 thru 200
 
Should be at that address, even when the PC is off; aka other systems can used it if you share it.
 
So I should be good now?
YES. Power off the printer and delete it from your pc.
Wait 30sec, then power it on. You should be able to ping the address you reserved for it.

Now go to the PC and add a Network Printer. This will capture the new address so that regardless of which devices come ready first, when they are all on-line, every system on your router will be able to use that printer.
 
Would you happen to know why one computer connected in the network is able to print regardless of the IP changes before all of this?
 
Hmm; list the system OS version which do that vs the ones that don't pls. (bump: status on the change??)
 
The computer not affected is running Windows 10 while the rest are running Windows 7. I was not able to test it out and will try later today.
 
I suspect that the Win 10 has new/special service in the mDNSresponder
 
Internet just went down and I was unable to print. Do you know why the IP I reserved for printer disappeared?
 
IF the MAC address was used to create an Address Reservation for the printer, then the ONLY way that it could be lost is the router was reset to factor defaults.
 
Is there a way to to assign a static IP to my printer even if the router is reset again to factory default and won't be lost?
 
Is there a way to to assign a static IP to my printer even if the router is reset again to factory default and won't be lost?
Yes but if your Network IP changes it will still cause problems. If you are looking for a problem free solution, there is not one. Networking will need to be managed no matter how you assign IP's.

Our Brother Laser printer does allow static IP's. I had it set that way for awhile. Then we changed ISP's and of course routers with it. And with changing ISP's so did our IP.

Our options after that:
  1. Manually changing the IP back to what the other router had been.
  2. Manually programing the new router with the Mac address for a static IP.
  3. Manually changing the static IP in the printer settings. (You could allow Windows to set each machine to a static address, that for me has proven more problematic than anything else. At least the Brother printer maintains a static IP no matter what. Windows will not do that.)
  4. Or simply leaving it set so the DHCP server automatically assigns the IP.
@jobeard already covered the options I listed. I tend to agree with his first comment in the thread. Set the static IP in the router using the MAC address. That is the simplest solution, even if you have to reprogram them after defaulting the settings.
 
Yes but if your Network IP changes it will still cause problems. If you are looking for a problem free solution, there is not one.
If you have
ISP===modem/router=== devices​
then you are correct. However, using your own router
ISP===modem==router==devices​
avoids this problem as the modem change has nothing to do with your personal router where the MAC address reservations should be locate. THEN, you are expose for only two cases 1) you update router firmware OR 2) you reset the router to defaults.

Our Brother Laser printer does allow static IP's.
Now that's a bummer! Never played with Brother so can't go there.

One other point; Fixed addresses for printers matter most when there are other systems on the Lan accessing a common printer.
 
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