Xerox Printer Not Connecting to Wi-Fi? Work Through These Fixes in Order

A Xerox printer that won't join your Wi-Fi rarely tells you why. Sometimes it never finds your network. Sometimes it says it's connected and your computer still can't print. Those are two separate problems with two separate sets of fixes, and this guide covers both.

Start at the top and work down. The early fixes take a couple of minutes, the later ones take more effort, and Xerox menus change from model to model, so we point out where they differ. Printer Tales is an independent resource and isn't affiliated with Xerox.

First, Work Out Which Problem You Have

Print a configuration report before you change anything. It takes a minute and saves you guessing.

On VersaLink models, go to Home > Device > About > Information Pages > Configuration Report. On other models, look for a Configuration Report or Network Setup Page under the Reports or Information Pages menu. Find the wireless section and check two things: whether the connection shows as connected, and which IP address it lists.

• No IP address, or a status that isn't "connected": the printer never joined your network. Start with Fix 1.
• An address starting with 169.254: the printer got onto the Wi-Fi, but your router never gave it a real address. Restart the router (Fix 1), and if it keeps happening, look at the router's DHCP settings.
• A normal address, like one starting with 192.168 or 10.: the printer is on your network. Jump ahead to "Connected to Wi-Fi but Your Computer Still Can't Print."

Note the MAC address on that report while you have it. Fix 5 may need it.

How to Fix a Xerox Printer That Won't Connect to Wi-Fi

Try these in order, and check for a connection after each one.

Fix 1: Restart the Printer and the Router

Turn the printer off. Unplug the router, count to ten, plug it back in, and give it a couple of minutes to come all the way up. Then turn the printer back on and let it try again.

A restart clears a stuck connection, but it won't change a wrong setting. If the printer still can't join after one clean restart, move on instead of doing it a third time.

Fix 2: Make Sure Your Network Is One Your Xerox Can Use

This one is easy to miss, so give it a proper look.

Many Xerox printers only work on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Xerox says so directly for the B205 and B210: the router has to broadcast on 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz isn't supported. Its C315 documentation also says the network must support 2.4 GHz. Some models do more. The wireless adapter for the AltaLink B8145, B8155, and B8170 is dual-band, and Xerox documents 5 GHz channel controls for the VersaLink C415. Look up your exact model before you assume either way.

The trap is a router that uses one network name for both bands. Smart Connect, band steering, and many mesh systems work this way. Your phone lands on 5 GHz without a problem, but the printer sees the same name and either can't connect or drops off later.

To fix it, open your router's settings (the admin page, or its app if it has one), give the 2.4 GHz band its own name, something like HomeWiFi-2G, and join the printer to that. Your phone and laptop can stay on 5 GHz and still print to it, as long as guest or isolation settings aren't in the way (Fix 5 covers those).

Range and interference matter too. Xerox recommends keeping the printer within range of the router, ideally on the same floor, and away from microwaves and cordless phones.

Fix 3: Unplug the Ethernet Cable and Check the Active Adapter

Xerox's documentation for the B205, B410, WorkCentre 3215 and 3225, and AltaLink printers says the printer uses either the wired or the wireless connection, and turning on one turns off the other. On the C315, a plugged-in Ethernet cable takes priority over Wi-Fi. On the WorkCentre 3215 and 3225, the Wi-Fi option doesn't even show up in the menu while a cable is connected.

Unplug the cable, then check which connection the printer is set to use:

• C315, B410, and similar: Settings > Network/Ports > Network Overview > Active Adapter, set to Auto.
• VersaLink C400 and C405: Home > Device > Connectivity > Primary Network, then choose Wi-Fi.

One side effect to know about: the printer's IP address changes when you move from wired to wireless. If your computer stops printing afterward, the section on IP addresses below is your answer.

Fix 4: Rejoin the Network From the Printer's Control Panel

Even if the printer connected fine last month, joining again clears up a lot: a password you changed on the router, an old saved connection, a setup you never finished.

A few things trip people up here:

• The password is case-sensitive. Xerox specifically calls out capitalization, numbers, and spaces. On a small screen, a capital I and a lowercase l are easy to swap.
• You picked the wrong network. Xerox notes that some routers share a default network name, and its B205 guide says not to join a guest or public network.
• The security mode doesn't match. Where the printer asks for one, choose the mode your router actually uses.

Here's where the Wi-Fi settings live on some common models:

If typing the password on the printer is the hard part and your model supports WPS (the C315 does), press the WPS button on the router, then start WPS on the printer within a couple of minutes.

Whichever route you take, wait about a minute after the screen says it's done, then print a configuration report to confirm the printer has an address. If your model isn't in the table, our [general guide to connecting a Xerox printer to Wi-Fi] covers the standard menu route, and the [B210 walkthrough] and [VersaLink C405 video] cover two models that need extra steps.

Fix 5: Check the Router Settings That Quietly Block Printers

If the printer can see your network but never gets in, the router may be turning it away. Four settings are worth a look:

• WPA3-only security. Some printers can't join a WPA3-only network. Xerox's setup steps for the WorkCentre 3215 and 3225 offer None, static WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-PSK, so there's no WPA3 option on those. Set the router to WPA2 or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode, and choose the matching mode on the printer (on the B410, that's Settings > Network/Ports > Wireless > Wireless Security Mode). Mixed mode still trips up some older hardware, so if it fails, give the printer its own WPA2 network name.
• MAC address filtering. If your router only allows approved devices, it will ignore a printer it has never seen. Add the printer's MAC address (it's on the configuration report) to the allowed list, or turn filtering off while you set up.
• Guest networks and AP isolation. Guest networks often turn on AP isolation, also called client isolation, which stops devices on the same Wi-Fi from talking to each other. Internet keeps working, which makes it confusing, but printing across the local network stops. Put the printer and your computer on the main network.
• Channel and width. If the connection is patchy rather than dead, try fixing the 2.4 GHz channel to 1, 6, or 11 and the width to 20 MHz. Those three channels don't overlap, and wider channels crowd out your neighbors.

Fix 6: Reset the Printer's Network Settings and Set It Up Again

If nothing so far has worked, wipe the network side of the printer and start clean.

The gentler version is to have the printer forget the network. On VersaLink printers, go to Home > Device > Connectivity > Wi-Fi, pick your network, and choose Forget This Network. Then rejoin using Fix 4.

The bigger option is resetting the network settings to factory defaults. On the B205, that's Status > General > Network Factory Default in the printer's web page, or Advanced Setting > Device Settings > Network Settings in Easy Printer Manager. Xerox says it erases all security and network settings, and the connection drops the moment you confirm. If the printer had been running on Ethernet, it falls back to wireless afterward, so expect to set everything up again. Other models put the same option in different places, so search Xerox's support site for your model name plus "reset network settings."

Fix 7: Update the Firmware the Way Xerox Expects

Firmware updates sometimes fix wireless bugs, so it's worth ruling out. There's one catch and one correction.

The catch: the printer needs a working connection to receive the update. If Wi-Fi is what's broken, plug in an Ethernet cable for now and remove it afterward.

The correction: on Xerox printers, firmware isn't a file you double-click on your computer. You download the right file for your exact model from Xerox's support site (xerox.com/support), then load it into the printer through its own web page. Type the printer's IP address into a browser to open it.

• VersaLink: go to System > Software Update. Turn software updates on if they're off, then use Check Now, or upload the file you downloaded and choose Install Now. From the control panel it's Home > Device > Software Update.
• B210 (the B205 and B215 use the same instructions): go to Properties > Maintenance > Upgrade Management, enable upgrades, choose Firmware Upgrade, select the .hd file, and click Install Software. Finish or delete any queued print jobs first, and print a fresh configuration report before you start.

Then leave it alone. Don't power the printer off during installation. On the B210 the update typically takes under ten minutes and the printer restarts on its own. On VersaLink models the printer's web page goes offline once the install begins, so watch progress on the control panel screen. When it's done, unplug the Ethernet cable and repeat Fix 4.

Connected to Wi-Fi but Your Computer Still Can't Print

If the configuration report shows a normal IP address, the printer is doing its part. The problem is between your computer and that address.

Xerox lists a new IP address as one of the most common reasons a printer drops off the network. Your router hands out addresses on a lease, and the printer can end up with a different one after a restart, when the lease runs out, or when you switch from Ethernet to Wi-Fi. Windows keeps aiming at the old address, so the printer shows as offline and jobs pile up in the queue.

To fix it:

1. Get the printer's current IP address from a fresh configuration report.
2. On your Windows PC, open the printer's properties, go to the Ports tab, and select Configure Port. Enter the new address. Xerox recommends using the printer's host name instead of the IP address, since that keeps working when the address changes. The host name is on the configuration report. If Configure Port is grayed out, you either lack administrator rights or the printer is on a shared queue.
3. Still stuck? Remove the printer in Windows and add it again using the new address.
4. To stop it from happening again, set up a DHCP reservation in your router (some routers call it address reservation). It ties the printer's MAC address to one IP address.

Pause any VPN and test once, too. Xerox lists VPNs and firewalls among the things that can block traffic to a printer. If Windows still says Offline after all of this, our [fix for a Xerox printer that shows offline] goes further.

Is It the Printer or the Network?

You can find out with a phone. Turn on a 2.4 GHz hotspot (on newer iPhones, that's the Maximize Compatibility switch under Settings > Personal Hotspot), then join the printer to it using the steps from Fix 4. If the printer joins, its wireless hardware is fine and the trouble is somewhere in your router setup. If it won't join even a plain 2.4 GHz hotspot, the printer is the likelier suspect. Afterward, switch the hotspot off and rejoin your home network.

Two hardware clues to check:

• Add-on adapters. VersaLink C400 and C405 printers need the optional Xerox Wireless Network Adapter. If Wi-Fi is missing or acting dead, print a configuration report and read the wireless status on it. Xerox says to power the printer off before installing the adapter and warns that pulling on it can damage it, so handle it gently.
• A missing Wi-Fi menu. On the WorkCentre 3215 and 3225, that almost always means an Ethernet cable is still connected (see Fix 3).

If the printer fails the hotspot test after a network reset and a firmware update, it's time to contact Xerox Support or your service provider. At that point you're probably looking at hardware, not settings.