# Brother wifi MFC-J450DW wont stay online



## uspilotzzz (Feb 21, 2014)

Hi all I recently purchased a brother all in one printer which I love but it will not stay online. I have spent hours on the phone with brother and after re installing something or other we always manage to get it back online but then the next time I go to print it shows as offline again.

I also have a windows 7 laptop that seems to be working fine now after a couple calls to brother but the windows 8 machine won't stay fixed. Brother says its a router problem, not a printer problem, but I have no issues with other networked devices and I can print and scan from the windows 7 machine so it seems to be a software issue.

1) under "devices and printers" it is listed as offline
2) it is set as the default printer
3) I am not running any 3rd party firewalls
4) I have tried disabling the windows firewall and the router firewall
5) the status of the printer when I print a test page from the printer is "ok"
6) they are both on the same network
7) I have tried uninstalling and re-installing the both the drivers and the software which sometimes works but only until the next time I try to print
8) I have reset the network data on the printer itself
9) the IP address of the printer is via DHCP

Any help before I just return the machine would be appreciated.

thanks


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## uspilotzzz (Feb 21, 2014)

Update

after looking at both computers again I noticed the windows 7 machine was also showing as offline. So I figured maybe it was a network/router issue.

So I reset my router by unplugging it and plugging it back in a wallah, it came back online on both computers.

So my question now is, what would cause it to go back offline after a period of time, and how do I keep it from dropping offline?


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

When the printer is "Offline", is it actually on and ready (LCD lit up)? 

If not, does the printer have some energy-saving settings that could be disabled?


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## uspilotzzz (Feb 21, 2014)

When it is "offline" the screen is dim but the printer is on and ready. There are no error messages on the screen and the wifi icon is lit up.

There is a sleep mode but the only options are alternate times, there is no "off" option. However, I tried setting the sleep timer to one minute and then checked the status on the computer after about 5 min and it was still listed as "ready", so it does its sleep status does not appear to be related to online status.

I did see a "mode timer" as well which controls when the printer returns to fax mode and since I am not using it as a fax machine I turned it off.

I am going to keep an eye on it's status to see how long it takes to go "offline" but is there any thing with the router that might cause it to "time out"?


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

It may be due to wifi interference.


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## uspilotzzz (Feb 21, 2014)

That might be it.

We had a know interference issue with the internet due to a baby monitor. So we just made sure the baby monitor was turned off except when we slept.

I notice now when I turn the monitor on the printer goes "offline". However, when it turn it off the printer comes right back online.

So if that is the issue I wonder what would keep it from coming back online in the morning after the baby monitor is turned back off.

I will keep it off for a day or two and see what happens


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## reelboys (Mar 5, 2015)

I have the same issue with my Brother MFC-J870DW printer. Is there anyway to test for interference? That is the only thing I can come up with as to why it is always dropping off-line. There are three laptops (one Mac and two PC) within about 5-8 feet of the printer.


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## rashelbell (Sep 9, 2016)

I am having a similar issue but with the airprint function. I can print wirelessly from my laptop (running windows 10) without fail. However, when I try to print from my iphone it cannot find the printer. The frustrating thing is that previously, the phone was able to find the printer no problem. Also, when I turn the printer off and back on, the phone is then able to find the printer... ONCE... and then after it prints that one thing, it is back to not being able to find the printer. WHAT? I have tried unplugging the router, turning printer off, resetting everything in a specific order that was specified on one site that said it would fix it... again, once printer is turned off and then on, it works once. And, the laptop continues to work throughout.


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