We have been seeing an increase in reports of Brother printer wireless connection issues over the past few months, and we want to update you on our progress. We know this has been a pain point for many of our churches, and we are going to make it better.
But first, we want to apologize for not communicating with you all sooner. Silence from us when there is a problem does not provide any confidence that a solution is coming, and we never want you to feel stuck in this kind of situation. We have been extensively digging into this issue and want to share what we're doing with you and our recently updated Brother printer article.
Who this is affecting:
We are largely hearing of these reports from people with iOS devices paired with Brother 810W printers, though we also have some similar reports from people with Brother 820NWB printers when connected via wifi.
What we are working on:
We have three main goals moving forward in this problem space:
- First and foremost, we want to strengthen our printer connection paths to ensure the smoothest experience possible with wireless printing.
- We are refining our recommended station setups for different church venues to ensure people choose the best station type for their church. We are also working on more targeted resourcing, specifically in the Brother troubleshooting area.
- We are exploring more connection types for printers to help provide more flexibility and options for wired setups.
What you can do in the meantime:
Here are some points we’d like to call out that may help you while we continue our efforts:
- We have released a new version of the Check-Ins app for iOS that helps reduce disconnections for Brother printers. If you are experiencing issues, please make sure that your device is running the most recent version of the Check-Ins app.
- There are some basic Brother-specific wireless printer settings that can make disconnection more prevalent when not set correctly. Please check out the Brother Printer Troubleshooting article or reach out to support if you would like further information on what those settings should be.
- If you are using a Brother 820nwb(c) model, many users have reported a better experience switching their connection type to Bluetooth.
- If you are connecting via wifi, your network settings can be a factor in connection issues (especially if you have strict network settings). Check out our Brother Printer Troubleshooting article for network best practices if you feel this could be a contributing factor. This is a great resource to share with the person that set up your network, as well.
We know troubleshooting printers can be sticky, but we want you to know that we are here for you. Be on the watch out for further updates from us, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@planningcenter.com if you are experiencing disconnection issues. We would be happy to help!
Happy Printing,
The Check-Ins Team