When Mac OS X Bonjour doesn't see your Brother printer

Quick take: You are trying to add a Brother printer in Mac OS X, but your printer doesn't appear in the list. Other printers do. For example, Brother HL-2070N won't appear but HP PhotoSmart 3210 appears. Or, the printer appears, you add it, but later you can't print.

Problem: Bonjour, a service discovery software made by Apple, is finicky when it comes to working across networks.

The following are tips and some things I tried - some worked, some didn't. Note that I'm currently using Linksys Network products. When it comes to solving your problem, sometimes there is no logic, but you are happy when it gets fixed.

• Download Bonjour Browser for your Mac - this lets you quickly view all devices Bonjour can see.
• Make sure your router(s) are using the latest firmware. Specifically for Linksys WRT610N, even if you have a hardware 1.0, apparently you can install 2.0 firmware. (Source)
• Make sure you installed the latest drivers from printer manufacturer.
• Can you reach your printer's web configuration page (192.168.1.xxx) from the Mac in question? If so, at least that means your Mac can see the printer. If not, your Mac has trouble seeing it at all.
• Turn off AP Isolation on the router. This is an advanced wireless security feature. If on, it prevents one router from talking to other routers. For my situation, this solved the problem. I have 2 wireless routers, both from Linksys. The printer is a wireless HL-2270 that connects to router 2. Router 1 is the 'master' and has my DNS server. When I wirelessly connect my Mac directly to Router 1, I could see the printer. When I wirelessly connect to Router 2, the printer disappeared. Upon comparing settings between Routers 1 and 2, I noticed that Router 2 has AP Isolation enabled, while router 1 did not. The moment I turned off AP Isolation, the Brother printer appeared.
• Enable (or disable) multicast filtering on the router. This sometimes solves the problem. (Source) Some Linksys routers had a bug that reversed multicast filtering checkbox. (Source)
• Make sure IPv6 is enabled on your Mac and on the router. (Source)
• Disable SPI (State Packet Inspection) on the router.
• Assign the printer a static IP that is outside the DHCP range.
• Add the printer using LPD (Line Printer Daemon) by specifying an IP address. Make sure to specify the right driver by clicking Select Printer Software. You want to choose the driver from a list.
• Make sure the printer has an mDNS name. Some older Brother printers didn't have one and this causes Bonjour to fail. (Source)
• Reset the printing system on the Mac. Go to System Preferences > Print & Fax. In the list of printers, control-click on one, choose Reset. Warning: This deletes ALL printers.
• Restart your router and your computer.

That's all I got. If I discover anything else, will update. Hope it helps you.

About PC This and That

The Internet is fantastic when trying to fix a problem with your computer, if you are determined enough.

I can't count how many times I've searched the Internet over to find a solution to a problem with a computer, printer, or network. Usually the solution is so obtuse and hidden there is no way I could have figured it out on my own except through hours of trial and error. And I'm a technical guy.

So this blog is dedicated to amassing all the little bits and pieces of fixes I've found over the years, in hopes that someone somewhere in the future will be searching for an answer on this blog and save themselves time and frustration. My way of giving back.

Disclaimer: This is free advice. I take no responsibility for anything bad that happens. I will however always accept kudos if something I post fixes your problem. If you discover a new solution, please let me know, I'll add it to the appropriate blog entry.