[mauro46]

I already did a search online about this problem ( printer occasionally goes offline) and even found the apparent solution but when I tried to implement it I ran in some variations that I didn't understand, so I called Brother Support and asked to guide me through, but even though the guy was knowledgeable he just didn't want to hear about the procedure so I just ended the conversation!
Right now the printer is working fine, but I'm anticipating the day it will be again offline.
Briefly I'll try to explain what is the likely course of action and maybe you can add or revise the procedure.
According to the solution posted the problem lies with the PORT configuration, the suggestion is to uncheck the WDS and add a standard TCP/IP ...right now I'm out of my depths so I'll let whomever understands these things work on it! :grin:

 

[mauro46]

bump...one time!
Just had a horrible thought!...am I in the wrong forum!?
:facepalm:

 

[etaf]

Whats the exact model of the Printer
how is the PC connected to the network / PC - is it wireless connected to the network or via a LAN Cable or directly connected to the PC using a USB Cable

how does it show offline ?
is this just on the PC - do other devices see the printer as offline

What devices do you have you are connecting to the PC
PC, Mac, ipads etc
what windows or OSX version of software is on the PCs ?

 

[mauro46]

Hello Wayne!
Brother HL-L2305W
Wireless Connected
Win 10
Right now is working fine, but I had a couple of occasions when it wouldn't print and a message appeared saying it was Offline
I can usually fix it but it is an annoying procedure and I just stumble around until I find a fix...as I've already mentioned it's working fine right now with no strange messages, but I only had this printer for 3-4 days and already it went Offline twice, so I'm a bit leery!

 

[etaf]

what happens on the printer - does the wireless light still show as being on ?
what is it you do to resolve the issue, particularly on the printer

What other devices do you have, using the printer

 

[mauro46]

Well...to tell the truth I never paid attention to the light on the printer, but if I had to guess I would say it didn't change anything...only thing that happens i get a warning message in task bar that printer Unable to print Offline...so I right click on printer icon and fool around until it starts to print ( I feel foolish saying this but I can recall the exact things I did, I only had this printer for few days and it only happened twice.
What do you think about what another poster said about un-checking the WDS option under the PORT tab and replacing it with a Standard TCP /IP port !?
P.S. Forgot to mention...no other devices, no phone, no tablets,no nada!

 

[etaf]

it maybe wireless interference or various other issues , router , PC or printer

we need to make sure its not the printer thats losing connection or if its the PC

when you lose the connection to the printer , do you lose network connection on the PC

so we really need to wait until it goes wrong again

Then see if the printer light for wireless is on or off
see if the pc will still connect to the internet

What do you think about what another poster said about un-checking the WDS option under the PORT tab and replacing it with a Standard TCP /IP port !?

Not sure what the poster may mean
The WDS is how you initially setup the printer with the router and often that maynot work and manually setting up may be better
so did you use WDS when you setup the printer ?

on the PC lets look and see what channel the wireless is using and what the environment looks like

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector
Download and install
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC
Save the file to a USB flash drive or other removable media. Plug it into the working computer with internet access and copy the file to the faulty PC and install the program.
You will now need to take a screen shot and copy that back to the working PC and attach the screen shot in a reply on the forum here.

If you do not have another PC - do you have a phone connected to the internet - can you photograph the result and post the image in a reply

http://go.pardot.com/l/66982/2015-01-26/2361i
enter you details
Download this file "DOWNLOAD WI-FI INSPECTOR Vx.xx "
( the site now appears to allow webbased emails like gmail, hotmail, outlook and yahoo now )

There is also a xirrus gadget, But that does not have all the fuctionality "DOWNLOAD GADGET Vx.xx

Alternative links - Use the links below
Do NOT use any of the download managers offered - Cnet , just use the direct link below - and click on the download button
Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector Download
Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com


Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled Desktop/All-in-1/Laptop
if you get an error - You will need to have NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.
Stand alone version of.net framework https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49981

On windows 8 - (i do not have windows 8) but, it would appear that, When you first try to run, you may get a message that .net framework is needed, and included in that message is a link to download/install.

Run the program

A user guide is available here
http://www.xirrus.com/cdn/pdf/xirruswifiinspectorguide1-2-0

post a screen shot of the program running.
if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on "networks" top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information.

post which SSID name is yours, its located in the list, under network "Adapter Name" (1st column)


Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better. "A desirable signal level for a robust Wi-Fi connection will be green".
note: the signal level is a negative number, so for example -88 is worst and -40 is better

To post a screen shot of the active window.

Windows XP
Hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application (Start> All Programs> Accessories> Paint) and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file.

Vista or Windows 7
you can use the "snipping tool" which is found in Start> All programs> Accessories> Snipping Tool
How to use the Windows Snipping Tool

Windows 8 & 10
you can use the snipping tool > Open Snipping Tool
(From the Windows 8 Start Screen, or windows 10 Search, type "snip" and press enter)
(From windows 10 - All Apps>Windows Accessories>Snipping Tool )
>Press the Esc. key.
>go back to your Windows 8/10 start screen - Swipe from left or press Window Button
>Press Ctrl+PrntScr button to use Snipping Tool
see here
How to take a screenshot in Windows 8 - Opinion - PC Advisor
How to take a screenshot in Windows 8 - How-To - PC Advisor

To upload the screen shot to the forum, open the full reply window ("Go Advanced" button) and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.

 

[Fred Garvin]

Just something to add if you are connecting this printer using a network connection. You do not need to configure the printer using a standard TCP/IP port, WDS is fine. But, you should connect the printer using a static IP address outside the scope of your router's DHCP addresses.

Either reserve the printer's IP address in your router or set the IP statically within the printer's configuration page. To get to the printer's config page, enter its IP address in a web browser then go to the Network settings.

 

[mauro46]

The PC never loses connection , I just get the message that the printer is offline and cannot print.
At this moment everything is working fine, the WDS is checked and apparently not interfering ( yet) so I guess we'll play the waiting game, perhaps my last session with Brother support achieved something ( I called about an unrelated matter, the printer was going in DEEP SLEEP within a few minutes of inactivity ) but I don't think that had anything to do with the " offline" problem.