--- title: "Canon printer Wi-Fi: Wireless Direct and connection fixes: a practical guide" url: "https://kilobat.app/devices/canon-printer" description: "Connect a supported Canon printer to a network or with Wireless Direct, and troubleshoot a printer missing from your Mac or phone." --- Printers · Canon # Canon printer Wi-Fi: Wireless Direct and connection fixes Canon printers can use different network setup methods. Supported models offer Wireless Direct, which connects a computer or phone to the printer without a router. Wi-Fi Check your printer’s exact model and region for supported Wi-Fi bands. Security Check the model’s network manual for supported security modes. Models PIXMA MG3020, PIXMA MG3022, G3090 series **Checked 2 November 2026.** Canon inkjet network guidance, PIXMA MG3020/MG3022 and G3090 series Wireless Direct instructions, checked November 2026. Controls vary by model. ## Wi-Fi it needs A network printer can join a wireless router, allowing devices on the local network to print. Canon describes Wireless Direct as a separate connection from the device to the printer without a router. When a device already using Wi-Fi connects to a printer with Wireless Direct, Canon says its connection to the wireless router is disconnected. Return to the normal network afterwards when needed. Bands, security and the ability to scan or manage the printer over a direct connection vary by model. Consult the correct Canon manual before changing network settings. For AirPrint, confirm that the printer supports the feature and that the Apple device and printer can communicate on the local network. **Kilobat can help.** `kilobat scan` lists the networks around your Mac with their band and channel, so you can see whether yours is on 2.4 GHz at all, and `kilobat channels` names the least crowded channel. More in [Wi-Fi on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/wifi-analyzer-mac). ## Set it up For ordinary network printing, follow the printer’s model-specific setup to join the router. Then connect the Mac or phone to the same local network. 1. Turn on the printer and complete its initial setup. 2. Use the printer’s setup screen or Canon’s model-specific setup instructions. 3. Select the intended wireless network and enter its password if asked. 4. Connect the Mac or phone to the same local network. 5. On a Mac, open **System Settings › Printers & Scanners** and add the printer. ### Use Wireless Direct Canon’s inkjet network guide describes a QR-code connection on supported printers and a manual connection using the SSID and password shown by the printer. Its menus and method vary by model. For manual connection, enable Wireless Direct as the printer manual directs, select its displayed network on the device and enter the displayed password. A confirmation may appear on the printer. Canon’s MG3020/MG3022 instructions use physical buttons instead of a display. Do not copy that button sequence to a different model without its manual. **Kilobat can help.** Once it has joined, Kilobat’s **Tools › Devices** lists it with its address and maker, and [new-device alerts](https://kilobat.app/docs/home-network#new-devices) tell you whenever something new joins your home Wi-Fi. ## How much data it uses Check your printer’s documentation for any cloud or firmware feature you use, particularly on a capped network. Canon’s cited network setup pages do not give a typical internet data-use figure for a print job. Local printing, cloud printing and updates may use different connections. **Kilobat can help.** Kilobat counts what your Mac sends and receives, app by app, not what other devices use. On a shared or capped connection, its [bandwidth monitor](https://kilobat.app/mac-bandwidth-monitor) and [hotspot data saving](https://kilobat.app/save-hotspot-data) look after the Mac’s share. ## Guest, hotel and dorm Wi-Fi Guest, hotel and campus Wi-Fi can isolate devices and prevent a phone or Mac from finding a network printer. Ask the network administrator whether local printing is supported. Canon says supported PIXMA and MAXIFY models may offer Direct Connect or Access Point Mode if the printer and iOS device cannot use the same network. Consult the printer’s own instructions. Wireless Direct switches the device away from its Wi-Fi router connection according to Canon. Save the printer’s network details securely and reconnect to the normal network after printing. **Kilobat can help.** `kilobat devices --bonjour` lists the devices your Mac can reach and the services they advertise. If other devices do not appear, client isolation is one possible cause; sleeping devices and discovery settings can also affect results. ## When it won’t connect If the printer is missing, check power and the connection method before restoring any settings. 1. Check that the printer is on and ready to print. 2. For network printing, check the printer and Mac or phone use the same network. 3. Check that the intended printer is selected in the print dialog. 4. For Wireless Direct, select the printer’s displayed SSID and enter its password. 5. Follow Canon’s instructions for the exact model if it remains unavailable. A network name or password on another Canon model may not apply to yours. Use the information on the printer or its network information sheet. **Kilobat can help.** Before you blame the device, Kilobat’s [Why can’t it connect?](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/why-cant-it-connect) and `kilobat diagnose` check the Wi-Fi, router, internet and DNS from your Mac. ## When it keeps going offline If a printer that previously worked appears offline, distinguish its connection from a problem in the print queue. 1. Check power, paper and any error displayed on the printer. 2. Check that the printer and Mac are still on the intended network. 3. Inspect the Mac’s print queue for an error. 4. Restart the printer and retry the job. 5. Consult Canon’s model-specific support if it is still unavailable. Restoring network settings may require reconnecting the printer. Keep the correct network details and model instructions available first. **Kilobat can help.** `kilobat health-history` shows whether the router or the internet dropped at the same time, and `kilobat devices --all` marks a device that stopped answering as away. To check the signal where it sits, take your Mac there and use Kilobat’s [radar](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/find-better-wifi-spot). ## Questions **Can a Canon printer connect without a router?** Supported models offer Wireless Direct. Canon says the device connects directly to the printer, without a wireless router. **Why did my Mac leave Wi-Fi when it joined the printer?** Canon says connecting through Wireless Direct disconnects the device’s existing connection to its wireless router. Reconnect to the usual network afterwards. ## Sources - [Canon: Types of printer network connections](https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/Network123/1.0/EN/NW1/nw1_r02_02.html) - [Canon: Connect PIXMA MG3020/MG3022 with Wireless Direct](https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?id=ART166530&page=content) - [Canon: G3090 series Wireless Direct](https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/Manual/All/G3090%20series/EN/NTR/ntr_n_01_07.html) - [Canon: No AirPrint printers found](https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?cat=6989B022&id=FAQ100565&page=content) - [Apple: Solve printing problems on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/-mh14002/mac) Checked on 2 November 2026. ## See your network from your Mac Kilobat is a Mac menu-bar app with a CLI and an MCP server for AI agents. It lists the devices on your Wi-Fi and says when a new one joins, keeps a history of the router’s and the internet’s health, scans nearby channels, and shows which app on your Mac is using the network. [Read the docs](https://kilobat.app/docs). [Download for Mac ↓](https://kilobat.app/downloads/Kilobat-1.31.1.dmg?via=site) ``` brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat ``` ## More device guides - [Apple AirPrint](https://kilobat.app/devices/airprint): AirPrint lets Apple devices print to compatible printers. - [HP wireless printers](https://kilobat.app/devices/hp-printer): HP wireless printers can join a local Wi-Fi network; supported models can also connect directly to a Mac with Wi-Fi Direct. - [Epson printer Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct](https://kilobat.app/devices/epson-printer): Supported Epson printers can join a local network or connect directly to another device with Wi-Fi Direct. - [Brother printer Wi-Fi and Direct](https://kilobat.app/devices/brother-printer): Brother printers can use a wireless network, and supported models offer a direct connection without a router.