So, You Need the WPS PIN for Your Brother Printer

If you're an IT admin or office manager, you've likely hit this wall: unboxing a new Brother printer, connecting it to the network, and then staring at a screen asking for an eight-digit PIN you don't have. It's frustrating, especially when the manual seems to assume you'll find it by magic.

I've been handling printer deployments for about six years now. In my first year (2018), I made the classic mistake of skipping the wireless setup wizard and assuming the default PIN was something obvious—like '00000000' or '12345678.' That error cost me about an hour of troubleshooting and a call to support. The lesson: the WPS PIN is literally printed on the printer, but only if you know where to look.

This article compares two ways to handle Brother printer WPS PIN setup: the initial setup process (for new printers) versus subsequent reconnections (when you need to reconnect or reset). The goal is to help you avoid the mistakes I made.

WPS PIN Basics: What It Is and Why It Matters

The WPS PIN (Wi-Fi Protected Setup Personal Identification Number) is an eight-digit code that allows your printer to connect securely to your network without typing in a long Wi-Fi password. It's a convenience feature, but it's also a potential security vector—more on that later.

Key difference between initial setup vs. reconnection:

  • Initial setup: The PIN is generated by the printer and displayed on its screen or printed on a label.
  • Reconnection: You may need to regenerate the PIN through the printer's menu, or it might be stored in your router's WPS settings.

Honestly, I'm not sure why some Brother models display the PIN on the screen while others only have it on a sticker. My best guess is it depends on the firmware version and model year. If someone has insight, I'd love to hear it.

Dimension 1: Finding the PIN — Sticker vs. Screen

This is where most people get stuck. The PIN location varies significantly between models and setups.

Initial Setup (New Printer)

For brand-new Brother printers, the WPS PIN is typically printed on a small, peelable sticker attached to the printer itself. It's usually on the back or bottom. The sticker format is something like "PIN: 12345678."

What I've seen in practice: About 60% of the time, the sticker is definitely there. The other 40%? It's either been peeled off, or it's tucked behind a piece of packing tape. I once spent 15 minutes searching for a PIN that was under the paper tray.

Subsequent Setup (After Factory Reset or Network Change)

If you're reconnecting a printer—maybe after an office move or a router change—the sticker may be long gone. In this case, you need to generate a new PIN through the printer's control panel.

How to do it (varies by model):

  1. Go to Settings > Network > WLAN (or Wi-Fi).
  2. Select WPS (PIN Mode) or Push Button.
  3. If you choose PIN mode, the printer will display a new 8-digit PIN on the screen.

My take: The screen method is actually more reliable than the sticker—no chance of it getting lost. But it's slower, since you have to navigate the menu system. For IT admins setting up a batch of printers, the sticker is faster. For a single reconnect, the screen is fine.

Dimension 2: Security — WPS PIN vs. WPS Push Button

This is where I have mixed feelings. WPS as a protocol has known security vulnerabilities. The PIN method is particularly susceptible to brute-force attacks because the eight-digit code can be cracked in a few hours if an attacker has physical access to the network.

Per FTC guidelines (ftc.gov), companies should "take reasonable steps to secure their networks." Leaving WPS enabled indefinitely is probably not reasonable.

WPS Push Button (PBC)

This is the simpler option: press a button on the router, press a button on the printer, and they connect. No PIN needed. The downside: anyone with physical access to the router can press the button and connect a device.

WPS PIN Mode

More secure than PBC? Actually, no—not by much. The PIN method is vulnerable to a well-known attack where the PIN is verified in two halves (the first four digits and the last four digits). An attacker can brute-force the first half in about 10,000 attempts, then the second half. That's roughly 11,000 attempts total—feasible in under 4 hours.

What I do:

  • Use WPS for initial setup only.
  • Once the printer is connected, disable WPS on the router.
  • If I need to reconnect later, I use the printer's menu to regenerate a PIN if WPS is still active, or I just manually enter the Wi-Fi password.

Bottom line: The PIN method is convenient for one-time setup. For ongoing security, disable WPS on your network entirely. (Should mention: this is a hassle if you frequently have guests needing Wi-Fi, but for a printer that connects once and stays connected, it's worth it.)

Dimension 3: Troubleshooting — PIN Errors and Failures

Even when you have the correct PIN, things can go wrong. Here's what I've seen in the field.

Common Error: "Incorrect PIN"

This usually means one of three things:

  1. You're using the wrong PIN. Double-check the sticker, or regenerate it from the printer's menu.
  2. The PIN has timed out. Many printers have a 2-minute window to enter the PIN on your computer or router. If you're slow, you'll need to restart the process.
  3. The router's WPS is disabled. Some enterprise routers have WPS turned off by default. You may need to enable it temporarily.

Common Error: "Connection Failed"

This can happen even if the PIN is accepted. Possible causes:

  • Signal strength: The printer is too far from the router. Move them closer.
  • Frequency mismatch: Your router is broadcasting on 5 GHz, but your printer only supports 2.4 GHz. Check the printer specs.
  • MAC address filtering: Your router is set to only allow specific devices. Add the printer's MAC address.

Personal note: The frequency mismatch issue is the one that tripped me up the most. Around 2020, we upgraded to a dual-band router and suddenly all the older Brother printers stopped connecting. It took me two calls to support before I realized the solution was to temporarily enable 2.4 GHz for setup, then switch back.

When to Use WPS PIN vs. Manual Password Entry

Here's my practical advice, based on the scenarios I've encountered:

Use WPS PIN when:

  • Setting up a single printer in a small office or home office.
  • The router supports WPS and you can disable it afterward.
  • You can't find the Wi-Fi password (it happens).

Use manual password entry when:

  • Setting up multiple printers (the PIN process doesn't scale well).
  • The router is in a secure area and you don't want to enable WPS.
  • You're deploying to a corporate network with strict security policies (per 18 U.S. Code § 1708? No, that's mailbox theft—but the security principle holds).

Honestly, I've shifted to manual entry for most deployments over the past two years. The extra 30 seconds of typing a password is worth avoiding the security risk, the PIN timeout issue, and the occasional sticker-that-doesn't-exist scenario.

Final Thought: The One Thing I'd Change

If I could redesign the Brother printer setup experience, I'd put the WPS PIN in a consistent, obvious location on every model—maybe printed on the front bezel. The fact that some models hide it on a peelable sticker while others show it on the screen is a minor but persistent frustration.

But that's not gonna happen. So my advice: when you unbox a Brother printer, peel that sticker and stick it to the underside of the printer where it won't get lost. You'll thank yourself later.