How to Connect a Canon TR4700 Printer to Wi-Fi

Getting a Canon TR4700 series printer connected to your wireless network is straightforward once you understand the options available and what each one requires from your setup. The TR4700 supports multiple connection methods, and the right one depends on your router type, the devices you print from, and how your home or office network is configured.

What Wi-Fi Connection Methods Does the Canon TR4700 Support?

The TR4700 offers three primary ways to connect wirelessly:

• Standard Wi-Fi (Infrastructure Mode) — connects the printer to your existing router, just like any other device on your network
• Wi-Fi Direct — creates a direct wireless connection between the printer and a device without needing a router
• WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) — a one-button method for connecting to compatible routers quickly

Each method suits a different situation, and knowing which applies to you is the first decision to make.

How to Connect Using the Printer's Control Panel (Standard Wi-Fi)

This is the most common setup for home and office use. You'll use the printer's LCD screen and buttons to find and join your network.

Steps:

1. Power on the printer and make sure no USB cable is connected
2. On the printer's home screen, tap or navigate to LAN settings (found under the wrench/settings icon)
3. Select Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi setup → Easy wireless connect or Manual connect
4. Choose Manual connect, then select your network SSID from the list
5. Enter your Wi-Fi password using the on-screen keyboard
6. Confirm the settings — the printer will attempt to connect and display a confirmation

Once connected, the Wi-Fi indicator light on the printer will remain solid (not blinking). A blinking light typically means the printer is still searching or failed to connect.

How to Connect Using WPS 🔘

If your router has a WPS button, this is the fastest method and skips password entry entirely.

Steps:

1. On the printer, go to LAN settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi setup → WPS (Push button method)
2. When prompted, press and hold the WPS button on your router for 3–5 seconds
3. The printer will detect the router's WPS signal and complete the connection automatically

Important variable: Not all routers have WPS enabled by default, and some ISP-provided routers have it disabled for security reasons. If WPS doesn't appear as an option or fails, manual connection is the reliable fallback.

How to Connect Using Wi-Fi Direct

Wi-Fi Direct lets you print directly from a phone, tablet, or laptop without routing traffic through your home network. This is useful in environments without a router, or when you want to keep the printer off your main network.

Steps:

1. On the printer, navigate to LAN settings → Wi-Fi Direct
2. Enable Wi-Fi Direct — the printer will display its own network name (SSID) and password
3. On your phone or computer, open Wi-Fi settings and connect to the printer's network
4. Print as normal — your device sends jobs directly to the printer

Trade-off to understand: While connected via Wi-Fi Direct, your printing device may lose access to your regular internet connection, depending on your OS and device. Android and Windows handle this differently than iOS and macOS.

Setting Up the Printer Using the Canon PRINT Inkjet App

Canon's PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app (available for Android and iOS) provides a guided setup wizard that walks through the Wi-Fi connection process from your smartphone. This can be easier than navigating the printer's physical controls, particularly for users less comfortable with menu-based interfaces.

The app also lets you:

• Monitor ink levels
• Initiate maintenance tasks
• Configure cloud print settings

The app-based setup still connects the printer to your Wi-Fi network using the same infrastructure method — it just provides a more visual interface for the process.

Common Variables That Affect Setup Success

Installing Printer Drivers After Connecting

Connecting the printer to Wi-Fi is only half the process. Your computer also needs to recognize it.

• Windows: Canon provides drivers through Windows Update or via the Canon support website. After connection, add the printer through Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add a printer
• macOS: macOS includes AirPrint support for Canon printers, meaning many functions work without manual driver installation. Full feature access (including scanner functions) typically requires Canon's dedicated driver package
• Mobile printing: Both iOS and Android print natively to TR4700 series printers via AirPrint and Mopria respectively, as long as the printer and device are on the same network

When Setup Doesn't Work as Expected

A few frequent friction points worth knowing:

• Printer connects but computer can't find it — usually a firewall issue or the computer and printer are on different network subnets
• WPS fails silently — some routers time out the WPS window in under 2 minutes; the sequence needs to be completed quickly
• Printer keeps dropping the Wi-Fi connection — this is often a router DHCP lease issue; assigning the printer a static IP address through your router's admin panel creates a stable, persistent connection
• 5 GHz band conflict — if your phone is on 5 GHz during app-based setup, the handoff to the printer's 2.4 GHz connection can fail; temporarily switching your phone to 2.4 GHz often resolves this 📶

What Determines Which Method Works Best for You

The method that works smoothly for one user may be the wrong starting point for another. Someone printing from a single Windows laptop in a home with a standard dual-band router has a different setup than someone printing from multiple phones and tablets in an apartment with a mesh network system, or a small office environment where network admin access is restricted.

The printer supports all these scenarios — but the path through setup, the potential points of friction, and the right troubleshooting steps shift depending on your specific network configuration, the devices involved, and how those devices handle wireless switching behavior.