Assign a Static IP to a Wireless Printer for Zero-Downtime

Overview

Most home wireless printer problems are not printer hardware failures.

They are network configuration issues — specifically the mismatch

between what the printer driver stores about the printer's network

address and where the printer actually is on the network after the

router restarts.

The complete canon printer setup guide at PrinterSolved covers the

full WiFi configuration and driver installation process alongside the

static IP configuration described in this project for all current

Canon Pixma models in the United States and Canada at

printersolved.com/ij-start-canon-setup/

Home routers assign temporary IP addresses through DHCP. After every

router restart the printer receives a different address. The Canon

driver stored the original address from installation and sends print

jobs to that old address. The printer is online and waiting at a new

address the driver has no knowledge of. The print job fails. The

printer shows as offline.

This project solves the problem permanently by assigning the printer

a fixed IP address through the router's DHCP reservation feature and

updating the Canon driver port to match. After completing this

configuration the printer remains online and accessible regardless of

how many times the router restarts.

Step 1 — Print the Network Status Page

Hold the Stop or Reset button on the Canon printer for five seconds.

The printer produces a network status page showing the current network

configuration. Note the MAC address — it appears in the format

XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX — and the current IP address. Keep this printout

nearby as you will need both values in the following steps.

Step 2 — Log Into the Router Admin Panel

Open a web browser and enter 192.168.1.1 in the address bar. If that

does not load the router panel try 192.168.0.1. Log in with your router

admin credentials — these are typically printed on the back of the

router if you have not changed them.

Navigate to the DHCP settings section. The exact path varies by

router brand. On Xfinity go to Connected Devices then Devices then

select the printer then Reserve IP. On Asus go to LAN then DHCP

Server then Manually Assigned IP. On Netgear go to Advanced then

Setup then LAN Setup then Address Reservation. On TP-Link go to

Advanced then Network then DHCP Server then Address Reservation.

For Canadian ISPs — Bell go to Advanced WiFi then DHCP then Static

IP Assignment. Rogers go to Advanced then LAN then DHCP Static Leases.

Step 3 — Create the DHCP Reservation

Add a new reservation using the MAC address from the network status

page. Assign an IP address in the 192.168.1.200 range — for example

192.168.1.200 — to avoid conflicts with addresses the router assigns

dynamically starting from lower numbers. Save the reservation and

restart the router.

After the router restarts print another network status page and confirm

the printer received the reserved IP address.

Step 4 — Update the Canon Driver Port on Windows

Go to Control Panel then Devices and Printers. Right-click the Canon

printer and select Printer Properties. Click the Ports tab. Select the

active Canon port — the one with a checkmark — and click Configure

Port. Update the IP address field to match the reserved IP. Click OK

then Apply.

The driver now sends print jobs to the permanent reserved address

regardless of router restarts.

Step 5 — Update on Mac

On Mac go to System Settings then Printers and Scanners. Remove the

Canon printer by clicking the minus button. Re-add it by clicking the

plus button. macOS detects the printer at its new permanent address

automatically and creates a fresh port configuration.

Step 6 — Verify and Test

Send a test print to confirm the driver communicates with the printer

at the new address. Restart the router and send a second test print

without restarting the printer or computer. If the second print

completes successfully the fix is confirmed — the printer is now

permanently accessible on the home network.

For the complete guide covering how to set up canon printer on wifi

including initial WiFi connection through the printer control panel,

full driver installation on Windows and Mac, and WiFi 6 router

compatibility fixes for band steering and WPA3 security visit

PrinterSolved at printersolved.com/ij-start-canon-setup/