How to Secure a Wireless Printer on Your Home Network

If you own a wireless printer, you already know how convenient it is to print from anywhere in your home without dealing with cables. But that convenience comes with a trade-off: wireless printers are a surprisingly common weak point in home network security. Knowing how to secure a wireless printer on your home network is just as important as locking down your router or keeping your laptop updated. Printers store print jobs, connect to the internet, and often run their own web servers — yet most people never think to secure them after the initial setup.

This guide walks you through every practical step you need to take, from changing default credentials to isolating your printer on a separate network segment. Whether you recently picked up a new model from our printer reviews or you have had the same device for years, these steps apply to virtually every major brand and model on the market today.

Why Printer Security Matters More Than You Think

Most homeowners focus their security efforts on their computers and smartphones, completely overlooking devices like printers. According to CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), networked devices that are seldom monitored — including printers, smart TVs, and cameras — are increasingly targeted as entry points into home and small office networks. Once an attacker has access to your printer, they may be able to pivot to other devices on the same network.

What Attackers Can Actually Access

Modern wireless printers are not simple input-output devices. They run embedded operating systems, store data in memory, and communicate with cloud services. Here is what an unsecured printer can expose:

• Stored print jobs: Many printers retain copies of recent documents in internal memory or on a built-in hard drive.
• Network credentials: Your printer knows your Wi-Fi password and may store it in plain text.
• Scanned documents: If your printer is a multifunction device, scan history may be stored locally.
• Admin panel access: An open web interface can let anyone on the network change printer settings.
• Lateral movement: A compromised printer can serve as a reconnaissance point for targeting computers and NAS drives on the same network.

Common Attack Vectors

The most frequent ways printers get compromised include: default credentials that were never changed, unpatched firmware vulnerabilities, open protocols like FTP or Telnet left enabled by the manufacturer, and printers accidentally exposed to the internet through misconfigured routers. If you have recently been researching the best wireless printer for iPad, pay close attention to which network services each model enables by default before you buy.

Step 1: Change Default Credentials and Admin Settings

The single most impactful thing you can do to secure a wireless printer on your home network is to change the default administrator username and password. Every printer ships with factory credentials — often something like admin / admin or admin / 1234 — that are publicly documented in manufacturer manuals. Anyone on your network who knows the printer's IP address can log into its web interface using these defaults.

Accessing the Printer's Web Interface

Every major wireless printer brand — HP, Brother, Canon, Epson, Lexmark — provides an embedded web server (EWS) that you can reach from any browser on your network. To find your printer's IP address:

1. Print a network configuration page directly from the printer's control panel (usually under Settings > Network > Print Network Config).
2. Alternatively, log into your router's admin panel and look at the connected device list.
3. Type the IP address into your browser's address bar (e.g., http://192.168.1.105).

Once inside, navigate to the security or administrator section. The exact menu labels vary by brand, but you are looking for something like Security, Admin Setup, or Password.

Setting a Strong Admin Password

Choose a password that is at least 12 characters and includes a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using the same password you use for your router or other devices. Write it down and store it somewhere safe — you will need it occasionally for firmware updates and configuration changes.

While you are in the admin panel, also:

• Disable the ability to change settings without authentication.
• Enable HTTPS for the web interface if the option exists.
• Set up an IP access control list to restrict which devices can reach the admin panel.

Step 2: Keep Firmware Updated

Firmware is the software that runs your printer's hardware. Manufacturers regularly release firmware updates that patch known security vulnerabilities, and failing to apply them leaves your printer exposed to exploits that have already been publicly disclosed.

How to Check Your Current Firmware Version

You can find the current firmware version either on the printer's control panel (under Settings > About or similar) or through the embedded web server under a Device Information tab. Note this version, then visit the manufacturer's support site and search for your model to see if a newer version is available.

For Brother printers specifically, the update process involves downloading a utility from the Brother support site. If you are already maintaining a Brother device, our guide on how to clean a Brother printer is a good companion resource for keeping the hardware in top shape alongside your software updates.

Enabling Automatic Updates

Many newer printers support automatic firmware updates through their cloud management platforms. On HP printers, this is handled through HP Smart. On Epson devices, it is managed via Epson Connect. Enable automatic updates wherever possible so you are not relying on manual checks. If your printer does not support automatic updates, set a recurring reminder to check the manufacturer's site every few months.

Step 3: Disable Unnecessary Services and Protocols

Out of the box, most printers enable every service the manufacturer thinks you might want. In practice, you probably use only a fraction of them. Each enabled service is a potential attack surface, so disabling what you do not need is a core part of hardening your printer.

Which Services to Turn Off

Inside the printer's web interface, look for a section titled Network Services, Protocols, or Security. Consider disabling these unless you have a specific need for them:

• FTP printing: An outdated protocol with no encryption.
• Telnet: Transmits data — including credentials — in plain text.
• WSD (Web Services on Devices): Useful for auto-discovery but often unnecessary once the printer is set up.
• SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol): Version 1 and 2 have well-known vulnerabilities; disable entirely or upgrade to SNMPv3 with authentication.
• Raw printing port 9100: Can allow unauthenticated print jobs from any device on the network; disable if you only print via IPP or AirPrint.
• Bonjour / mDNS: Useful for Apple device discovery; only disable if you do not use Apple devices.

Cloud Print and Remote Access Considerations

Cloud printing services let you send jobs from anywhere in the world, which is convenient but also opens a path from the internet to your home network device. If you do not regularly need to print remotely, disable cloud print integration entirely. If you do need it, make sure your account uses a strong, unique password and has two-factor authentication enabled. Some manufacturers allow you to whitelist specific email addresses or accounts that can submit cloud jobs — use that feature.

Step 4: Use Network Segmentation and Wi-Fi Best Practices

Even a fully hardened printer can become a problem if it shares a network with your most sensitive devices. Network segmentation — the practice of dividing your network into separate zones — limits the damage an attacker can do even if they do manage to compromise your printer.

Guest Network and VLAN Isolation

Most modern home routers support a guest network that is isolated from your main network. You can connect your printer to the guest network while keeping your computers and phones on the main network. The printer will still be reachable for printing (you will need to add it by IP address rather than through automatic discovery), but a compromised printer cannot directly reach your laptop or NAS drive.

For more advanced setups, consider using VLANs if your router supports them. A printer VLAN allows you to apply specific firewall rules — for example, blocking the printer from initiating any outbound connections except to specific update servers.

WPA3 Encryption and SSID Settings

Make sure the Wi-Fi network your printer connects to uses WPA3 encryption if supported, or at minimum WPA2-AES. Avoid WEP and WPA, which are outdated and easily cracked. Also consider:

• Using a dedicated SSID for IoT and peripheral devices.
• Disabling SSID broadcast for the printer network (though this is security through obscurity and not a primary defense).
• Enabling MAC address filtering on your router for the printer's specific hardware address.
• Assigning the printer a static IP address via DHCP reservation in your router, making it easier to apply firewall rules consistently.

If you are thinking about printer placement in a home office context, our article on what to look for in a printer for working from home covers both connectivity and performance factors worth considering alongside security.

Step 5: Ongoing Security Maintenance

Securing your printer is not a one-time task. Like any networked device, it requires periodic attention to stay protected as new vulnerabilities are discovered and your network configuration changes.

Auditing Print Logs

Most printers maintain a log of recent print jobs, including the time, document size, and originating device. Reviewing this log occasionally helps you spot unauthorized use. If you see print jobs you did not initiate, treat it as a serious security incident — change your admin password immediately, check for firmware updates, and review which devices on your network can reach the printer.

The embedded web server typically has a Job History or Log section. Some enterprise-grade printers allow you to export logs to a central syslog server, which is worth setting up if you manage multiple devices.

Physical and Print Job Security

Physical access to a printer can bypass most software-based security. Anyone who can reach the printer can potentially print a configuration page, reset it to factory defaults, or remove a storage drive. Consider these precautions:

• Place the printer in a location where unauthorized visitors cannot easily access it.
• Enable PIN-to-release printing (also called secure print or hold print) so jobs are only printed when you are physically at the device to enter a code.
• When disposing of an old printer, perform a factory reset AND use the secure erase or storage wipe function if available — just resetting to defaults does not necessarily wipe stored documents from internal storage.
• If your printer has a USB port for direct printing, consider whether you need it enabled. Disabling it removes one more potential attack vector. For reference on USB printing capabilities, see our guide on how to print from a USB drive.

Quick Reference: Security Settings by Risk Level

The table below summarizes the most important security settings for a wireless printer on your home network, organized by how urgently they should be addressed:

Working through this table from top to bottom gives you a clear action plan. The critical items take less than 15 minutes to complete and provide the greatest reduction in risk. The medium and low priority items are worth doing but can be scheduled over time.

Taking the time to properly secure your wireless printer is a straightforward process that most people complete in under an hour. The default state of most printers — open admin panels, enabled legacy protocols, no firmware updates — is simply not designed with security in mind. But with the steps covered above, you can significantly reduce your exposure without sacrificing any of the convenience that makes wireless printing worthwhile in the first place. Make it part of your regular home network hygiene, and your printer will remain both useful and safe.