Set a static IP address for a printer

Set a static IP address for a printer

Vizmo prints a badge by sending it from the kiosk to the printer's IP address. If your router gives the printer a different address after a restart, the address saved in Vizmo goes out of date and printing can stop. A fixed address avoids this.

Before you start

  • This applies to Brother Wi-Fi printers used with iPad and Android kiosks. Bluetooth printers do not use an IP address, and kiosks on a Mac or Windows computer print through the computer's print dialog.
  • You need to be an Admin or Location Admin to change a printer in Vizmo. Receptionists can view printers.
  • You will probably need your IT team to reserve or set the address on your network.
  • Availability: if this option is greyed out or missing, contact your Vizmo account manager.

Network requirements

  • The printer and the kiosk must be on the same network.
  • Brother label printers connect only to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band. If your router has two bands, the kiosk can stay on 5 GHz while the printer uses 2.4 GHz.
  • TCP port 9100 (printing) must be open between the kiosk and the printer.

Choose how to fix the address

  • DHCP reservation (usually simplest): ask your IT team to reserve a specific IP address for the printer's MAC address on your router or DHCP server. You do not need to change anything on the printer.
  • Static IP on the printer: set the IP address, subnet mask and gateway on the printer itself, using values agreed with your IT team. Follow the Network User's Guide for your printer model, available from Brother's support site.

Set the address and update Vizmo

  1. Note the printer's current IP address, its MAC address and its model. The setup article for your model explains how to find them.
  2. Ask your IT team to agree an available address on the kiosk network. For an address set on the printer, have IT exclude or reserve it in DHCP so that it is not given to another device.
  3. Apply the reservation, or set the static address on the printer. How you sign in to the printer's settings depends on the model. Brother explains this in its password guidance.
  4. Check that the kiosk can reach the printer at the new address.
  5. In the Vizmo portal, select your location and go to Devices > Printers.
  6. On the printer's card, select the pencil icon (Edit). Change IP Address to the new address and select Update. The portal shows "The printer has been updated successfully."
  7. Run a test check-in on a kiosk that uses this printer and confirm that a badge prints.

Edit Printer panel with the IP Address field

Things to know

  • Kiosks also try to find the printer again by its MAC address about every 30 minutes, and after a failed print, and refresh the saved IP address. A fixed address makes printing more dependable than relying on this.
  • You cannot edit the MAC Address, model or connectivity interface. If the MAC Address saved in Vizmo is wrong, delete the printer with the bin icon and add it again. See Add a printer.

Troubleshooting

  • Printing stopped after a network change. Check that the printer and kiosk are on the same network, that the printer is on a 2.4 GHz band, and that the MAC Address in Vizmo matches the printer.
  • The address keeps changing. Ask IT to set a DHCP reservation for the printer.
  • The kiosk cannot reach the printer at the new address. Check the subnet mask and gateway, and ask IT to check that TCP port 9100 is not blocked.

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