Canon PIXMA MP620 Wireless Problem

If you are using a Mac and are trying to connect to your wireless Canon PIXMA MP620, you may be having trouble getting the devices to communicate. You may have even tried the steps outlined in Setting Up Wireless Printers without any luck. This is a somewhat rare issue, but it has to do with the default Mac firewall running on your computer. By following a few troubleshooting steps, you should be able to resolve the problem and still use the firewall.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen, then choose System Preferences. You can also click the System Preferences icon in the dock, if you prefer.
2. Click the button that reads Show All. This helps you see all of the options listed. Now click Security or Security & Privacy. Click the Firewall tab. If the buttons are grayed out, you need to click the Lock icon in the lower left of the window, then enter your user password to make changes.
3. Choose Allow All Incoming Connections. This will temporarily allow your computer and printer to see each other, but turning off the firewall completely makes the computer somewhat vulnerable, so don’t leave this setting on long-term.
4. Click the left arrow button at the top left to go back to the System Preferences page. Click Hardware, then click the Print and Fax or Print and Scan option.
5. There should be a list of printers  on the left side of the screen. If your printer series “MP620” is listed, delete it from the options. Now put your Canon installation CD that came with the printer to reinstall the printer onto your computer. If you can no longer locate the installation CD, go to Canon’s website to download the driver there.
6. Once the driver is reinstalled, you should be able to re-enable your firewall settings. Follow the first two steps again, but choose Allow Only Essential Services.

At this point, the printer and computer should communicate properly. If you are still having connection issues, you can try adding an exception to the firewall. If you already have a firewall running through your router or elsewhere on the network, you can also consider leaving the Mac’s firewall disabled.