How To Find WiFi IP Address of Brother QL-820NWB Label Printer?

The Brother QL-820NWB gets its IP address from your router’s DHCP server. You need that address to configure badge printing in InstaCheckin — the iPad kiosk uses it to send print jobs directly to the printer over your local network.

There are three ways to find it, depending on what you have in front of you.

Method 1: Use the Printer’s LCD Menu

The fastest method. No PC required, no labels wasted.

Step 1: Press the Menu button, then use the down arrow to navigate to “WLAN”

Step 2: Press the up arrow to highlight “WLAN Status,” then press OK

Step 3: Select “Infrastructure Mode” and press OK

Step 4: Read the IP address shown on the display

The IP address appears on the third line of the network status screen. Write it down — you’ll enter it in the InstaCheckin dashboard in the next step.

If the display shows 0.0.0.0, the printer isn’t connected to your network yet. Skip to the troubleshooting section below.

Method 2: Use the Brother Printer Setting Tool on Your Computer

If the printer is connected to your PC via USB (during initial setup), the Printer Setting Tool shows the current network status without touching the printer’s menu.

1. Open the Printer Setting Tool — installed automatically when you ran the Brother driver installer. If it’s not installed, download it from Brother’s support page for the QL-820NWB.
2. Click Communication Settings.
3. Navigate to the Wireless LAN tab, then click Current Status in the left-hand tree.
4. The current IP address appears in the status pane.

This method is also useful after initial setup when you’re not physically next to the printer — as long as the USB cable is connected.

Method 3: Check Your Router’s Admin Panel

If the printer is powered on and connected to Wi-Fi, your router knows its IP address. This is the best option if the printer’s display is awkward to read or the printer is mounted out of reach.

1. Open a browser on any device connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Go to your router’s admin panel — usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Check the label on the underside of your router if neither works.
3. Log in with your admin credentials.
4. Find the connected devices or DHCP client list section.
5. Look for a device named Brother QL-820NWB or Brother. Its IP address is in that row.

One downside: DHCP-assigned addresses can change after a reboot if you haven’t set a static IP. If the printer’s IP keeps changing, either set a static IP in Communication Settings or create a DHCP reservation in your router that ties the printer’s MAC address to a fixed IP.

What To Do If the IP Address Shows 0.0.0.0

A 0.0.0.0 address means the QL-820NWB hasn’t successfully joined your Wi-Fi network. Common causes:

• Wrong SSID or password. Re-run the Printer Setting Tool, go to Communication Settings → Wireless LAN, re-enter your credentials, and click Apply. The printer will restart and attempt to reconnect.
• Wired and wireless active at the same time. Per Brother’s documentation, the QL-820NWB cannot use its wired and wireless interfaces simultaneously. If an Ethernet cable is plugged in, the Wi-Fi radio disables itself. Unplug the cable if you want a wireless IP, or use the Ethernet IP address instead.
• Wrong connection mode. InstaCheckin uses Infrastructure Mode (connecting through a Wi-Fi router). If the printer is set to Ad-Hoc or Bluetooth mode, it won’t have a routable IP for badge printing. Make sure Infrastructure Mode is selected.
• IP conflict. Rarely, two devices get assigned the same address. Power-cycle the printer so it requests a fresh DHCP lease.

Once the underlying issue is fixed, go back to Method 1 to confirm the printer now shows a valid IP.

Enter the IP Address in InstaCheckin

With the IP address in hand, log in to the InstaCheckin admin dashboard and go to Kiosk Settings → Visitor Badge. Check the Print Visitor Badge option, enter the IP address (for example, 192.168.1.44) in the Badge Printer IP Address field, and save.

The iPad kiosk will send badge jobs to the printer over the local network the moment a visitor completes check-in. For a full walkthrough of the initial printer configuration, see the Brother QL-820NWB printer setup guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the printer get a different IP address after each reboot?

By default, the QL-820NWB requests a new DHCP lease from your router every time it powers on. Most routers hand out the same address again, but not always. To lock it in permanently, either enter a static IP directly in the Printer Setting Tool’s Communication Settings, or create a DHCP reservation in your router’s admin panel that maps the printer’s MAC address to a fixed IP.

Can I use the Ethernet port and Wi-Fi at the same time?

No. The QL-820NWB can’t run wired and wireless simultaneously — if an Ethernet cable is connected, Wi-Fi is disabled. Use one or the other, then find the IP address for whichever connection is active.

Does the QL-820NWB work with InstaCheckin over Bluetooth?

No. InstaCheckin badge printing uses the printer’s IP address over Wi-Fi or Ethernet — not Bluetooth. Bluetooth on the QL-820NWB is for direct printing from mobile devices via the Brother iPrint&Label app. For InstaCheckin to print badges, the printer must be on the same local network as your iPad kiosk.