Alex Ruben
How To Connect Your Canon MG3650s to WiFi in 2025
If you’re having trouble getting your Canon MG3650s to talk to your Wi-Fi, you’re not the only one. I’ve been there — fussing with buttons, checking that WPS works, praying the setup software doesn’t crash halfway through. The goal is pretty straightforward: get your printer wirelessly connected so you can print from your PC or phone without plugging things in every time. It’s kinda annoying when it doesn’t work right away, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty smooth sailing. After messing around with this a few times, here’s what tends to do the trick and what to watch out for.
How to Fix the Wi-Fi Connection for Your Canon MG3650s
Method 1: Using the WPS Button to Connect
This is probably the easiest way if your router supports WPS (the Wi-Fi Protected Setup). It’s quick and doesn’t require tearing through menus or software. It helps because it avoids the hassle of manually entering passwords — just a couple of button presses on your router and printer, and you’re golden. The thing is, you need to start within a couple of minutes of putting your printer into pairing mode, or it’ll just give up.
- Find the Wi-Fi button on your printer. Usually, it’s a button with a Wi-Fi icon, maybe near the top or side.
- Press and hold it until the power light starts to flash. That means it’s ready to pair.
- Press the Black Copy button once, then press the Wi-Fi button again. The Wi-Fi light should start flashing, indicating it’s in pairing mode.
Why it helps: This method skips messing with software — just a quick hardware-based setup. When it works, the lights go solid, and the printer’s connected. On some setups, it’s pretty finicky, so patience and timing matter. Usually, on one machine, it gets stuck, but on another, it connects without a fuss.
Method 2: Using the WPS Button on Your Router
If your router has a WPS button, this method is usually more reliable. It’s kind of weird, but pressing that button and then your printer’s pairing mode pretty much links them instantly. It’s quick, but you gotta do it within a window — like, 2 minutes max. The lights on the printer will flash rapidly, then turn solid once connected.
- Press the WPS button on your Wi-Fi router (usually on the back or side). Hold for a few seconds.
- Within that time, trigger pairing mode on your printer (see above).
- Wait for the lights to stabilize — your printer should show a steady Wi-Fi connection light.
This is a common fix: on some routers, it’s a hit or miss if you do it too late or too early. If it fails, try restarting the router and the printer before trying again.
Method 3: Setting Up via Software (More Controlled but Slightly More Complex)
If the WPS method doesn’t work — or your router doesn’t support WPS — downloading and running the setup software from Canon is the way to go. Yeah, it’s not as instant, but it’s more reliable. Plus, it’ll let you manually select your network and double-check the password entry. That’s the part where typos happen, and frustration builds.
- Go to the official Canon support page and find the MG3650s driver/installer.
- Download and run the setup file.
- Follow the prompts: click Start Setup, then Next. When asked to choose your Wi-Fi network, pick yours from the list.
- Carefully type in your Wi-Fi password (sometimes it’s worth copying and pasting to avoid typos).
This method helps because it directly communicates with the printer over your network, especially if the WPS approach fails or isn’t available.
Method 4: Manual Network Setup (If all else fails)
Some people reported success by temporarily connecting to the printer’s own Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s kinda weird, but it works on certain setups:
- Press and hold the Wi-Fi button until the indicator flashes orange, then release. The printer will emit its own Wi-Fi network, usually named something like “CanonMG3650xxxx”.
- Connect your PC or phone directly to that network via Wi-Fi settings.
- Open a browser and go to http://192.168.1.1 or whatever IP address the printer’s hotspot uses (check your manual or printer display).
- Follow the on-screen instructions to select your real Wi-Fi network and enter the password.
Not super elegant, but hey, if you are desperate, it’s a workaround that often gets the job done. Just remember to switch your device back to your home Wi-Fi after and reconnect to your usual network.
Extra Tips & Common Pitfalls
- Make sure your Wi-Fi’s working fine, and the password is correct — obvious, but worth confirming.
- Keep the printer and router close during setup; interference or distance can mess up the connection.
- On some machines, the setting takes a restart or even multiple tries. Don’t give up if it doesn’t work on the first shot.
- Check if your firmware is up to date. Sometimes, outdated firmware bugs the connectivity process. You can update via Canon’s support site or through the printer’s menu.
Wrap-up
Once that’s done, your Canon MG3650s should be good to go wirelessly. It’s kinda weird how finicky some setups can be, but for the most part, following these steps gets it connected. It’s just a matter of patience and retries sometimes. Hope this gets one more printer online without pulling your hair out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my printer still refuses to connect?
Double-check that it’s in pairing mode (lights flashing), and your router supports WPS if you’re using that. Sometimes, restarting both and trying again helps. Also, make sure you’re not trying to connect to a guest network or one with restrictions — some firewalls or settings can block new devices.
Can I change the Wi-Fi network later?
Yeah, just redo the setup. You can either rerun the software, or if the printer’s menu lets you access network settings, go there, select your new network, and input the password again. It’s not always straightforward, so having the setup software handy can save time.
Where to get the setup files?
Most recent drivers and setup tools are on the official Canon support site. It’s worth making sure you’re on the latest version so everything runs smoothly.