Brother ADS-1800W Wireless Compact Desktop Scanner

Outstanding scanner! But you might need a micro B USB cable…
This is a slick little scanner that works quickly and very well. If you’re planning to connect it to your computer via USB you’ll need a micro B cable, as it does not include one. Initially I was bummed about this because though I planned to use the scanner with Wifi, when I went to setup the scan-to-network share feature, the scanner’s menu informed me I had to set that up from my computer. So I assumed I would have to plug it in and went searching for a cable and for the right software on Brother’s web site.Thankfully, you don’t actually have to plug it into a computer to set it up and you don’t need to download any Brother software either, depending on your use case. You can setup wifi directly from the scanner’s touchscreen, then use any web browser from a computer on the same network to access the scanner over Wifi to complete setup of more advanced features without a USB connection. I had to Google the default password for the scanner’s web interface (turns out it’s printed on a label on the bottom of each scanner), but once I had that I was able to login and configure the various options.Now all I have to do is drop a sheet of paper (or up to 20) directly into the automatic document feeder on the scanner and it automatically performs a duplex scan, skips blank pages, converts it to a PDF and drops it on a network share without pressing a single button.Once it’s all setup it is super fast and very easy to use. I highly recommend this. It’s worth the extra money to get a true Wifi scanner if you want wireless scanning to network storage.

Not Everything is in the Box
Just received my Brother ADS-1700W Scanner, but I’ll have to wait a few days to get it up and running. If you plan to use it with your computer you’ll need a USB 3.0 Micro cable (not included in the package). If you plan to use it standalone and save to a USB stick, I guess you’d be OK as long as you have the USB stick. After reading all the difficulties setting up the WiFi network options (either to your mobile device or the cloud (Google Drive, One Drive, etc.), I’ve decided to wait for the USB 3.0 Micro cable which should be here in a couple days from Amazon. Next you’ll need the manual (not included in the box) which you get from the Brother website after registering your unit. In the manual, it tells you everything you need. You’ll also need some consumable supplies if you plan to use it regularly. These include Carrier Sheets (#CS-A3301), $18.99 for a pack of 2 – they don’t come in the box, but you’ll need them to scan receipts, photos, anything loose-leaf or with holes in it, items written in pencil, docs narrower than 2″ or shorter than 2.76″, odd shaped (not rectangular paper), wrinkled, or curled. Carrier sheets need to be replaced after every 500 uses. Then every 10K scans you’ll need a new Separation Pad (SP-200C), $19.99 each. And finally, you’ll need to replace the Pickup Roller ($23.99) after every 100K scans. For $270, I would have thought they could have given us one spare each in the box. But it’s all on order now from Brother’s online store. The Brother website is challenging, so the best way to find these items to buy is to Google them for the link to the Brother store. Then make sure you’ve logged into your Brother account before trying to checkout because the website hangs otherwise. I’m still looking forward to getting all my scanning done with this handy new tool, but I’m not quite there yet. Once I get it up, I’ll check back with a review of how it works… Update: Now it’s up and running. I had two issues, one is solved the other is not. First, the destination folder for the scans is by default set for your computer’s “Documents” folder. I was able to change this to my desired destination using the “Remote Setup” functions accessed through the Brother Utilities application. The second issue is I wanted change the file name of the scans. I’ve had maybe a dozen scanners in my life (I’m 72), and I never had one that wouldn’t let you set the filename of the scan so it would increment e.g., “Scan 001, Scan 002, Scan 003… ” Not this one. It names each scan with the serial number of your scanner, todays date, and a crazy unsequential number. Using another Brother application “iPrint& Scan” you can manually set the file names of each scan, but it won’t increment. Using Remote Setup again to try and configure my Scan File Names, I was able to change the start of the name from the Serial Number to “Scan” but I can’t remove the date, and the counter increments are quite strange – e.g., Scan2022-09-05_093306, Scan2022-09-05_093430, Scan2022-09-05_093500, Scan2022-09-05_093543, Scan2022-09-05_094035, etc. I wrote to Brother support, and the answer was basically, “those are the available options.” I suggested they offer something more user-friendly in a future update, so there you go. I may try to find other scanner software that it easier to use, but for now I need to get scanning and will just have to live with this issue for now. On the positive – the scanner is fast and easy to feed. My only design complaint is there is no extendable tray to catch the scans as they come out – so just be prepared for that or you could (like I’m doing) use a flat box lid taped to the bottom of the scanner to catch your scans. Other than that – everything works… Late breaking update: When the Carrier Sheets arrived from Brother, I attempted to scan a smaller item using the sheet, but kept getting a “Paper Jam” error on the machine, and the scan on the computer only showed the top inch of the Carrier Sheet. I contacted Brother via chat just now and here is the response, “Patt: Thanks for holding. I apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, it is listed that the machine does not include a Carrier Sheet for scanning small or irregular documents. Previous machine’s carrier sheets will not work and are not supported for use with this machine. It seems that you should only scan documents that are within the machine’s paper handling specifications to avoid document jams.” In the manual there is a section on “Acceptable documents for scanning” and that is the list of the only items this scanner will accept. I took my item (3.5″x8.5″) out of the carrier sheet and ran it through the scanner, adjusting the guides to handle the smaller width and it scanned fine. Just thought I’d pass this on.

This is my first experience of any kind with a brother product and straight up, I do not like this product. I find the user experience to be nothing shy of a headache and incomplete. I have experience with 3 other portable scanners (all Epson) and they were between 25%-50% cheaper, are easier to use and Epson provides much better documentation and support.I will start with what I like. Build quality is excellent. On board display provides limited functionality but it is a convenient feature, though I find the PC interface to be better. The screen is a bit too small to be REALLY functional as it is often difficult to select a specific icon on the screen due to the limited real-estate. Scanning results are very good and fast. Wireless phone functionality is limited to 300dpi, where as PC based sources can go to 600dpi. My Epson do 1200dpi! This is not a deal breaker as most requirements are well suited to a resolution of 300dpi by at this price point, I am not big a fan of limitations like that. User interface software is half decent and very easy to install. Capable.if single.sided or double sided sheets or business card scans.That is as far as I can go with what there is to like.Now on to the aspects that make me think this product should be avoided.Configuration settings are “clunky” at best. Documentation is non existent or an utter train wreck. Brother offers a bunch of feature down loads but no explanations as to what they do. Not all appear to be overly intuitive.The wireless functions are more limited than those available with a USB connection, why? No power supply is provided. Though there is one available for purchase but at $399, that is a ridiculous ask. You can only run this device off a source host if the usb ports are capable of putting out 5V and 3A. The provided usb-c to usb-c cable is too short for practical use. Wi-Fi was a nightmare that made me want to melt this scanner into a form of abstract art – aggravating to say the least. The worse experience of all was the PIN setup. I gave up even trying after 2 hours and about a dozen resets. Set up requires the use of a default password that is found on the bottom of the scanner but guess what…? It doesn’t work. It constantly comes back as “invalid / incorrect”.Despite the user manual giving, what appears at first, a comprehensive setup map, it seems to be ommitting a ton and can we talk about the numerous spelling mistakes. It all feels poorly executed and rushed. Not worth $400. I also find that the 20 page feeder tray limitation is a but of a surprise at this price point. Feeding documents often produced aggravating paper jams. All my other scanners pull in the first page when loading the tray, stage and then scan, this product does nothing of the sort and required frequent “babysitting” to ensure that everything runs through.While a few offerings are available for additional software the one thatbstood out the most was “Kofax Power PDF”. It offers a 7day free trial after which a full subscription is $169. Are these people kidding? Perhaps they are counting on deep corporate pockets. Ridiculous.To sum up, I would never recommend this scanner to anyone. I have used a ton of them and this one is so far behind the curve, that it amazes me, ESPECIALLY at this price point. Software and firmware updates could fix alot of what is wrong with this product but neither are a guarantee to be offered.Nope, this is a HARD pass for me.

Excelente producto por su facilidad de instalación, velocidad de escaneo muy aceptable y vale la pena por su portabilidad