Discover firmware trials, failures, and why Twotrees firmware works but lacks WiFi.
My Week-Long Struggle to Get WiFi Working on the MKS Robin Nano V3.1
As someone who has worked extensively with 3D printers, electronics, and off-grid setups, I thought connecting the MKS Robin Nano V3.1 to WiFi would be straightforward. After all, it is one of the most popular controller boards on the market, and there are multiple firmware options available. I was wrong. I recently spent an entire week trying to get any firmware other than the stock Twotrees firmware to work reliably with WiFi connectivity. Here’s a detailed account of my journey, the hurdles I faced, and what I ultimately learned.
When I first received my MKS Robin Nano V3.1 board, I immediately wanted to integrate it into my workshop setup without relying on a laptop connected via USB. The printer is located in a tight area where space is limited, so WiFi was not a luxury—it was a necessity. My plan was simple: find a firmware that supports WiFi, connect my laptop to the printer remotely, and start printing.
My first attempt was with Klipper firmware. Klipper is widely praised for its high-performance motion control and advanced configuration options. I downloaded the MKS-specific Klipper firmware, including the UART3 variant that is supposed to allow WiFi connection via the MKS WiFi module. However, my excitement was short-lived. Flashing the firmware went smoothly, but the board refused to establish a connection. The logs consistently showed “Unable to open serial port” errors. I tried connecting via the MKS WiFi using the recommended TCP/IP address, but it simply would not detect the board. I also attempted connecting directly via USB, but the klipper host failed to start due to module errors. I even went through the painstaking process of setting up Python virtual environments and dependencies, but nothing resolved the problem. In the end, Klipper on the MKS Robin Nano V3.1 was a complete dead end for my setup.
Next, I explored Marlin Bugfix firmware. Marlin is almost a universal choice for 3D printers, and the bugfix branch is continuously updated with improvements for newer boards. I tried configuring the board for WiFi, compiled the firmware, and flashed it. The firmware worked partially—pausing and resuming prints, homing axes, and extruder control were functional—but there were deep bugs with the pause feature, particularly the M600/M601 color change and filament change routines. The printer would often crash or hang mid-print when attempting to use the pause commands. More importantly, there was no support for the MKS WiFi module, meaning that even if the firmware was stable, remote access was impossible. After hours of testing and debugging, I had to conclude that Marlin was not a viable option for WiFi on this board.
I also tried RepRapFirmware, which is highly configurable and known for network connectivity on supported boards. I was hopeful since the firmware explicitly mentions support for serial over TCP/IP connections. However, the MKS Robin Nano V3.1 could not establish a network connection. The firmware would attempt to scan for a network, but it never detected the MKS WiFi module. USB connections worked partially, but performance was slow, and the firmware lacked any real documentation for this specific board. Every attempt ended in frustration, and I realized that the community support for RepRapFirmware on the Robin Nano V3.1 was extremely limited.
The only firmware that worked reliably was the stock Twotrees firmware
During my experiments, I also explored other potential solutions:
- **MKS WiFi firmware updates** – I tried updating the MKS WiFi module separately, hoping that newer firmware would allow network connections with alternative firmwares. Unfortunately, the module only works seamlessly with Twotrees firmware.
- **USART3-based custom builds** – There is a variant of Klipper that allows USART3 communication for serial over WiFi. I compiled the firmware and flashed it. The board recognized the module physically, but I could not establish a stable TCP connection. Attempts to connect through TCP/IP always failed with “No such file or directory” errors. Even with the display unplugged to reduce conflicts, the module remained inaccessible.
- **Using single-board computers (SBCs) as bridges** – I considered using a Radxa Zero to act as a USB-to-WiFi bridge. The idea was to connect the Radxa to the Robin Nano via USB, then control the printer over the Radxa’s WiFi from my laptop. While theoretically possible, setting up a reliable serial bridge with klipper or other serial proxies on the Radxa proved to be non-trivial and would require additional software layers to handle G-code transmission. No ready-to-use, real-world setup existed for the Nano V3.1 as a serial-over-WiFi bridge via an SBC.
- **Beeprint firmware** – I even tried the Beeprint WiFi firmware, which works on the Nano V3.1. The firmware itself allowed WiFi connections, but the setup lacked documentation for my particular board version. The system connected to my network but would not reliably communicate with standard slicers such as PrusaSlicer or OctoPrint, making it impractical for real printing sessions.
After testing all of the above options, I realized that the MKS Robin Nano V3.1 is simply not compatible with open-source WiFi-enabled firmwares in a way that is stable and reliable. Klipper, Marlin Bugfix, and RepRapFirmware all have limitations, and none allow seamless network connectivity with the stock MKS WiFi module. The Twotrees firmware remains the only truly stable option, but it sacrifices network functionality.
For anyone considering the MKS Robin Nano V3.1 and hoping for WiFi connectivity, my advice is to be prepared for frustration. If remote control is essential, you might need to look at alternatives such as the FYSETC E4 board, which has a robust web interface, or other SBC-enabled solutions. For my setup, where space constraints make USB impractical, Twotrees firmware works mechanically but is a dead end for networked operation.
This week-long experience taught me several important lessons:
- Not all popular boards have functional open-source WiFi support, even if they are marketed as compatible.
- Community support and real-world use cases matter. Many guides assume perfect conditions and ideal hardware revisions.
- Sometimes the only working solution is proprietary firmware, but that comes at the cost of flexibility and remote control.
In conclusion, if you are looking to use WiFi with an MKS Robin Nano V3.1, be prepared for a long journey filled with dead ends. My week of testing proved that while the board is mechanically reliable and works perfectly with the Twotrees firmware, it does not support alternative WiFi-enabled firmware options in any stable way. For remote printing setups, I would recommend considering boards that have proven WiFi support, such as the FYSETC E4, or using a dedicated SBC bridge, though even the latter requires careful configuration.
My experience might save others countless hours of frustration. Despite the appeal of the Robin Nano V3.1, for anyone needing WiFi, the current ecosystem of firmware simply does not deliver.