My house is a little bit spread out and consequently there are three different WiFi networks to ensure that I have a signal wherever in the house I am.
For historic reasons it was easier at the time to have three separate WiFi access points than to use boosters - essentially down to the equipment in my box on a boring bank holiday when purchasing other stuff wasn't an option.
There a couple of HP Printers which have WiFi. Seems good, but its a bit of a pain because you have to ensure that you're connected to the appropriate WiFi network.
Is there any reason why I cannot or should not just switch off their WiFi and plug them into the LAN? Then a laptop would use its WiFi to access the LAN and then find the printer.
Or am I missing a simpler approach?
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Are the three wifi networks connected via Ethernet to each other? Presumably they are on their own subnets.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 12 Aug 15 at 22:29
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Yes; one wired LAN with three separate WiFi networks attached.
Each wireless network can access anything else on that WiFi network or on the wired LAN. What they cannot do is access anything on another WiFi network.
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>> What they cannot do is access anything on another WiFi network.
Why not? If setup correctly I can't see why they can't be accessed. Without knowing how you've set it up I can''t offer much more help. Sounds like a routing issue to me. You've presumably used old routers (with inbuilt WiFi access points) to build up this network?
But if this is only a printer problem and they have Ethernet interfaces, that's probably the quick and easy fix :-)
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 12 Aug 15 at 23:58
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>>Why not?
Don't know.
>>If setup correctly I can't see why they can't be accessed
Me neither.
>>You've presumably used old routers (with inbuilt WiFi access points) to build up this network?
Yes. Although using the verb "build" credits the exercise with more thought and expertise than it deserves.
Let me change the question a little;
What material difference, if any, exists between letting a printer use its own WiFi or plugging it into the LAN which is partly WiFi?
Either will allow everybody WiFi access.
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>> Let me change the question a little;
>>
>> What material difference, if any, exists between letting a printer use its own WiFi or
>> plugging it into the LAN which is partly WiFi?
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>> Either will allow everybody WiFi access.
>>
Well that's exactly what I do (wifi printer on LAN) with my Dell 1765NFW and it works fine that way.
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But won't there be issues of devices (the laptops, which are on different subnets) communicating with the printers? I thought that required bridges or summat.
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Just an out-loud thought - why 3 different WiFis? That'd be much easier wouldn't it? Just needs to make sure only 1 DHCP server is on. What am I missing?
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>> Just an out-loud thought - why 3 different WiFis?
"....essentially down to the equipment in my box on a boring bank holiday when purchasing other stuff wasn't an option"
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Attach the printer to any of the lan attached machines via USB and share it via windows.
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>Just needs to make sure only 1 DHCP server is on.
That's what I've done smokie.
I have two separate WiFi networks at home, one in the house and another outside. A printer and a printer/scanner talk to the house WiFi.
The access point outside uses an old Sky (Netgear) modem/router mounted in Mrs K's gardening cave. It is connected to the house modem/router by ethernet powerline adapters. DHCP is switched off in the garden router and it is pointed at the house router to service DHCP requests. I have also reserved fixed ip-addresses for the printers in the house router.
The upshot of this is that all devices are on the same subnet irrespective of which WiFi access point they connect to and the printers are always at known addresses.
Works well, even to the point of lappies, tablets and phones switching from one access point to the other when they begin to lose signal although there is a slight delay when switching.
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So it's not a subnet/gateway issue it seems. Quickest and easiest fix/change is to plug printers in via Ethernet. It should work now as you well know.
I don't have a wireless printer but wonder if it's related to how they connect via wifi etc.
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But Rob - will machines on other subnets be able to see the hard-wired printers? I feel maybe not.
It's got to be a really easy thing for Mark to test... :-)
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There is only one wired LAN covering the entire house, and the other buildings.
That LAN has 3 WiFi routers plugged into it; one upstairs in the middle and one downstairs at either end.
Anything can see anything on the LAN, or on the WiFi for that matter. But a printer can only be seen by a device on the same WiFi.
I don't know why, and don't want to care if I don't have to. If plugging the printers into one of the switches works, job done.
Actually, I know it works because there are two other printers already plugged in, but I wondered if I was missing some advantage of having an printer independently wireless.
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WiFi & Printers - rtj70
