Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
SteveP2
Contributor - Level 2

Hello all,

I have a strange one that I am hoping someone could provide some assistance on.

I have an Actiontec Gen3 router that only provides wired connectivity. I have shutdown the wireless portion of this router. I have added an Amped Wireless Access Point for all wireless devices, which includes a HP OfficeJet printer.

When printing from my laptop, which is connected to my Actiontec router via a wired connection it never prints to the OfficeJet printer. When I change from a wired connection to a wireless connection on my laptop I can print with no issues. 

So my question is whether or not there is a configuration setting on either the Actiontec router that would prevent me from printing to the OfficeJet printer via a wired connection. I can ping the OfficeJet from my wired laptop but I just cannot print. Very strange. I have been to the HP support site and they are pretty much useless.

Thanks,

Steve

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
weedeater1
Contributor - Level 3

what's the IP address of the printer?

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
SteveP2
Contributor - Level 2

It is hard coded as 192.168.1.3. DHCP starts at 192.168.1.11 for all other wireless and wired devices.

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
walt178
Specialist - Level 3

I can't offer a solution.  But getting around that might be a problem.

I have an Actiontec with wireless enabled.  No other access points.  My HP laptop will print with a wireless connection, but if I connect it hardwire, it doesn't print. 

Before I got the wireless printer, if I wanted to print from my laptop I had to access the printer via a home network and my desktop. Regardless of how the laptop was connected. 

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
Hubrisnxs
Legend

192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=6059

try logging into this page from your home fios connection, and disabling IGMP proxy.  that has worked for a number of users.

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
SteveP2
Contributor - Level 2

Did that also but no luck.

This worked once upon a time. Not sure what changed on my router.

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
Hubrisnxs
Legend

IMO if the igmp disable did not fix it, then it's not a problem with the router.

Try a different IP just in case like .50 (avoid .100 as those are used by the set top boxes) and perhaps reinstall the printer drivers.   I would even go so far as to change the printer to DHCP and see if it even gets an ip address.  When you hard code the IP it masks if there is a communication problem.  

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
walt178
Specialist - Level 3

@Hubrisnxs wrote:

IMO if the igmp disable did not fix it, then it's not a problem with the router.

Try a different IP just in case like .50 (avoid .100 as those are used by the set top boxes) and perhaps reinstall the printer drivers.   I would even go so far as to change the printer to DHCP and see if it even gets an ip address.  When you hard code the IP it masks if there is a communication problem.  


I don't believe the issue is with the printer. If I understand Steve's problem correctly, I can mimic it exactly. 

My printer is  always connected wirelessly. The varialble is how the laptop is connected. When the laptop is on a wireless connection, I print with no problem.  When the laptop is on a wired connection I can not print. 

I have reviewed the printer configuration and status report with the laptop connected both ways. Everything is identical.

So if the printer always get it's signal from the router the same way (wireless) and it's internal settings are always the same, that would seem to eliminate it as the cause.

As the only variable is the laptop connection (wireless or wired), wouldn't the problem lie within either the laptop or router? 

I suspect the laptop. But I have not been able to detect any difference in settings in the laptop, the router, or the printer, regardless of how the connections were made. 

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
weedeater1
Contributor - Level 3

Are you using a virtual port in windows to print towards? And could this virtual port be 'attached' to the wireless connection and not the wired connection?

When you have two LAN ports active, Windows will usually pick the one with better speed. So perhaps the printer driver is trying to push data over the wireless port when infact the wired is the one active. ??

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Re: Printing from Wired Device to Wireless Printer
walt178
Specialist - Level 3

After checking every setting I could find in laptop, printer, and router I finally came up with a partial solution. At least one that worked for me.  I reinstalled the printer with my laptop on a wired connection to the router.  Now it will print with the wired connection.  Had to input the printer IP during this process.

This is not a complete solution because now I can't print if I pull the plug on my laptop and go wireless.  Apparently there is something in the printer setup routine that recognizes the type of connection the computer has to the router.  And subsequently limits printing to that configuration.  Doesn't make sense and doesn't satisfy since I use my laptop wired and wireless.  Still looking for a full solution.

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