Why would laptop & printer connected to wireless router not print?

[nelsonm]

I have a customer with a laptop wirelessly connected to a home router. The printer, although wireless, has a ethernet port and is connected to the router via ethernet cable.

The printer and laptop are getting their ip addresses vis DHCP from the router.

Sometimes the laptop can not print saying it's disconnected from the printer.

thanks.

 

[altrenda]

How about a few hints?
Laptop brand and OS.
Printer model
Router model.

Have you tried anything at all?

 

[nelsonm]

yea, sorry...

1 netgear wireless router
1 dell desktop - Vista
1 dell laptop - W7
1 cannon mx880 all-in-one printer

The customer originally called me because the laptop was not connecting to the printer. At the time the printer was connected directly to the desktop via USB and shared. The desktop was connected to the router via ethernet cable.

The desktop is still connected to the router via ethernet cable. I then connected the printer via ethernet cable to the router. I removed the printers definitions from each computer. I then downloaded the driver install app from cannon and ran it on both the desktop and laptop. Both computers connected to the printer and printed, i got paid and left.

A few days later i get a call from the customer saying the laptop will not longer connect to the printer.

I searched for the printer under "add a printer" and reinstalled the driver but it still did not work under the old printer definition. I could not even get the printer to work via a direct tcp/ip port setup which is strange since tcp/ip setup has always worked in the past.

I rebooted the system and then no printer appeared in the search list. The next thing i see is that a new printer definition appears under devices and printers for the printer on a "WSD port" which i have never seen before. Some how, printing got restored under this WSD Port.

Appearently, The WSD Port Monitor is a new printer port monitor. This is the first time i have seen a printer automatically configured to use this port.

 

[johnrobert]

All wireless printers I have come across you can either print wirelessly
Or thru Ethernet but not both
ie when its configured for one the other does not work
I would unplug Ethernet and set it up wirelessly direct to printer

 

[nelsonm]

i can't use the printers wireless capability because the desktop does not have a wireless adapter. So it has to be connected to the router to accommodate both wired and wireless computers.

 

[RedFoxComp]

i can't use the printers wireless capability because the desktop does not have a wireless adapter. So it has to be connected to the router to accommodate both wired and wireless computers.

*reclines computer chair, grabs popcorn*

 

[glricht]

i can't use the printers wireless capability because the desktop does not have a wireless adapter ...

You need to update your networking knowledge.

If a printer is network-connected (wifi or cat5), then how a PC itself connects to the router (wifi or cat5) and then to the printer is irrelevant. Just install the printer appropriately for the environment.

 

['putertutor]

i can't use the printers wireless capability because the desktop does not have a wireless adapter. So it has to be connected to the router to accommodate both wired and wireless computers.

Ummm. No. That's not right. That isn't even wrong.

I've not seen the printer yet that will print both wirelessly and through ethernet, simultaneously. Generally as soon as you print one way, the printer disables the other. Basically, the printer defaults to a single path (wired or wireless). Changing this may be simple (unplugging the cable for wireless printing, plugging it back in for wired), But it is never ideal.

Don't know about that specific printer, but all the wireless printers I have worked with will work in this situation. Delete the printer and all its software from both machines. Reconnect the printer to the router WIRELESSLY (there is often a wizard for this). Run the setup from the laptop. Make sure that prints ok. Then do the same for the desktop. They will both talk to the printer through the router.

 

[codegreen]

i can't use the printers wireless capability because the desktop does not have a wireless adapter. So it has to be connected to the router to accommodate both wired and wireless computers.

Just to clarify what others are saying: the computer does not connect directly to the printer. It will send its print request to the router, which will send it to the printer. The router doesn't care what's connected by ethernet and what's connected wirelessly.

In short, a wired computer can print to a wireless printer, just like a wireless laptop can share files with a wired desktop. That's what routers are for.

 

[nelsonm]

Hum, I thought i made that clear but I'll state it again.

The wifi printer is connected directly to wifi router via ethernet cable in order to support a desktop without wifi and a laptop with wifi. The printer's wifi is not being used.

All print requests (wired or wireless) are sent through the wifi router to the printer via ethernet cable.

The main question was whether this new WSD port was causing the random printer disconnect on the laptop?

 

[codegreen]

The wifi printer is connected directly to wifi router via ethernet cable in order to support a desktop without wifi and a laptop with wifi. The printer's wifi is not being used.

We're trying to point out that you don't need to do that. A wired desktop computer can print to a wifi printer just fine. You don't have to wire the printer to support wired computers. That's not how networks work.

Try disconnecting the ethernet cable to the printer, setting it up on wifi, and see if that resolves your problem.