Plusnet Router does not support a wireless printer

[#1]

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@POMPEYFAN wrote:

The Printer will not connect to the Plusnet router. The printer is just a wireless device, just like the telly, so why does it not connect?

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A few years ago printer manufacturers realised that some people do all their internet access on a mobile phone and don't have a router at home.  So they gave printers the capability of making a direct WiFi connection to a mobile device using an internal SSID.  Now printers connecting to routers sometimes get "confused" about whether to connect using the routers WiFi network or their own internal WiFi SSID.  Perhaps the degree of confusion depends on the router.  And your television does not have this problem

Earlier this year I saw a printer that would not connect to WiFi whilst the router was sitting on top of it.  Perhaps the wireless signal was blocked going down but moving the router to be next to the printer rather than on top of it fixed the problem.  Again that may well have been an issue with that particular router model.

Alternatively, if WPS fails it is often because the router and the printer are too far apart.  Some printer models don't seem to have a very powerful transceiver and don't work at a distance where other devices will still connect.  

[#2]

Do these printers for mobile phone act as access points?

If so, its not surprising that a thing like WPS (wireless for dummies) doesn't know whether to connect with a router or with itself.

Surprised that disabling wifi totally and using USB/ethernet doesn't work though.

Have you tried using the expensive router as a bridge, so that you can still use the Plusnet thing for other devices - if that gives you substantially better speeds?

[#3]

Hi Reedrichards,

Interesting point that. The Printer may well be confused with the Plusnet router, but not the TP Link router.

Be nice to know what the differences are - either hardware, software or firmware.

I did wonder about signal strength with the Plusnet router and put the printer right next to it. Also I was fed up with running between rooms pressing buttons on both devices. It did not make any diffeence with it six inches away, it still didn't connect.

[#4]

I noticed in your attached photo that there were no signal strength bars showing on the printer display. When you tried connecting with the printer next to the router, did you get all bars showing on the signal strength meter then?

Did you try the suggestion by ejs in post 31 of setting up a temporary USB connection between the printer & laptop/pc & setting up the wireless connection that way? After all it does say on that page:-

"If the printer fails to connect to your wireless network [using WPS], continue to the next step.", which suggests that WPS may not always work in all situations.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-deskjet-3630-all-in-one-printer-series/7172306/document/c059...

[#5]

Hi Radio Fox,

Thanks for your reply to tghis thread. I can confirm that the signal strength bars were at full strength, it just so happens that when IO captured the photo, they were low. Basically as the printer transmits the bars pulse from a low strength to high strength until it connects to the router. In the Plusnetcase it never does, in the TP Link router it connects and the strength bars are showing full strength.

Asto the other suggestion, yes I did try connecting my laptop to the printer using a USB cable. This makes no difference as the printer still needs to connect to the router. I also tried one of the other suggestions of connecting the usb cable fronm the printer directly to the router. Still does not work.

Really, I have tried everything, including downloading (again) the latest software from HP, deleting any hp software on my Laptop and re-instralling. I have also reset the Printer back to factory settings. It does not work wioth the Plusnet router.

Using the TP Link router I had it working within ten minutes, no problem.

If the TP Link router works, then why not the Plus net one?

[#6]

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@POMPEYFAN wrote:
...Asto the other suggestion, yes I did try connecting my laptop to the printer using a USB cable. This makes no difference as the printer still needs to connect to the router...

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I realise that you need to connect the printer to the internet for the "Instant Ink" facility (and to allow other wifi enabled devices to use it), but the USB connection is only temporary. It's another way to connect the printer to the router wirelessly using the laptop to set it up if the WPS method doesn't work.

I've had to set up printers like this in the past when my previous routers didn't have a WPS button. WPS doesn't always work (for some reason or other), so setting it up manually may be the answer. It should be pretty straightforward.

Also, do you have "HP Support Assistant" installed for your printer? I'm not sure if it's available for all printer models (mine is an HP Photosmart 5524). It lets you diagnose problems, including troubleshooting printer wireless connections.

[#7]

Hi Radio Fox,

You said " It should be pretty straightforward"

I agree, it should. I have tried all methods of connecting, using the USB cable temporarily as shown in the HP software.

It really, really does not work. So, my TV  connects to the Plusnet router using WPS. The Printer does not.

Again, I have given up on the Plus net router and bought a TP Link Router, the TV and Printer connected to it in a matter of minutes, both using the WPS button.

So I don't get where you stae that sometimes the WPS method does not work, it worked for the TV, so why not the printer?

[#8]

If you have a quick read of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Setup and you follow it, you will see that WPS is pretty poor and you are lucky if it ever works.

Where does this printer get its drivers from, anyway?

[#9]

Sorry, not very helpful.

Yet the TP Link router works just great with its WPS, so I would argue that the WPS works. (Well it does work, because I set the TP Link router up with it, no problem.)

[#10]

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@POMPEYFAN wrote:

Hi Radio Fox,

You said " It should be pretty straightforward"

I agree, it should. I have tried all methods of connecting, using the USB cable temporarily as shown in the HP software.

It really, really does not work. So, my TV  connects to the Plusnet router using WPS. The Printer does not.

Again, I have given up on the Plus net router and bought a TP Link Router, the TV and Printer connected to it in a matter of minutes, both using the WPS button.

So I don't get where you stae that sometimes the WPS method does not work, it worked for the TV, so why not the printer?

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I wasn't sure when reading your previous replies whether you had actually tried the USB method of connecting by wifi. I have done it that way myself in the past with a router that had no WPS button. From what I can remember it was all quite easy to follow. Obviously in your case it still hasn't worked.

After you entered the WPA password key for the router in the pc software do you get any error messages? Are you sure you're selecting the right SSID for your router?

As ReedRichards stated in post #41, WPS doesn't always work. He estimates it fails for around 25% of connections. That's why I stated it doesn't always work. I know that it works for the TV & I know that the printer works with the other router, but it takes 2 to tango. Sometimes 2 devices just refuse to connect using WPS.

As I said earlier if WPS was 100% reliable, then HP wouldn't need to provide 2 alternative methods of connection for when WPS didn't work.

[#11]

Pompeyfan, I have had EXACTLY the same problem and unlike some of the previous commentators I have had many years experience with networks and routers. I tried every possible solution and only when I reverted from my Hub 1 to my 2704N which PN have now decided to call Hub 0, was I able to use my HP printer (a wireless pro 6790). I ams still running on this piece of old technology but at least I can print.

About three years ago when I upgraded to fiber my router was replaced with a 2704N (all these routers are Sagecom products). The router we had previously worked perfectly for three years with the 'Catchup' feature but would not work with the 2704N. As we were stuck with the 'fiber router' I had to run an ENet cable up the outside of the house and through the loft to the Skybox. PN had no idea why, but I found was not the only one with this issue when I googled it.

Incidentally, I have three laptops and all three had the same issue with the hub 1 but worked perfectly with the 2704N. The printer was connected to the hub 1 so was on the network and the laptops could also see the hub1 but not the HP printer.

This is a bizarre combination of circumstances, but the fact is having reverted to the 2704N it was back to business as usual. I have reported this to PN Tech Support.

[#12]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the update.

Good luck with PN support. I know they can't fix this and if you do phone them, or email them they will go through the stock responses, that I and probably you have already tried hence the support call.

As I stated before, the PN router does not work, but I am happy with my TP-Link one, because it DOES WORK!

Regards

Pompeyfan

[#13]

Ideally, get a printer that can operate off a wired connection - either Ethernet or USB.

Wifi is a pain - it sometimes works and sometimes not.

[#14]

WHY?

I already had a perfectly working printer in my house that all of us in the house can access. That's before I went to the useless Plus Net ISP. (Can't wait to get out of the contract BTW).

That's five of us in the house.

So how do you propose I do that with a wired connection?

I re-iterate!!!!

The PN does not work! My TP Link does, wired for us all to use!!

Please re-read all the previous threads on this.

[#15]

Why not use the good router, then?