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Improving my home network

Submitted by doug-doug the mighty on April 9, 2007 - 12:24am. Other Technology

At the risk of tempting fate and throwing my currently-functioning network into chaos, I was wanting to improve the way it works by addressing an inconvenience with respect to printing.

Right now, I have an Epson 850 connected to my router, anything connected directly to the router can print. Anything connected via the AirPort cannot. As my main web machine is my laptop, this irritates me sometimes.

Here is a graphic of the connection scheme for those not familiar with the architecture:

All wireless devices
. . . . . | . . . . .
. . . . . V . . . . .
AirPort Extreme (acts as DHCP server for entire network)
. . . . . | . . . . .
. . . . . V . . . . .
router (upstream port is hard-wired to AirPort)
. . . . . | . . . . .
. . . . . V . . . . .
All other Macs plus the Epson printer via Ethernet

One wireless device is an OS 9 device, the other is running X.4. All wired Macs are running some variant of Classic. All available drivers are installed on all printing Macs and all can print when at the router level. I use the 850(AT) option in Chooser when doing so. When I am wireless (on Classic), I cannot see the printer under any 850 option available in Chooser.

I do not understand networks enough to get why the printer cannot be seen above the rouer level. What can I do?

TIA
--DDTM

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iamdigitalman's picture

Does the printer have a USB p

Submitted by iamdigitalman on April 9, 2007 - 2:22am.

Does the printer have a USB port on the back? if so, you can hook it directly into the airport extreme base, as it has a USB port for just such a thing. it automatically handles the print server duties too. If the printer does not have USB, I know there is a cable you can buy to hook to the centronics connector, that converts it to USB. How exactly is the printer hooked over ethernet?

another thought, is if you have a mac running OS 9 that is hooked into the printer currently, you can hook it over USB, and use the USB printer sharing feature. I am not sure if this can share over ethernet or not, because if it does, it should make it to the airport network.

hope that helps.

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Dr. Webster's picture

Is the "router" you have conn

Submitted by Dr. Webster on April 9, 2007 - 2:51am.

Is the "router" you have connected downstream from the AirPort Extreme also serving DHCP? Since you have your AirPort acting as a router, there's no need for another one. I would either connect a simple switch to the downstream port on the AirPort, or disable DHCP serving on the AirPort and connect it downstream from the router. Doing either of these will allow computers connected wirelessly to access anything connected through Ethernet (including printers).

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doug-doug the mighty's picture

No USB options

Submitted by doug-doug the mighty on April 9, 2007 - 3:14am.

The printer is an old school Epson with a Mac serial and a PC serial. The only upgradeable option the printer had was the ability to install an Epson network card, thus allowing an RJ45 network cable to b eplugged into the back of it. This is how the printer is connected to the hub directly.

I did have a different printer hooked to the AirPort by USB, but it died unexpectedly.

» --DDTM ('Fritter Critter' since Apr 26 2004 - 18:16)

'If it ain't broke, take it apart anyways. If you can't take it apart, break it so that you can fix it.'

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doug-doug the mighty's picture

hub not router

Submitted by doug-doug the mighty on April 9, 2007 - 3:18am.

sorry to confuse with my confusion, I said it was a router, it is not. It is just a dumb hub.

The configuration between the AirPort and hub must be as it is as the DSL is connected to the AirPort and the DSL does not like sharing the internet connection. To get around this, I set it in bridge mode and use the AirPort to do the DHCP and the hub to allow the extra clients.

...don't know why I said router...

» --DDTM ('Fritter Critter' since Apr 26 2004 - 18:16)

'If it ain't broke, take it apart anyways. If you can't take it apart, break it so that you can fix it.'

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makillik's picture

Interesting

Submitted by makillik on April 9, 2007 - 3:47am.

So the Epson is connected to the network via Ethernet

Can you ping the Epson from your wireless device?
And does your wireless device able talk to other wired devices?

Other than that i can not thing of any reason this would not work.
Perhaps you could try to set a static IP for the printer and try to set up the printer in OS X again.

Good Luck DDTM Smiling

mak

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iamdigitalman's picture

ok, then I would say to just

Submitted by iamdigitalman on April 9, 2007 - 4:34am.

ok, then I would say to just get a centronics to USB cable, and plug it into the airport extreme. that should make it work, and you can still keep it plugged in over RJ45 simotaniously, so it has one connection for the wired macs, and one connection for the wireless. it should be able to handle the load just fine. I have an old deskjet 812c hooked to one computer over DB25, and to another one over USB. if I send a job from one computer, and then another, it can handle both just fine.

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