Pls recommend multi-wireless network print server?

[BobMCT]

A while ago I asked about accomplishing this with a series of Brother HL2270DW printers. This/these printers are carried around from location to location each with a different wireless network. We need the printers to automatically re-connect to what ever network they can "see" when powering up. Of course the very first time the printer is placed in a new network a normal, manual configuration will be necessary.

The result that is desired is that one or more persons bring their laptops and one print server and printer and when all is powered up the laptops will be able to connect to the printer and the print server will automatically re-connect to the host network.

FWIW: these are all Win7 networks on Infrastructure B/G/N wireless networks. And the persons with the laptops are NOT technicians.

Thanks for any recommendations/ideas anyone can provide.

 

[goombawaho]

Since nobody has responded, I have to say that I've never heard of such a capability. Print servers aren't quite like laptops that remember all the wireless networks with passwords so that they can reconnect when in the vicinity. Even wireless printers don't do that - it's one at a time, then a manual change to a new wi-fi connection.

Assuming these are not YOUR locations (under your control) or you would, of course, standardize wi-fi across them.

Dumb question: Why do you not connect the printer to a computer or laptop AT the location and print that way?
I'm trying to envision the environment in which this couldn't be done a simpler way, not knowing your environment.

 

[BobMCT]

Thanks goombawaho,

I know, in my 30+ years of being in this business this is the first time I've run across such a situation. FYI here's the typical scenario:
There are dozens of locations around the state that allows our group to visit and provide the computing services we do for their local membership. Of course, each location has their own Wifi but all have different SSID's and if/when WPA is enabled, a different passphrase. As you stated, with a laptop this is a non issue other than the first time that laptop encounters that location. Each time there after, if so configured, the laptop will reconnect automagically.

Now enter ONE wifi printer. This printer travels with the group from location to location. The reason we cannot connect it to a laptop and print through through that device via Windows sharing is that the policies of each location prohibit public sharing of printers (don't know why but we've got to live with it). Another contributing factor is that not always does the same group of volunteers visit each location. It could be one group at one site, a different group at the next, ad item. However, the person bringing the printer will always be one of the current group that is definitely going to the next site.

What I've been doing so far is bringing my USB cable to connect to the printer at each site and force the release of the current IP lease and force it to obtain another. Once that is done, the previously set up printer devices in each laptop must use the printer netbios name or mac address to locate it 'cause they "seem" find it ok once its reconfigured into the same network. I've also noticed that even though the printer is configured to use DHCP, a couple of times the configuration software must have set it as static because it would not obtain a new local IP. Go figure.

This process goes one virtually every week day for about three months each year. So if I have to teach each user how to reconfigure the printer if necessary, so be it. But boy it sure would be nice not to have to.

FYI - Originally I configured a spare Wifi router to create is own private WLAN in a class A space. I would plug the WAN port of that router into a live LAN jack at the location and as the printer was linked to that router, there was no issue at all. Of course, when we started visiting all these locations we found out that almost all of them have NO live network jacks. Only WLAN.

So there you have it. I hope I explained it enough detail to understand. I posted this topic in the hopes that someone might be aware of such a device.

Thanks for your help.

 

[strongm]

>prohibit public sharing of printers

So they have a policy that bans sharing via Windows, where at least you have the advantage of applying domain security, but are happy for printers to connect via wifi, thus being available to everyone on the that wifi?

 

[BobMCT]

That was my opinion exactly. But, we do not make the inconsistent rules.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I'd look at carrying the spare router, and plugging its uplink cable into a laptop that could connect to the internet via the customer's WLAN, or, better in some ways, via the cellphone network.

I used a pcmcia cellular data card for a couple of years, and found it could work anywhere I could get a cell signal, even in a moving vehicle. I loved it.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I hope you got your problem figured out.

Just in case, I had a couple more thoughts.

I have a Brother MFC-7840W and an HP C6380 that share the same bug: They will connect and get themselves an IP address via DHCP, but then, after a few hours, they change themselves to use a different IP address, +2 in the last octet, so DNS can't find them anymore. Must be a shared library in their firmware. Both require fixed IP addresses to work properly.

I bought a little box from walmart.com that connects to a printer via a Centronics connector or a USB cable, and accepts data from computers via Bluetooth. If your transient group doesn't wander far from their printer, that could work for you.

 

[BobMCT]

Thanks for the additional thought, Mike.
Here's what happened today as a matter of fact:

The other day I used a small wireless router and configured it so the WAN connected to the host's own wireless network and obtained its WAN IP via the site's DHPC. Then I had the same router provide its own wireless network in an obscure class C subnet. The printer was configured with a static IP and connected via CAT5 cable to a LAN port on the router. The laptops then connected to the private network and voila. Worked like a charm.
Then came this morning. I could NOT get that router to connect to the site's network no matter what I tried. The only difference was that the site was NOT broadcasting their SSID. Shouldn't matter 'cause I had already tested that on another non-broadcast wlan and it worked fine.

So I had to reconfigure the printer with a static IP within the range of the site's network and modify the port setting for each laptop's printer settings. Finally got everyone working... but what a PITA.

I think I've learned that the only consistent thing is that each site's WLAN is configured with the same standard, but ITS NOT!!

Bob

 

[MikeHalloran]

This is making my head hurt. ... and it's not even my problem....