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Forum Discussion
Why the hell is connecting a printer to an Orbi such a frustrating ordeal?
I've got an RBR 50 with one satellite. The router is connected to my Comcast modem. I recently bought an Epson ET-3750 printer/scanner/copier. I was initially able to get it set up and it worked great for a few weeks. Last week I had to turn off the modem/router and when I turned it back on the internet worked just fine. But since then the printer simply won't connect. I can see at least 2 networks with identical SSIDs but the printer won't connect to either of them.
I've done enough research to know that the printer needs to be on a 2.4GHz network and that the stupid Orbi doesn't differentiate between them and does not allow you to differentially control either of them. For something that is pitched as an easy-to-use, easy to set up solution for wireless coverage in a home, this seems like a pretty huge blind spot that Netgear is apparently not interested in addressing or providing a solution for. I'm so frustrated that I'm on the verge of throwing the whole stupid system in the garbage. Is there a solution that doesn't involve command line firmware editing?
9 Replies
THis doesn't involve any FW editing as you cant do this anyways. More like what is the Mfr and model # of the ISP modem? Seems to be a built in router here maybe?
Which router did you have the printer set up too? The Modem or the Orbi router?
Wired or wireless connection with the printer?
Try resetting the printer and setting it up from scratch? Make sure your connecting it to the Orbi system and not the ISP Modem.
The ISP modem does have a built in router but I've disabled the wireless broadcast. I ended up starting from scratch and reinstalling the printer. It's a wireless printer. It just took way longer than it should because it randomly wouldn't recognize the correct network and then suddenly it would. And now if the power ever blinks off I'll be in the same boat again because it won't reconnect on its own.
Maybe "editing firmware" isn't the correct terminology, but this is what I was referring to: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Epson-ET-3600-printer-has-issue-with-Orbi-RBK50-single-SSID/td-p/1321524
My point remains, though, that it's ridiculous that Netgear doesn't acknowledge this issue and has done nothing to address it.
When I switched to the Orbi I used the same SSID and password as my old router. Everything switched over to the Orbi no problem, except the printer. My doorbell, Roomba and stereo receiver are all 2.4 ghz only and they picked right up on the Orbi. My HP printer would not. I had to do a new setup using a USB cable connected to my PC.
