NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Nighthawk X6 : cannot connect to 2.4G printer when laptop on 5G
I just got a Nighthawk X6. It's got great coverage, but when my laptops are connected via 5G then I cannot print anything. My printer (like all others it seems) can only connect via 2.4g. Wired to ro...
The wireless clients behind the RT-56U cannot see the wireless clients behind the X6 and vice versa. Moreover, the Wired PCs cannot see any wireless clients. Even with wireless disabled, the cable modem is still operating as a router.
My recommendation still stands: convert the X6 and RT-56U to APs. BTW, you could have used cheaper range extenders as APs.
The 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and wired networks should generally be reachable to each other but there are a few caveats.
Make sure that your printer is not connected to the guest network. For that matter, make sure your computers are not connected to the guest network, too.
If you set up the X6 to use VLANs, then it's possible that you have segregated one or more of the networks (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, wired) from each other. Unless you have a specific reason to do this, I would remove the VLANs.
If neither of these are the case, then make sure that all of the devices are on the same subnet. You didn't mention if your ISP box has a built-in router. If it does, then it's possible that you have segregated your devices by placing the X6 in between the printer and computers. You could fix this by putting the X6 into AP Mode. This will disable the router/firewall/NAT/DHCP functions on the X6 and let your ISP router handle all these functions. OTOH, if your ISP box is a basic modem, then something else is going on. It might help for you to provide an illustration of your network.
Not sure what was wrong, but now I can see the printer and print from both laptops as long as they connect to that router and not my upstairs router. Eventually I plan to move my Nighthawk X6 to a more central location and I hope it will provide better coverage upstairs. But I need to wun a Cat5 cable to the location above the staierwll I plan to locate it. Surprisingly though, I can only see mt WD MyCloud when connected by ethernet cable.When I connect it to X6 via USB it doesn't see it. I will have to look at that later.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Ahh, so you have two routers. You should understand that devices on the WAN side of the router cannot see devices on the LAN side of that same router because of the firewall. This can be addressed by reconfiguring the router to run as an Access Point (AP), so long as it's connected to the main router via Ethernet.
The second router (Asus RT-56U) is not connected to the first. i connects via a Powerline Adapter to a different port on the cable modem. I use it to provide better coverage upstairs. The current location downstairs in a far corner does not adequately provide coverage to my bedroom in the upstairs opposite corner. My wife sometimes works there and the connection often drops. I hope to have a wired connection added in a central location soon so I cane use just the X6. I have the wall ports and cable, just need to have it installed.
Now, it sounds like you have 3 routers. Let me see if I got this right:
Cable modem/router-----Ethernet-----X6-----Wired PCs
| |
| |
Powerline Wireless clients
|
|
RT-56U-----Wired PCs
|
|
Wireless clients
With this setup the clients behind the X6 can't see the clients behind the RT-56U and vice versa. You should configure both the RT-56U and the X6 as Access Points. Your cable modem will function as the main router.
An alternative setup is to put the cable modem into bridge mode. This will disable its router function. Then use either the X6 or the RT-56U as your "main" router. I find this to be safer because this place all your devices behind your own router and out of the hands of your ISP. The following example shows the X6 as the main router:
Wired PCs Wired PCs
| |
| |
Cable modem-----X6-----Ethernet or Powerline-----RT-56U as AP
| |
| |
Wireless clients Wireless Clients