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bujaman's avatar
bujaman
Follower
May 13, 2021

Old HP Printer connected to ethernet port on Nighthawk AX4300

I have an old HP 5550 Laserjet with a lot of life left in it that I am trying to connect to my network. I just upgraded my router to a Nighthawk AX4300 from Costco. On my previous router I just plugged the printer into one of the ethernet ports on the router and it worked fine, but I can't get it to work on the Nighthawk. Any idea on how to get an ethernet printer to connect through the Nighthawk? 

2 Replies

  • antinode's avatar
    antinode
    Guru
    May 13, 2021

    > [...] Nighthawk AX4300 [...]

     

       "AX4300" is a speed, not a model number.  Look for "Model" on the
    product label.  "RAX45", perhaps?

     

    > [...] I can't get it to work on the Nighthawk. [...]

     

       "can't" is not a useful problem description.  It does not say what
    you did.  It does not say what happened when you did it.  As usual,
    showing actual actions (commands) with their actual results (error
    messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague
    descriptions or interpretations.

     

       I assume that there are some (invisible but) relevant LED indicators
    on the router and the printer.

     

       Does the printer get an IP address from the router using DHCP, or was
    it configured with some static IP parameters which worked with your
    (unspecified) "my previous router" but are unsuitable with the new one?


       Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your (actual) model number,
    and look for Documentation.  Get the User Manual (at least).  Read.
    Look for "Address Reservation".


       Which kind of "not work" is this?  If your (unspecified) computer is
    expecting to find this printer at some particular IP address, and you
    didn't reserve that address for it on the new router, then your
    (unspecified) computer might have trouble communicating with it at its
    new/different address.  As usual, many things are possible.

     

       When all else fails, there's always the old reliable:

     

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM

     

       Visit hp.com, put in your model number, get some documentation, and
    read and follow the printer set-up instructions.

  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru - Experienced User
    May 14, 2021
    bujaman wrote:

    Any idea on how to get an ethernet printer to connect through the Nighthawk? 

    An Ethernet printer shouldn't need fancy footwork.

     

    The usual way to fix wifi printers is to find the printer maker's utility, the software that runs on your operating system. Then use that to connect the printer to the wifi.

     

    The router just broadcasts wifi. It is then down to the printer to play ball. There isn't much that you can do on a router, beyond fixing it to a particular IP address, that affects what the printer gets up to.

     

    Maybe you need to take a similar tack with the Ethernet printer. I would certainly start with HP.

     

    HP Color LaserJet 5550 Printer series | HP® Customer Support

     

    The router just delivers Ethernet. It is down to the printer to do its thing.