Printer needs restart to print with WiFi

Question

Level 3

530 points

Printer needs restart to print with WiFi

I moved my older G4, with OS 10.4.xx to our kitchen for my wife to use. I installed an Airport card in the computer as I have no hardwire connection in my kitchen. The G4 work fine with the internet, but it will not print to my network printer whenever I take the G4 out of sleep. If I restart the printer, printing works fine, but once the G4 goes to sleep and then awakes, it cannot find the printer on the network. The printer is a Dell Color laser 3110cn. This same compuet worked fine printing when it was hardwired to the network, no WiFi.

Any ideas?

Mac Pro 2.66 GHz, MacBook Pro 2.1 GHz, eMac G4, PowerMac G4, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on May 25, 2008 3:23 PM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 25, 2008 3:50 PM in response to Bobbbo

Try waiting longer, my hp takes up to a half hour to announce itself after anything happens.

Find the IP of the Printer & use that... hopefully a Static IP, to set it up.

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Answer 2

Bobbbo Author

Level 3

530 points

May 26, 2008 7:03 AM in response to BDAqua

Thanks for the help. I have the printer setup as an IP Printer with the IP address of the printer loaded. Waiting does not work either.

Any other ideas?

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Answer 3

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 26, 2008 7:25 AM in response to Bobbbo

This isn't a solution but a possible way around it. Does the HP have an energy saving option to turn itself automatically on an off? I have a Canon hooked up to an AEBS which is set to turn itself on and off automatically. If I send one job to the printer and there's a pause before I send the next one but the pause is less than 5 minutes (so the Canon stays on), it doesn't work until I turn the printer off. If the printer has switched itself off, though, it automatically wakes up just fine. I have absolutely no idea why it works this way and, as I say, it isn't really a solution but I thought it might potentially help.

- cfr

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 26, 2008 10:57 AM in response to Bobbbo

Is your Router set to demand IP renewal every so often?

Open Network Utility and see if you can Ping the Printer when it's not showing.

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Answer 5

Bobbbo Author

Level 3

530 points

May 26, 2008 11:40 AM in response to BDAqua

I do not know how to set my router to demand IP renewal with WiFi. But I did do the ping test this morning and was able to ping the printer. In fact, the printer also prints fine now, with no apparent changes to anything. When I was having issues with the printing, I was not able to ping the printer nor could I log into the printer using a browser with the URL of the IP address.

I will have to monitor what is going on for a few days to confirm the network, self healed itself.

Keep you posted.

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Answer 6

Bobbbo Author

Level 3

530 points

May 27, 2008 7:36 AM in response to BDAqua

Well my problem is back. I cannot print nor ping the printer. How do you set the router to demand an IP renewal?

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Answer 7

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 27, 2008 11:56 AM in response to Bobbbo

I'm thinking we wouldn't want that set, or even maybe use Static IPs for every thing.

Generally your Router will have a setup page with many options, and you reach it by typing in it's URL into a Browser's URL bar, genererally something like...

192.168.0.1

But you can find it in the Network Pref Pane>TCP/IP Tab>Router.

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Answer 8

Bobbbo Author

Level 3

530 points

May 27, 2008 12:45 PM in response to BDAqua

I found a new clue. I have a portable MacBook Pro and it also has the same printing problem when I connect it to my network wirelessly. I cannot ping the printer either, but my commuters that are hardwired to the printer, but through the same router have no issue with ping or printing. My network is all static IP addresses. I use 10.0.0.xx for all the addresses.

A little more about my network my help figure the problem out:

I have 4 macs 2 hardwired 2 WiFi

The printer is connected to one of the ports on the my D-Link DI-625 WiFi router.

Port1 : Another Router wired
Port2 : Dell Printer
Port3 : VoIP Telephone
Port4 : Spare for MacBook Pro direct connect.

WAN Port : DSL Router

Second Router

Port1 : Connection to WiFi Router above (Port 1)
Port2 : eMac G4
Port3 : MacPro

I did have the printer connected to the Second Router, but moved it to the first to see if it fixed the WiFi printing problem, but it did not.

Hope this additional information helps.

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Answer 9

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 27, 2008 12:58 PM in response to Bobbbo

Just askin'... the Printer is 10.0.0.x also?

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Answer 10

Bobbbo Author

Level 3

530 points

May 27, 2008 1:07 PM in response to BDAqua

Yes it is 10.0.0.9

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Answer 11

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 27, 2008 1:22 PM in response to Bobbbo

Is AppleTalk ON or OFF for the Airport connections?

Couple of things to try when it loses it again...

In Terminal paste this, hit enter & give your Admin PW...

sudo ifconfig en1 down;sudo ifconfig en1 up

Try Logging out & back in.

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Answer 12

Bobbbo Author

Level 3

530 points

May 27, 2008 1:49 PM in response to BDAqua

AppleTalk was ON on the G4 problem computer. Turned it off and no change. I entered your sudo stuff as told. Logged out and back in again. No Change.

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