Connect an Airport Extreme to an existing WiFi network and use it to share a printer.

Question

Connect an Airport Extreme to an existing WiFi network and use it to share a printer.

Hello,

I need to connect my Airport Extreme to an existing network (Google WiFi) so I can connect a non-WiFi printer to it and use it as a wireless printer. I have searched for tutorials on this but haven't found anything helpful. I have been able to setup the Airport Extreme to create a new wireless network and assigned it the same name and same password as the existing network but it doesn't appear to have worked. Whether this is a coincidence or not I am able to find and install the printer on two computers that are connected to my network with ethernet cables (wired) but two of my notebooks connecting to the network via WiFi (wireless) can't find or display the printer.

Is there a clear tutorial or instructions on how to accomplish this task? Can anyone offer some help?

Thank you in advance.

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on Aug 6, 2020 1:42 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Bob Timmons

Community+ 2024

Level 10

167,984 points

Aug 6, 2020 4:49 PM in response to apple_customer

The Google router......like the AirPort Extreme.....must be set up in Bridge Mode. Otherwise, devices on the Google network are on a different network than the Netgear and AirPort Extreme.........even though.....you can get Internet access on the Google network.

Everything......Netgear, AirPort Extreme and Google must be on the same network.

Connect a Mac laptop to the Google WiFi and make sure that you can "see" the AirPort Extreme using AirPort Utility. If you can't, then you won't be able to print to the AirPort Extreme location until you can.

IPv6 is used for some local communications over the network. The setting that you need to use with the AirPort Extreme is Link Local Only.

Open AirPort Utility

Click on the AirPort Extreme

Click Edit in the smaller window that appears

Click the Internet tab at the top of the next window

Click the Internet Options button at the bottom of the window

Make sure that the setting for Configure IPv6 is set to Link Local Only

Click Save, then click Update

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Answer 2

Tesserax

Level 10

151,893 points

Aug 6, 2020 2:24 PM in response to apple_customer

In order to use the Extreme for this purpose, it would need to be connected to one of the Google Wi-Fi nodes by Ethernet. Is it, as I didn't get that from your post? Only the AirPort Express would be able to join the Google Wi-Fi via a wireless connection to share the printer.

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Answer 3

Aug 6, 2020 3:02 PM in response to Tesserax

Hello Tesserax,

The Airport Extreme is connected to a Netgear wired router/firewall and so is the Google WiFi, both of them connected via Ethernet cables. The printer is connected to the Airport Extreme with a USB cable.

Thank you for your help.

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Answer 4

Tesserax

Level 10

151,893 points

Aug 6, 2020 3:19 PM in response to apple_customer

If you haven't already, I suggest that assign a static local iP address to the Extreme. This would make it easier for either wired or wireless network clients to "find' the printer. Also, be sure to enable, as a minimum, IPv6 Link-local only setting on both the Extreme and network clients.

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Answer 5

Aug 6, 2020 3:39 PM in response to apple_customer

The Airport Extreme is connected to a Netgear wired router/firewall and so is the Google WiFi, both of them connected via Ethernet cables. The printer is connected to the Airport Extreme with a USB cable.

Got that

I am able to find and install the printer on two computers that are connected to my network with ethernet cables (wired)

What device are the two computers connected to? Is this the Netgear router? Is it the AirPort Extreme?

Is the AirPort Extreme configured in Bridge Mode?

If yes, then it looks like Netgear supports Apple's bonjour discovery protocol, but the question would remain about whether Google's WiFi supports the bonjour discovery protocol used by Apple.

Here, I am assuming.......a foolish thing to do.......that clients that are connecting to the Google WiFi are receiving IP addresses in the same range as the AirPort Extreme and Netgear router. If they aren't, then any clients on the Google WiFi network won't be able to access anything on the AirPort Extreme, although they would be able to access the Internet.

Can you clarify on that please?

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Answer 6

Aug 6, 2020 4:01 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Hello Bob,

Yes, the two computers (a Mac Pro and a Mac Mini are connected via ethernet cables directly to the Netgear Router/Firewall. Just to be more specific - in case this makes any difference - the router is the Netgear ProSAFE FVS 318G.

I looked at the Airport utility to confirm the answer to your question and as I checked under the Network tab I see that the 'Router Mode' option is set to 'Off (Bridge Mode)'.

I believe you are right. The Netgear router is assigning IP addresses to all devices in the Network. Let me add that I have a few Netgear switches further down the line from the router, which is directly connected to the modem that provides me Internet service. Both wired computers are not connected directly to the router as I previously mentioned but to Netgear switches that are in turn connected to the Netgear Router/Firewall.

I need the switches above because the number of devices connected to my Network (TV, Apple TVs, Blu-Ray Player, several computers, video game, Mac computers, etc.). The number of ports on the Router is not sufficient to accommodate all devices.

Thank you for your help.

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Answer 7

Aug 6, 2020 4:27 PM in response to apple_customer

Thanks, but I'm still not clear on whether the Google WiFi router is also in Bridge Mode. If it's not, then it is acting as a separate router on the network, and devices on the Google network will not be able to "see" the AirPort Extreme at all, so a device trying to print from the Google WiFi network won't be able to reach the printer at the AirPort Extreme.

If the Google router is in Bridge Modem then devices on the Google network will be receiving IP addresses in the same range as the Netgear network. Is that the case?

If yes, and you still cannot reach the AirPort Extreme from the Google WiFi network, my guess is that Google does not support, or does not fully support Apple's bonjour discovery protocol. IPv6 as Tesserax has mentioned may be a factor here as well. Make sure that the AirPort Extreme is set up for Link Local Only for IPv6.

If you have a Mac laptop, connect it to the Google WiFi network and then check to make sure that the Mac can "see" the AirPort Extreme using AirPort Utility. Can it?

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Answer 8

Aug 6, 2020 4:28 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Hello Bob,

I checked the Google configuration app and there are two options: NAT (standard) mode and Bridge mode. My Google router is presently set to NAT (standard) mode. Should I have it changed to Bridge mode?

In regards to your recommendation to set up for Link Local Only what exactly does it do and how do I set this up?

Thank you very much for your help.

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Answer 9

Aug 6, 2020 5:39 PM in response to apple_customer

I need to connect my Airport Extreme to an existing network (Google WiFi) so I can connect a non-WiFi printer to it and use it as a wireless printer.

I am going back to the start a bit here..

Sorry if I missed some of the detail.. it happens as you get older.

Are you trying to use the printer with iOS devices?

That is unlikely to work. No USB printer I know of support AirPrint.

Nor does the Airport Extreme provide AirPrint functionality to iOS clients.

You would need standard printer drivers.. available for Mac OS but not iOS generally.

If that is the case there are work arounds by using AirPrint apps on the Mac in the network. It becomes the AirPrint server and will send the job to the printer. Since this is the case you would do better plugging the printer directly into the Mac if that suits.

Mac AirPrint apps.

https://thesweetsetup.com/apps/our-favorite-airprint-enabler/

Printopia is the most famous.. and is listed there.

If you are trying to print wirelessly over google wifi it does not handle bonjour well. Did you do firmware upgrade to the google wifi?? That could be well worth the effort.

It also might be possible to do this in other ways but some more specific info on what clients are having issues would clarify what you are having troubles doing.

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Answer 10

Aug 6, 2020 8:14 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Hello Bob,

I did as you suggested (Google WiFi in Bridge mode and set Airport Extreme to Link Local Only) and everything is working as it should. I can now find the printer and install it on all computers that are part of my Network. Perfect!

Thank you very much for your help.

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Answer 11

Aug 6, 2020 8:19 PM in response to LaPastenague

Hello LaPastenague,

I understand my original post wasn't very clear and I apologize for not providing more detail. I was attempting to connect a regular USB printer (actually a FAX machine that can double as a printer with a USB port but no Wireless capabilities) to my network and wanted to use an existing Airport Extreme to avoid the purchase of yet another peripheral.

After Bob's and Tesserax's posts I learned my network wasn't set up properly. I have since switched my wireless router Bridge mode and my printer now shows up and can be installed on all computers in my network whether they are connected to the network via Ethernet cable or via WiFi. Everything is now working the way it should.

Thank you for your help and for your reply.

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Answer 12

Aug 21, 2020 4:01 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Hello again Bob, LaPastenague and Tesserax,

After setting everything up I now started to notice some problems with a printer. I have a HP Laserjet Pro 400 Color M451dw printer that had been connected and working for quite some time. The printer is in mint condition and looks as if it had been purchased yesterday. As I tried to set up the printer using the HP Easy Start app download to my Macbook Pro it gave me an error message stating:

"Cannot connect to the selected network. Make sure the network name and password are correct, try again later, or select another network from the list."

As I browsed the printer's menu (using the two-line LCD display on its front panel) I accidentally printed a 'Wireless Network Rest Report'. The troubleshooting section of the report states:

"More than one access point/wireless router has been found that matches your wireless network's name (SSID). If this is unintended, your HP printer might connect to the wrong wireless network. If you change your network's name, you will need to configure the SSID on all of your wireless devices to match the new network SSID.

The WPA authentication method on your printer has been changed from the default setting. This may cause problems when connecting to your wireless network. If your wireless router is not using the same WPA authentication method."

Can anyone help me resolve this conflict?

Thank you in advance.

PS: Just as a reminder you all helped me resolve conflicts I was experiencing with my network by changing both my wireless routers (Apple Extreme and Google WiFi) to Bridge mode.

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Answer 13

Aug 21, 2020 4:34 PM in response to apple_customer

"Cannot connect to the selected network. Make sure the network name and password are correct, try again later, or select another network from the list."

Which network......the Google or the AirPort Extreme network......are you trying to connect the printer to?

If you want the printer to connect to the Google WiFi network, then you would temporarily power off the AirPort Extreme while you set up the printer to connect to the Google network.

If you want the printer to connect to the AirPort Extreme WiFi, then you would temporarily power off the Google router while you set up the printer to connect to the AirPort Extreme network.

Things would be TONS easier if your printer has an option to connect using an Ethernet cable to any of your routers rather than WiFi. Then you don't have to worry about all the voodoo that is always associated with WiFi.

One of my network rules is never connect a printer to a network using a WiFi connection if you can connect using Ethernet.

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Answer 14

Aug 21, 2020 5:02 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Bob,

Thank you for your help and for your detailed answer. I have upgrade to the Google WiFi because one is enough to create a signal that covers my entire home. Before the Google WiFi I had two Apple Airport Extremes and they both didn't offer the same signal strength and coverage I have with the Google WiFi. The Google WiFi, on the other hand, doesn't have an USB port I can use to connect to a FAX/printer. So, I use the Google WiFi for wireless network and the Airport Extreme to connect my FAX/printer to my network.

One question: As I temporarily power off the Airport Extreme so the printer can connect to the Google WiFi, won't there be a conflict once I turn the Airport Extreme back on?

I will consider the option of connecting the printer to my network using an Ethernet cable but prefer to keep this as my last option to avoid yet one more cable in the middle of all the others I already have running.

Thank you again for your help, Bob.

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Answer 15

Aug 21, 2020 5:16 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Bob,

I just did what you suggested. The printer was able to connect to the Google WiFi once the Airport Extreme was turned off. I installed the printer on multiple computers and it appeared online. However, after I turned the Airport Extreme back on, turned off the printer and then turned it back on the same thing happened. It kept blinking its wireless blue light and couldn't connect to the network.

Thank you again for your help.

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Connect an Airport Extreme to an existing WiFi network and use it to share a printer.

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