I am using a NETGEAR router and a NETGEAR Wireless Extender. I have repeatedly tried to set up two printers wirelessly. Bonjour seems to work very sporadically. It will recognize the printers for a while, then after about an hour or so, they are not listed under Bonjour. Very frustrating, and I'd appreciate any help.
MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
NETGEAR Wireless Extender
Don't expect decent results from that kind of device.
What woud you suggest then?
Reorganize your network so that you don't need the extender.
How do I do that? The router is on the third floor. I use an iMac on the third floor, Macbook Pro on the second floor, and my grandson uses a MacBook Pro on the first floor. Before I set up the extender, my grandson on the first floor was sporadically unable to get on the internet and also print with the original router; hence, my reason for setting up the extender. However, If you can help me to reorganize the network to just use the router, I would be so thankful.
Get a copy of Bonjour Browser and check to see if the Bonjour messages are making from the printer to your Mac via the routers. It is most likely your Routers that are blocking the Bonjour signals.
Ideally, you'd have your home wired for Ethernet. Depending on the type of construction, that might be quite easy. Otherwise, you could try one of the products that's supposed to use the existing electrical wiring to create a network. For example, Belkin sells one called "Powerline." I have no idea how well it works, so you should do your own research, and also look at alternatives.
At the other end of the wired connection from the router, place an AirPort Express or other wireless bridge.
If you don't like those ideas, you might be able to get wireless coverage of your whole house by upgrading the router. Get one with 802.11n.
It is most likely your Routers that are blocking the Bonjour signals.
The OP says that Bonjour is working sporadically.
Bonjour would only be sporadic if the printer is not reliable in sending Bonjour signals, or the router(s) are interfering with the transfer.
If the extention is really a router, and it is not in "Bridge" mode, then it will block the Bonjour protocol. So when using WiFi via the Router that talks to the printer you see the Bonjour messages. When you are using the other Router that has yet another NAT router in the way, you will not see the Bonjour messages. All would depend on which WiFi access point your Mac was connected to.
So your suggestion to reconfigure the system to use just one router, or change routers is a good idea.
My router is 802.11n, so I don't need to upgrade it. I downloaded the Bonjour Browser; all messages look okay.
Bob, how would I be able to tell if the Netgear Wireless Extender is in Bridge mode?
Is it just an extender, or is it a full router?
One way to tell is if it has the ability to provide DHCP services, such as assigning IP addresses. If it has a configuration option for setting up DHCP, then it is capable of being a router. If it is in Router mode it will block Bonjour traffic between devices talking to the other Router and those talking to this router.
You want just one active router in your home, and that one active router is responsible for DHCP services.
Another way, would be to make sure you are talking to the extender, and then using the Bonjour Browser. If you can see items that are connected to the other Netgear device, then the extender is not blocking Bonjour traffic, and if it is not blocking Bonjour traffic, it cannot be in Router mode.
If you Option-Click on the WiFi icon on your Mac menu bar, you will see the BSSID for the WiFi device you are talking to. Since you have 2 WiFi devices they will each have their own unique BSSID numbers. With some experimentation, you should be able to figure out which BSSID belongs to the Netgear Router and which belongs to the extender. That is one way to know which device you are currently talking to and then verify you are seeing Bonjour traffic from devices attached to the Netgear router. And traffic going the other way.
Nancy -
Do you live in an area/building with multiple other routers?
Maybe you are getting interference. You can get iStumbler to analyze that.
And if they are all using the same channel, you can change your network's channel to reduce problems.
No, we live in a 3-story house-- iMac on 3rd floor, Macbook Pros on 2nd and 1st floors. I only have one router plus the extender. I'll look for iStumbler and see if I can get some help from that. I've tried moving the extender to several different places on the 2nd floor. Printers are still being recognized sporadically.
An alternative to range extenders is powerline adapters - they are fairly cheap (typically less than the cost of a range extender or top-of-the-range wireless router), easy to set up, robust and very stable. I believe that that they can be affected adversely by poor electrical mains wiring but, otherwise, they are excellent for reaching devices that are beyond the range of a wireless router. Some even have a power pass-through so that you do not lose a power point. The cheapest ones are 200mbs speed while the more expensive ones are 500mbs but, frankly, 200mbs empirically is fast enough for most requirements.
Sounds like the simplest approach would be to relocate your router to the 2nd floor.
Bonjour for Mac Not Recognizing Printers
