Networking a printer

[Scruffie]

Hey guys. quick question. 

So, I have a printer that can only be networked via Ethernet and no way to connect it to the mother network via a cable. What I do have on the other hand, is an old router and a little bit of know how. Would it be possible to make a wireless AP (network B) to connect to the mother network (network A) and have that printer plug into network B and operate on network A. So as an example. if I'm on network A and I want to print a document, can I do that from network A, instead of connecting to the AP(network B) to print the document? Sorry if it doesn't really make any sense. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for the help if you guys have any advice

[CiscoFan]

3 minutes ago, Scruffie said:

Hey guys. quick question. 

So, I have a printer that can only be networked via Ethernet and no way to connect it to the mother network via a cable. What I do have on the other hand, is an old router and a little bit of know how. Would it be possible to make a wireless AP (network B) to connect to the mother network (network A) and have that printer plug into network B and operate on network A. So as an example. if I'm on network A and I want to print a document, can I do that from network A, instead of connecting to the AP(network B) to print the document? Sorry if it doesn't really make any sense. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for the help if you guys have any advice

You can do that if you have a Cisco router... like a Cisco 2851, you can have Network A run on one switch, and you can have network B on another switch or you can do subinterfaces on the router.

 

As an example

Interface GigabitEthernet0/0.10

description Network A

ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0

Interface GigabitEthernet0/0.20

description Network B

ip address 192.168.2.1 255.255.255.0

interface GigabitEthernet0/0

no shutdown

 

[Scruffie]

Welp. I don't believe I will then ._. I only have a TP-link WDR4300 and a Hitron CODA-4528.

[CiscoFan]

that config is only if you have a Cisco router or if you bought a router and a switch. I believe you can, you need to disable NAT on the inner facing one and 

[brwainer]

If your older router can be changed from Router mode to Bridge or "Client Bridge" mode, then you can tell it to join the wifi network of the main router and it will connect the wired printer to the wireless network, and then the printer will be accessible to every device on the main network. If your old router can't do it with the stock firmware, then you can try to flash it with DDWRT, OpenWRT, or Tomato firmware, depending on which (if any) support the old router.

[Scruffie]

1 hour ago, brwainer said:

If your older router can be changed from Router mode to Bridge or "Client Bridge" mode, then you can tell it to join the wifi network of the main router and it will connect the wired printer to the wireless network, and then the printer will be accessible to every device on the main network. If your old router can't do it with the stock firmware, then you can try to flash it with DDWRT, OpenWRT, or Tomato firmware, depending on which (if any) support the old router.

the router is acting as an access point as it is. but when I'm on the main network I can't access my printer. However I can when I'm on the access point..

[brwainer]

6 minutes ago, Scruffie said:

the router is acting as an access point as it is. but when I'm on the main network I can't access my printer. However I can when I'm on the access point..

I am not suprised. You have to connect the two networks together into a single LAN. Since you can't do it using an ethernet cable, your only option is to do it via the wifi. You have to make the second router act as a wireless client, instead of an AP. This is one of the things that setting it in "Bridge" or "Client Bridge" mode will do. The other is that it will disable the DHCP and NAT on the secondary router, allowing the printer to talk over the wireless to the rest of the network (there is also a mode on routers called "Client" where it sets the wireless up as a client instead of an AP, but it keeps the DHCP and NAT, and treats the wireless as a WAN interface).

[Scruffie]

On 6/25/2017 at 5:17 AM, brwainer said:

I am not suprised. You have to connect the two networks together into a single LAN. Since you can't do it using an ethernet cable, your only option is to do it via the wifi. You have to make the second router act as a wireless client, instead of an AP. This is one of the things that setting it in "Bridge" or "Client Bridge" mode will do. The other is that it will disable the DHCP and NAT on the secondary router, allowing the printer to talk over the wireless to the rest of the network (there is also a mode on routers called "Client" where it sets the wireless up as a client instead of an AP, but it keeps the DHCP and NAT, and treats the wireless as a WAN interface).

huh. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[Scruffie]

On 6/25/2017 at 5:17 AM, brwainer said:

I am not suprised. You have to connect the two networks together into a single LAN. Since you can't do it using an ethernet cable, your only option is to do it via the wifi. You have to make the second router act as a wireless client, instead of an AP. This is one of the things that setting it in "Bridge" or "Client Bridge" mode will do. The other is that it will disable the DHCP and NAT on the secondary router, allowing the printer to talk over the wireless to the rest of the network (there is also a mode on routers called "Client" where it sets the wireless up as a client instead of an AP, but it keeps the DHCP and NAT, and treats the wireless as a WAN interface).

Okay. So. My client router has its own access. when I'm connected to that, I can go on the internet, access the config panel and then print wirelessly. But when I connect to the main router, I can only access my main router's config panel (192.168.0.1, whereas the client router is 192.168.0.10) and I can no longer print wirelessly. Do you have any idea where this disconnect is being caused? Oh, and my printer's ip is still on the same subnet. It's ip address is 192.168.0.21....

 

Edit 1** I can also access my printer's address page from the main network as well...

Edit 2** I can now access my client router's config page from the main router...

[brwainer]

1 hour ago, Scruffie said:

Okay. So. My client router has its own access. when I'm connected to that, I can go on the internet, access the config panel and then print wirelessly. But when I connect to the main router, I can only access my main router's config panel (192.168.0.1, whereas the client router is 192.168.0.10) and I can no longer print wirelessly. Do you have any idea where this disconnect is being caused? Oh, and my printer's ip is still on the same subnet. It's ip address is 192.168.0.21....

 

Edit 1** I can also access my printer's address page from the main network as well...

Edit 2** I can now access my client router's config page from the main router...

I'm confused by your edits - is everything working now?