Forum Discussion
WiFi AND PRINTER CONNECTIVITY ISSUES
Same as others, we switched from Verizon WiFi (part of a TV bundle) to "try" T-Mobile WiFi router. Had the T-Mobile store set up router name and password, and they were the same as Verizon router. Took the new router home, disconnected the Verizon router and plugged in T-Mobile. All devices recognized network and password EXCEPT for two HP printers, one ENVY 5530 and the other is HP ENVY 4500. No one, and i mean no one, has been able to help. We'v been bounced back and forth. We think we Nee to ad the MSC addresses of both printers to the router but we cannot get anyone to help us do that. T-Mobile just transferred me back to HP who actually hung up on me because he wouldn't talk to me unless i paid $150 for tech support.
OK so you have the HP 5530 and the HP 4500. Do not be dismayed. If they are older HP printers the problem is maybe with the authentication type or that they only support 2.4GHz or both. So, still not a major problem that cannot be overcome without a little effort. If you have the Arcadyan or Sagemcon gateway you will have to use the T-Mobile home internet mobile application and check the authentication type on the 2.4 GHz frequency. It probably is WPA2/WPA3 but if the printers need WPA then you need to change the authentication type advertised to WPA/WPA2. Now if just changing the authentication type is not enough you can use the + button in the advanced networking settings to add an additional SSID (network name) on the 2.4 GHz frequency and use WPA/WPA2 authentication type plus you will have to provide the passphrase/password for that as well. Then save your changes. You can use that SSID for just the printers so you can make the name reflect that if you want. It does not matter what you call the SSID as the one they set up and an additional one will all connect to the same 2.4GHz radio frequency and be on the same network. It will all be good and the printers should work fine. Make sure the printers have their IP addressing for DHCP and if they have prior wifi network information they have seen just forget that and then it should be able to find the new one and connect with the proper authentication. If you have problems just pop a note here in the community.
I have a slightly stickier problem.
Yesterday I uninstalled my expensive Spectrum cable and internet service, replacing it with the T Mobile 5G Gateway. The gateway speed varies from about 100 Mbps to up to 500 Mbps, which is not the issue.
I have a slightly older Brother HL-5250DN laser printer, with USB and ethernet connection. I added the printer as a device on my old Spectrum network, and it worked fine.
I added the Brother printer to a network via a router attached to the T Mobile gateway. The printer is visible on the network as a device, but will not function at all. I ran the MS printer troubleshooter which IDed the problem as unstable network connectivity.
The connectivity for the 5G Gateway seems stable enough for ordinary internet use, but can't seem to handle peripherals well. I shouldn't need to buy a new printer, Or print off site.
This is what I did: I have a Brother laser printer which is USB only - no Wi-Fi, no ethernet. It is connected via USB to my desktop computer which is always on. The computer is connected to my Wi-Fi network. I can print to the printer from my laptop and phone, even if the desktop is asleep. I only had to enable Sharing in the printer properties.
Confirm the firewall on your client is not part of the problem. Disable the firewall temporarily and then try the printer. It could be a setting that needs adjusting. The system logs might provide something. Confirm the printer is on the same subnet as the client. You state a router is involved so make sure you can have the path out and back if you are running multiple ip segments.
Tinkeralot, in my printers advance settings, under wifi protected set up, my choices are push button setup or pin set up. Under Push button it is directing my to push the WPS button on my router ( don't have that button on my router). The other choice is providing my with a pin number and I'm assuming I need to enter into the wifi browse, which I can't b/c I can't get into it!
In order to manage the gateway you will need to load the mobile application on your phone. The gateway should have a label on it with the admin password. You can change that and should. The setup or connection to the wireless network just requires the pass phrase for the wireless network. You can also manage the wireless authentication settings via the mobile app. If you're still having issues I will check back on the conversation.
When moving a printer to a new wireless network it is often best to default the printer so it doesn't have the prior network connection info. If you have an older printer confirm the wireless capability for frequency and authentication type. Older printers often require a bit more attention when connecting to the WiFi 6 devices.
