MegaSack DRAW - 6pm Christmas Eve - LIVE on our YouTube Channel
I have a quick query about where best to put a network switch on the home network.
We have a Plusnet router which is an old BT Homehub AFAIK. Wireless is turned off because we have a Tenda mesh setup.
Into the router itself are plugged the mesh, telly, games console and I think a telly STB (redundant now since introduction fo smart TV).
We have a wireless printer connected to the WiFi which, since setting up, my wife has caned crap out of, meaning we're paying hefty ££ in HP Instant Ink charges. We have an old but functional HP laser printer, which would be good to connect as a network printer, but it's USB only. It would be good if that was set up as well so she could print draft/b&w stuff without caning the instant ink.
I have picked up a network print server which will allow the printer to be shared on the network.
The hardwired connections on the Plusnet router are 'full' so I was going to use a gigabit switch to run off the less essential stuff - the printer, the redundant STB, a powerline connection to an outbuilding and so forth.
My question is this - will the printer be discoverable via wireless laptops if plugged directly into the Plusnet router? I'm assuming that the mesh is basically a very fancy ethernet cable so my instinct is yes, but it'd be great if someone with more knowledge than me could confirm...
Assuming I'm understanding your explanation correctly then yes. You mean plugging in the 'network print server' into the router, not the printer directly via USB somehow, right?
Do you have a desktop PC? You could just plug the printer into that and then share it.
Yes. New print server into any port on the lan
I would plug all devices (including mesh hubs) into the switch, with one cable connected from switch to router as uplink.
Hmm. In that case something ain't working. Printer isn't discoverable on the network. I will have a play.
We don't have a desktop computer (well, we do, but it's up in the loft packed away) as we both use laptops, personal and work provided.
Router > mesh base unit > switch > everything else.
The printer may not be discoverable if you are attempting to connect to it over wifi using the fancy auto discovery protocols (e.g. airprint for apple devices, and similar stuff for android/windows devices) as the printer doesn't support these.
Can you log into the router or use a network mapping tool to identify the print server's IP address. You can then connect to this IP address and install the relevant drivers to speak the correct language for the printer.
the issue is probably that the mesh system is acting as a router (and probably giving out IP addresses to the wifi clients). The discovery protocol for the printer may be blocked by the router. Do you know what ip addresses the wifi and wired clients get? If this is the problem, you may be able to stop the mesh acting as a router and allow the plus net hub to be the router and hand out ip addresses, then the discovery should work.
You can't turn the router functionality off with the Plusnet/BT hubs so I guess that's always going to be the router... don't know if the mesh system can "override" this and start routing also?
If you plug the print server into the router or switch, does it show up under wired connections or whatever in the Plusnet hub admin page? If so can you add it as a printer from the laptops by pointing them at the printers IP address, rather than them having to "discover" it?
You can’t turn the router functionality off with the Plusnet/BT hubs so I guess that’s always going to be the router… don’t know if the mesh system can “override” this and start routing also?
If you plug the print server into the router or switch, does it show up under wired connections or whatever in the Plusnet hub admin page? If so can you add it as a printer from the laptops by pointing them at the printers IP address, rather than them having to “discover” it?
Mesh is all fine - basically just plugs into one of the router outs and has worked like a dream. I had assumed the Plusnet router worked like an oldschool wired router with the mesh acting as a wireless access [pomt/
I've had a look on the admin pages and there are various 'unknown' devices and I've tried pointing the laptops at the IP addresses, but they won't send. This was just a quick 1/2 test over lunchtime, I'll have a more detailed sniff later on.
Agree with Paul on this.
Problem most likely is that the broadband router is acting as a DHCP server allocating dynamic IP addresses for devices physically connected to it for example in the range 192.168.1.X/24 Then the Wi-Fi mesh router is acting as a DHCP server for Wi-Fi Devices in another range, say 192.168.8.X/24. So in fact they are two separate networks. With the Mesh router hiding all of the Wi-Fi devices behind a firewall and Network Address Translation (NAT/PAT)
Easy way is does the Tenda Mesh router have LAN ports on it, other than the WAN port that connects to your router? If it does plug your switch into one of the LAN ports, all of your wired devices into the switch. Then they will all be on the same network as you have the Mesh router acting as the DHCP server for the lot.
Or having the Mesh router in AP Mode/Bridge mode instead of router, that way the Wi-Fi devices will be on the same network as the broadband router and it will be acting as the DHCP server for the lot wired/and Wi-Fi.
If not then it'll be some buggering about with the Mesh router's firewall to allow the protocols required for the printer/server, port forwarding etc.. good luck!
you can verify which one it is (if any) by unplugging it, refreshing the page & seeing if one of them disappears!I’ve had a look on the admin pages and there are various ‘unknown’ devices and I’ve tried pointing the laptops at the IP addresses,
the issue is probably that the mesh system is acting as a router (and probably giving out IP addresses to the wifi clients)
This.
Router > mesh base unit > switch > everything else.
So, to clarify, you may have been using two subnets, one from the router and the other from the mesh system
The router is probably giving out 192.168.0.x addresses and the mesh is giving out 192.168.1.x or something - therefore wifi clients cannot see anything on the router subnet.
(out of the box my Google Mesh system gives out addresses on the 192.168.86.x range)
Plug the switch into the mesh and everything that's plugged into the switch will get an address assigned by the mesh system and should be visible to everything else.
The only cat 5 you want plugged into the router is the mesh WAN port.
(edit: actually the TV/STB could go straight into the router unless you want to network to them - i.e. use your phone as the TV remote.)
Have you checked in the settings of the main mesh node that it isn't also acting as a router? Those things often can do routing and may default to that. Unless you changed it initially (the non-router setting may be called "bridge mode" or something like that) then it is also routing, so anything plugged into the Plusnet router will be a separate local network.
Router > mesh base unit > switch > everything else.
This 👆
