Buffalo Ethernet Converter and IP printer question

Hi there

I have set up a Buffalo Ethernet Converter WLI-TX4-G54HP as part of my wireless network. It connects to the network fine and I can see it as a DHCP client connected to my router. I can also ping it fine.

I have plugged my HP LaserJet 4000 printer into one of the ethernet ports on the back, the connection is good.

I have switched off and on both the Ethernet Converter and the printer.

Now I am stuck as the I can't "find" the printer on my network to set it up to print to.

I am using both a Windows Vista laptop and an Apple MacBook. Usually Windows is very good at finding network printers but it won't find this, nor will the Apple.

The printer works fine (and is found by both the Windows and Apple machines) when plugged directly into a Netgear router on another wireless network so the problem seems to be, maybe, a setting on the Buffalo.

The Buffalo is set up to take an IP address from the wireless router using DHCP - right now it has 192.168.1.199.

The printer, according to its configuration page, has:
IP address: 192.168.0.19
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Def. gateway: 192.168.254.1

I don't know if these are changeable.

The wireless router has:
IP address: 91.x.x.x
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.255
Router address: 80.x.x.x

and is connecting fine to the internet, to any machines on the network and, apparently, to the Buffalo converter.

So, any ideas how to get the network to see the printer? One thought: I don't know what Subnet mask means but should I be concerned that it is different on the printer and the router?

Many thanks in advance.

David

The IP setup on the printer is no good - the subnet does not match the one you're using and therefore it's invisible to your network.

You need to either reconfigure the printer's IP address (and gateway, which is totally random) or set it to DHCP so that you can 'see' it on the network.

You can configure IP parameters on the LJ4000 from the front panel. It's fiddly but if all you need to do is turn DHCP on it shouldn't be too much of a pain.

does the Buffalo have a "transparent bridge" mode that would have the printer get its IP from the Airport ? Currently the Buffalo is acting as a router it would appear, as it has a different IP range for itself and the client device. Something else connected to the airport would have no idea where to find the printer and the airport wouldn't now where to route it either.

To prove the idea can you ping between two computers via the airport, and if so can you ping the Buffalo and then the printer ?

Possibly but I can't see how to enable it. I can ping the Buffalo and all the other computers on the network but not the printer, which appears to be on a different subnet mask.

D

Re: "....which appears to be on a different subnet mask.

Which is why it isn't working.

The Buffalo is set up to take an IP address from the wireless router using DHCP - right now it has 192.168.1.199.

The printer, according to its configuration page, has:
IP address: 192.168.0.19
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Def. gateway: 192.168.254.1

where does "Def. gateway: 192.168.254.1" come from ? is there anything with that address ?

My suspicion is that the printer has a static address configured - and the gateway is wrong - however when on the same subnet as the clients (which presumably it was) this didn't matter...now it does. If the OP changes this via the front panel on the printer he should be able to connect to it...as I suggested.

Many thanks for all the replies.

Indeed it was just a case of reconfiguring the printer's IP address - which it does itself (via DHCP) if you hold down the Go button while switching it on again.

All working fine now.

Thanks again.

David