Can I make a wifi printer available to *.devices?

[JaimeZX]

Hey guys; so obviously I can add my wifi printer to any particular SSID, but is there a way I can make it available to any device, regardless of which SSID they are on? I've clicked around and done a little searching in the forum but nothing has grabbed my eye. Thanks!

 

[ColinTaylor]

That would depend on how you have integrated the SSIDs into your particular network design.

If you are using features that are specific to a certain firmware (like Asus' guest networks) you should ask the question in the relevant sub-forum.

 

[JaimeZX]

That would depend on how you have integrated the SSIDs into your particular network design.

If you are using features that are specific to a certain firmware (like Asus' guest networks) you should ask the question in the relevant sub-forum.

Well I posted this in the Asus Merlin forum but someone seems to have moved it. I haven't done anything "special" with the SSIDs; nearly all my wireless devices are on the "guest" SSIDs; only my main desktop is hard-wired to the router. Still, I would like anyone to be able to print...

 

[ColinTaylor]

As per your other thread here, this should not be a problem unless the SSID the devices are connecting to have intranet access disabled.

 

[JaimeZX]

As per your other thread here, this should not be a problem unless the SSID the devices are connecting to have intranet access disabled.

Hm. So I may need to create ANOTHER SSID solely for printing use, that has intranet enabled.

 

[coxhaus]

The printer will be faster if you put it on wire because on wireless you will wait for transmit and then retransmit. Just letting you know as that was not the question.

PS
I run my HP air printer on wire for my Apple devices. It just has to be in the same network for Apple but I share the printer across networks for PCs.

 

[ColinTaylor]

The printer will be faster if you put it on wire because on wireless you will wait for transmit and then retransmit. Just letting you know as that was not the question.

Personally I've never found the wireless speed to be a limiting factor, even for documents with high graphic content. The volume of data sent is just not significant enough. Then after the first page is sent the print speed is limited by the mechanical nature of the printer.

 

[coxhaus]

Wire is faster than wireless....we can leave it at that.

PS
If it doesn't move put a wire on it. Every little bit helps to reduce your wireless load.

 

[Smokindog]

Wire is faster than wireless....we can leave it at that.

PS
If it doesn't move put a wire on it. Every little bit helps to reduce your wireless load.

If the speed limit is 35MPH than a Ferrari is no faster than a Mini Van!

PS - for the record, wired is not ALWAYS faster than wireless.

 

[JaimeZX]

I concur that wired is (typically) faster than wireless. That said, this particular printer is nowhere near the router, so CAT5ing it up is not really an option unless I run wires along the cieling or something similarly unattractive.

Just had a second thought... the "allow intranet access" setting... what kind of access does that give the devices? I can think of several variations here:
1) Allow intranet access = devices on that SSID can talk to each other and any storage plugged into the router. (The last part (blue) I have confirmed already.)
2) ...devices on that SSID can talk to each other and wired devices and any storage plugged into the router.
3) ... devices on that SSID can talk to each other and wired devices and devices on the primary wireless networks and any storage plugged into the router.
4) ???
5) Profit

Can anybody help me with this one? Hopefully it's #1.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Think of it the other way around. Normally devices connected to the LAN (wired or wireless) have complete access to each other. For wireless clients this would be the equivalent of "access intranet enabled".

Setting "access intranet" to disabled means that devices connected to that SSID cannot access the rest of LAN (the LAN includes router storage).

Separate to the above is another setting called "Set AP Isolated". This controls whether or not clients connected to the same SSID can communicate with each other.

 

[coxhaus]

If the speed limit is 35MPH than a Ferrari is no faster than a Mini Van!

PS - for the record, wired is not ALWAYS faster than wireless.

Yes I guess you could run token ring and wireless might be faster.

But if you run current technology then wire is faster than wireless.

 

[JaimeZX]

Yep. What you say makes sense, but then it seems like "access intranet enabled" would make having a separate SSID pointless. That said, I have "access intranet enabled" set on for one Guest SSID and I can confirm that I cannot ping my main LAN computer, or any devices on a different SSID. But I can ping devices on the SAME SSID. This is great. I can make a SSID just for the printer and use that.

"Set AP Isolated" doesn't seem to be an option in Merlin.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Yep. What you say makes sense, but then it seems like "access intranet enabled" would make having a separate SSID pointless.

Not pointless, maybe just of limited use.

That said, I have "access intranet enabled" set on for one Guest SSID and I can confirm that I cannot ping my main LAN computer, or any devices on a different SSID.

I suggest that you have something misconfigured somewhere.

"Set AP Isolated" doesn't seem to be an option in Merlin.

It's under the Wireless Professional settings.

 

[ColinTaylor]

It's under the Wireless Professional settings.

EDIT: To set the isolation level differently for each guest SSID you have to do it through the command line, otherwise the setting under Wireless Professional applies to all SSID's using the same band.

 

[Smokindog]

Yes I guess you could run token ring and wireless might be faster.

But if you run current technology then wire is faster than wireless.

NO, not necessarily, but you go right on believing what you will.

 

[coxhaus]

enlighten me.

 

[JaimeZX]

I suggest that you have something misconfigured somewhere.

Not according to another post I read by Merlin...
Edit: the hyperlink above is acting goofy. How do I isolate clients on guest wifi?

It's under the Wireless Professional settings.

Got it. Thanks!

EDIT: To set the isolation level differently for each guest SSID you have to do it through the command line, otherwise the setting under Wireless Professional applies to all SSID's using the same band.

I'll have to look into this further.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Not according to another post I read by Merlin...
Edit: the hyperlink above is acting goofy. How do I isolate clients on guest wifi?

I don't see any contradiction between what I said and what Merlin said:

The Access Intranet setting would also block access to his Ethernet-connected LAN devices.

He doesn't say whether it should be enabled or disabled, only that this settings effects access to the Ethernet devices.


Asus' website seems to be on the fritz again , but here's the archived FAQ page about that setting: https://web.archive.org/web/20170108102152/http://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1009857/

If choose [disable], guest would not be able to use devices behind router, which connect by cable.

 

[coxhaus]

A couple of things which I have not seen on this thread using a printer with network devices.

This is pretty easy to do with Cisco small business network equipment using permit and deny statements. No scripts have to be loaded.

My daughter has an HP all in one printer which seems to have an issue with printing from 5GHz to 2.4GHz. The printer only seems to support 2.4GHz. There is new firmware which I have not had time to load to see if it fixes this.