Help: Print Server via home network

[durendal]

Hey Guys, I hope you don't mind if I pick your brains.  As much as I hate asking for help in doing this, but I'm already at a stage where I'm starting to give up.   I know this is not a tech forum, but this is the forum I most frequent.  Maybe some of you guys have experience in setting up networks and might have some clues to what I missed.

I bought a Wavlink Print Server with the intention of sharing the USB printer over the network.  I managed to get this to work on devices connected via wired LAN, but can't seem to get this to work for devices connected via wifi.  This is the setup of my home network:

Fiber Internet Huawei ONT Router (with wifi switched off as it's wifi sucks) => connected to a TP Link Archer wifi router => All wifi access is being router through here including all our laptops and phones.

Then Also connected to the Huawei Router ONT  => TP Link Gigabit unmanaged Switch => which Wavlink Print Server is connected to (Canon G1010).  PC is also connected to this switch.

So it basically looks like this:

ONT Router = Wifi Router = Laptop, Phones, Wifi

                     = TP Link Switch = Print Server, PC

 

The PC can print fine, but the Laptop (wifi only) for some reason is unable to detect the printer, but can access the print server just fine (via ping)

Typically, if the laptop can detect the print server, it should be able to detect the printer right?  But no matter what I try, I can't seem to get the printer to work.  I cannot change this setup due to physical limitations (covering multiple rooms, hence the need for a wifi printer)

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Tora Tan]

i'm no expert, but it looks like you have two separate individual networks accessing the same wifi device.

if these are two separate networks then devices on one will be inaccessible from devices on the other.

sometimes these printers are accessible from a web server so you might be able to use remote printing via your canon service?

i'm just taking a stab in the dark, but you might be able to bridge the two networks. that could be complicated. or it might even be as simple as connecting wifi router to tp link switch with an ordinary lan cable. just a random thought.

[durendal]

Thanks for your insight.  Please help me understand since I'm not really very well verse in networking setup.  The reason why I though this might work is because all the devices in my home network can be seen by the other devices.  The PC which is attached to the TP Link Switch can access the Laptop connected that's connected to the Wifi router.  The Laptop can also access the webpage of the Printer Server and indicates the status of the printer as online.  But for some reason, the printer cannot be detected, even though the print server is accessible. (Printer is connected to the print server)

As much as I want to simplify the connection, like connecting the wifi router to the tp link switch as you mentioned, this is physically impossible.  The Wifi router is downstairs, connected via LAN cable to the Fiber ONT, which is in another room upstairs.  The Switch is on a different room connected the Fiber ONT.   But I'll try moving the printer downstairs and connect this to the wifi router to see if it connects.  Though this setup will not work for me, it will help me narrow down which device has the problem.

[Tora Tan]

Honestly, that sounds like different behaviour to what I had expected, so it goes to show my knowledge is way off.

uhm... so he printer is visible but not recognised as a device that can be used to print....

maybe this sounds silly, but do you need to install it? heh heh, I can't really think of anything else ^_^;

[durendal]

Thanks for the inputs.  I've finally figured it out.  The solution is too simple that it's laughable.  I just didn't realized that DCHP was turned on on the WIFI router.  And the fact that I've connected the LAN from the ONT to the WAN port of the wifi router.  Turned off DCHP and switched the connected port from WAN to LAN and everything works fine now.  For the life of me, I still don't understand how the devices on different networks can see each other despite having the DCHP on.

Thanks for sparing some time to discuss this.  It really helps having someone to talk to about these things.