Connect HP Pagewide printer to 2 networks?
Hello everyone, we have two WiFi routers (Fritz boxes) in our office with two different connections (we just added the office next door and unfortunately the signal from our router doesn't reach the new office).
Now I want to connect our printer to both networks so that everyone can access the same printer, regardless of which network they're on. Is this technically feasible?
I'd like to avoid having to purchase a second printer. I'm the admin, so I have all the technical details.
It would be great if someone could help me! 🙂
Thank you! Josephine
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I have many questions and very much fear of the potential answers…
But to your problem > you would have to connect the two networks to each other via a router… and at the same time you would have to tell the plasterouters (Fritzbox) that there is a new route to the corresponding network. In the place I am not sure if the fritzboxes support such a functionality at all.
It would probably be more useful if there is no other reason for a network separation of the two offices to distribute a network over both offices.
The Fritz!Boxes can assign other networks and also act static routes. However, you should take care of the guest network. The network for the guests is always the same. This should therefore be activated at most on a device
Not all. The current models – unless they are the smallest variant of a model series – usually support static routes.
The problem of setting up this “bridge” remains when the admin has never done that.
It might be easier to connect a print server to the printer on a possibly existing USB port, which is then integrated into the second network. Then the networks otherwise remain cleanly separated. (Also, if you do not have access permissions from one to the other network).
Yes you can do, but then you have n routing “problem” with 2 WAN accesses, which you have to “dissolve” again. I find the VPN solution better for a little Fritz!Box office, especially in pointo: “I would like to avoid having to purchase a second printer” I read as: should cost as little as possible.
Jap, I am indeed not a tech professional and since we are a social company we must look at our costs. : That’s why I’m seriously considering giving up a second DSL contract and setting up a Mash system with the existing router. Although there is, of course, a big question that is sufficient for an office with 15 jobs.
Hello Krabat693! Thank you for the feedback! I’m also thinking about whether I don’t set up a mesh network with repeaters in the office, but I’m afraid that the signal will not be enough or will not be stable. I heard from some pages that repeaters bother each other and create spark holes. Since we are much in video calls, a stable connection is indispensable. I’m just a little fuzzy…
Without knowing the local conditions, this is of course difficult to plan. But how does it look to transfer cables? In office rooms you often have attached cover over which you can easily and easily throw LAN cables. Then you would only have to reconfigure one of the fritzboxes so that instead of as a router it only functions as an access point and then connect the two fritzboxes to each other via a LAN cable. Then both WLANs would be a common network and the cover will change altogether nix.
I asked for this directly at the house manager, thank you! Perhaps there is a solution, because the offices belong more or less together. Thank you for your expertise! I wish you nice holidays!
Well, that’s not possible without a move. It is best to set up a VPN tunnel between the Fritz!Boxes if data protection is possible and you can make it comfortable. Because the routers can communicate directly with each other and you can print them from both networks.
Right, that’s also an option, and not a bad one.
Thanks Thope684! As described above in my response to Krabat693, I am thinking of whether I do not build a mesh network with the existing router to avoid a second network connection. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try this variant.
Yeah, it’s a little bit here. But somehow I don’t understand how you want to build a mesh if the signal strength is not enough? Clearly the boxes have n more powerful WiFi module than the printer. But if the printer isn’t at all, it’s probably going straight with the boxes and this would be extremely susceptible to disturbance in the smallest smallness of signal disorder, which can also not be productive and n cables for the mesh will probably not be able to lay, otherwise even for the printer. Somehow I don’t understand the question if you can get a signal or put n cables for n mesh. Or I’m just tired. How did it solve by now?
Yes, if you have advantages and not extra effort with cables and so. I have no idea if the FritzBox can bundle it honestly. Never had that 2 Fitzboxen with 2 WAN routes in a network were without extra router that bundles it. N small CIsco device or Netgear at least. No idea if the two can do this together in the mesh 😀