Wireless Printer - Static IP Address

[hlewton]

I am about to attempt to add a wireless printer to my network. I want to assign a static IP address to it and am trying to figure out how to do that but right now my question is a 2 part one. First I have an available port in an 8 port switch attached to my wireless router so can I use this port to attach an Ethernet cable to the printer to assign that static IP address? If so would it be better to use that port or just use the wireless capability of the printer instead and then set the static IP address?

[John Gray]

I've always found it best to assign/configure/play with things like routers and devices using an ethernet patch cable. That way, if you get anything wrong you still have connectivity, whereas with wireless you might not! After you've configured correctly, you can just remove the patch cable and disable its interface, if you want.

[StuartR]

It is fairly easy to assign a static address to a device that is connected by wireless, but you will need to know the user interface for your router/wireless access point to do this.

Just configure the device normally, then

• Log in to the router
• Note the address that has been assigned to the printer
• Tell the router it to make this a permanent assignment

[hlewton]

Thank you

[hlewton]

I've always found it best to assign/configure/play with things like routers and devices using an ethernet patch cable. That way, if you get anything wrong you still have connectivity, whereas with wireless you might not! After you've configured correctly, you can just remove the patch cable and disable its interface, if you want.

So I can use that extra port I have available in the 8 port switch? Thanks.

[hlewton]

It is fairly easy to assign a static address to a device that is connected by wireless, but you will need to know the user interface for your router/wireless access point to do this.

Just configure the device normally, then

• Log in to the router
• Note the address that has been assigned to the printer
• Tell the router it to make this a permanent assignment

I tried to follow this because I already have one printer that has a static IP address of 192.168.1.3 assigned to it. I was able to access my router's software by typing 192.168.1.1 in the URL line but saw nowhere that listed that address or gave me ant reference at all to a printer. Where should I be looking? It is a Linksys Wireless-G WRT54GL router using WPA2 Personal security if that makes any difference.

[StuartR]

Unfortunately the WRT54GL does not have this capability. The only workaround I know of is to

• Change the configuration of the WRT54GL DHCP server to reduce the range of addresses that it will give out
• Manually configure the printer to use an address in the range that you have just excluded

See this page for more information on this.

[hlewton]

Thanks. I did manage to find and download a short set of instructions for my printer that I will be getting. It seems in its software there is a way to assign a static IP address if I am reading it correctly. If so the only question that still remains in my mind is can I use that open port in my 8 port switch to connect the printer? My other printer with a static IP address is using 1 of the 4 ports on the wireless router itself but I'm thinking that shouldn't matter. Am I correct and can I use that open port?

I guess I lied because I do have another question. Should I try assigning this static IP address before installing the printer's software drivers on my computers? Thanks.

[StuartR]

...Should I try assigning this static IP address before installing the printer's software drivers on my computers? Thanks.

Yes.

[hlewton]

Well I never did get a yes or no on whether I could use that empty port in the switch to hook up the new printer but I think the answer is no. I tried experimenting and as soon as I hooked an Ethernet cable to it I lost Internet connection so maybe there is a bad port in the switch. I then tried putting an additional switch in my system using the port on the back of the Wireless router that my other printer is hooked up to and then hooking that printer to the new switch. I had Internet connection but could not reach that printer at all. That printer is assigned a static IP address of 192.168.1.3 and I have no idea if that enters into this test at all but thought I should mention it because it has always been hooked to that port in the back of the wireless router. The switch I tried using is actually a Cable/DSL Router with 8-port switch. Maybe It would work if I had just another switch.

I'm not sure exactly what is going on but it looks like I may have to use the wireless connection for the new printer which may be the only way I can put it into my system. Was my basic testing flawed or did I do something wrong in my testing this out before hand? Any thoughts? Thanks

[StuartR]

I have just looked at the user guide for the WRT54G and it appears to have 4 Ethernet connections for your home network, plus a separate connector for your modem to connect to. How many different things do you have plugged in?

[hlewton]

I have just looked at the user guide for the WRT54G and it appears to have 4 Ethernet connections for your home network, plus a separate connector for your modem to connect to. How many different things do you have plugged in?

All ports are in use. I had a guy come out here when my network along with the printer I described earlier was set up. I think one of the ports goes to my 8 port switch which seems to only have 7 good ports in it. 1 port goes to a Network Extender so I acn get a signal in my basement. 1 port to that printer and 1 port to my main computer. I do recall sometime ago talking to Linksys and them having me move whatever was connected to the first port on that switch to another one because something wasn't working properly. I had totally forgotten that until today when I plugged in an Ethernet cable getting ready to hook up the new printer. That is when I lost my Internet connection until I removed that Ethernet cable. I really am not sure where all the connections are going but they are all in use, except the bad one. That is why I was wondering if I could add another switch to one of the Ethernet connections from the back of the WRT54GL router, say the port with the Network extender on it. I read where switches could be daisy chained and thought maybe it would be better to just use another router port instead.

You got me thinking and it was bugging me so I traced out the 7 other Ethernet cables connected to that switch. 6 of them go to computers and the 7th one is connected to another devise from Verizon Wireless that boosts both the 3G and the cell phone reception inside my home. So again the only empty port right now is the one that appears to be defective.

Here is another thought. I found this RJ45 CAT 5 6 LAN Ethernet Splitter Connector Adapter PC which claims:
Convert and increase your Ethernet connections from 1 to 2 sockets
Allow two computers to share high speed DSL, cable modem and Ethernet ports
Convert a single RJ45 outlet to two RJ45 sockets easily
Compact design. 8 wire RJ-45T adapter, parallel wiring
Connector: 3 x RJ45 female

Since I'd only be using 1 printer at a time do you think I could use something like this to get that extra Ethernet port I need?

[StuartR]

If I have understood correctly, then your current configuration is like this.

Current.png

The easiest way to extend this, and to give you expansion room for the future, would be to purchase another 8 port switch. You could then connect this new switch to the WRT54G, and move the Network extender, printer, main computer and the new printer to this new switch.

The cost of an 8 port switch is fairly low nowadays.

[hlewton]

Thank you and yes you understood me correctly. I was hoping I could do something like that.

[hlewton]

Well another question just developed. Seems I can only find a 4 port Netgear switch locally. So I can I use that or do all my switches have to be of the same brand? Thanks

[StuartR]

You could use any switch that has the right number of ports of the right type. If I were you then I would think about getting an 8 port switch that has 1G port speeds. This would be able to support your network for many years to come. If you just buy a 4 port switch with 100M ports then it will be nearly fully populated already, and won't support the kind of traffic speeds that modern computers sometimes need.

[hlewton]

WOW that one threw me a curve. I have never heard of that and in doing a search through Google I am not finding anything that lists 1G port speed. In my search I used "Network switches with 1G port speed" and came up empty. If I found something would I have to replace the 8 port switch I now have along with getting an additional one? I am leaning more and more to trying to set it up using the wireless connection. Thanks

[StuartR]

You can use ANY switch, I was only suggesting buying one with faster ports as newer PCs support 1Gbit Ethernet and this would allow things like network backups to complete much faster. You can use any switch, and if you can buy a 4 port switch locally then this should work fine.

[Argus]

... In my search I used "Network switches with 1G port speed" and came up empty.

One can often use quite simple keywords, such as: 1 Gbps switch; or, 1 Gbps 8 port switch

Quite many good results with that; some tests and links to all kind of online shops etc.
Google search: 1 Gbps 8 port switch

Have nothing to add to this, Stuart knows a lot; but it makes sense to look at 1 Gbps products if one has to buy something today. On the other hand since everything works and you are trying to solve something else, a wireless printer, a smaller switch might be the best solution now.

[hlewton]

Thank you both.