Windows 7 Network Printer and DHCP problem

[FurryGeezer]

I have a Samsung CPL-310N with latest drivers. I can plug it into my router, then install it as a network printer, and everything works beautifully.

Once the IP address of the printer changes due to DHCP, the printer icon in "Devices and Printers" goes grey, I can no longer print to it. I've tried changing the IP address in the Port part of the printer settings, but this doesn't work. I've also tried putting in the printer's network name in instead of the port IP, and this doesn't work. The only thing that works is to delete the printer and reinstall a network printer again.

I could use fixed IP at home, but surely Windows 7 should be able to cope with network printers on a DHCP network?

 

[Mike]

Re: Network Printer

I would advise you assign a static IP outside of the DHCP range. It will avoid tons of trouble. The printer is not a very smart device, in the sense that it probably doesn't even realize when it IP changes. It just binds to whatever IP is assigned by the DHCP server and sends out the printer name. It is standard practice to assign a network printer a static IP anyway. Network printers are a horror story for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the network printer operates primarily outside of a Windows network, unless it is shared from a Windows OS that is running 24/7 or from a Windows Server that is running 24/7. As you can probably tell by the trouble you are experiencing, the larger the network gets, and the more printers are installed, the more chance there is of all hell breaking loose. Go static on the printer!

 

[FurryGeezer]

Thanks Mike. Sounds like a hot plan. I wasn't aware I could have a mixture of DHCP and static devices, because the router settings gives you a choice of either DCHP or static IP.

If I've understood you, I should be able to define a DHCP range in the router, yet if I pick an IP address outside that range for the printer, the router should still be able to route traffic to it?

 

[jlamphere]

in most of the new linksys updates you can reserve mac addresses to an ip
that might be a better route if you use linksys..

 

[Digerati]

Once the IP address of the printer changes due to DHCP

This should not be happening. Are you powering off the printer completely (not in standby mode) when not in use? This would signal to the router this device is no longer present. If more computers are added and deleted during this time, the IP assignment could shuffle about.

I agree with Mike that assigning a static IP to the printer should help, but again, with DHCP, unless the router sees the printer go away, it should not reassign the IP.

FTR, my old HP OJ workhorse tied about 4 months ago so I had to get a new printer. When I first connected to my network (established by my old Linksys BEFSR81 router) it was assigned an IP via DHCP and I was up an running in no time. Thus far, there have been no IP reassignments to mess that up.