Can't connect my HP Photosmart c309g-m printer to my Linksys WRT54GC router. "No filtering = FAIL"

[SpacyRicochet]

I'm having trouble connecting my HP Photosmart c309g-m to my Linksys WRT54GC router.  The diagnostics report states "No filtering = FAIL" in all my attempts.

First I had set up the wireless security of the router with a WPA2 Personal passphrase. 

Because that didn't work, I downgraded my security to WPA, since the diagnostics report suggests that that's what it's actually using for encryption. This didn't work either.

I double and triple checked the MAC address of the printer in my Wireless MAC filter settings. It was correct. However, it still didn't connect.

Grudgingly, I turned MAC filtering off. However, the printer still wouldn't connect.

Now I'm out of options. Any possible ideas for this problem?

[PrintDoc · Accepted solution]

Here are a few ideas:

1. Make sure the SSID is being broadcast.

2. Make sure that DHCP is active.

3. Do not use MAC filtering (it is not a good security measure, anyway).

4. Change the router channel to 11.

[SpacyRicochet]

Changing the wireless channel to 11 did it. All the other options were already accounted for.

Thanks!

P.S. Just for curiosity's sake. Why is MAC filtering not a good security measure?

[PrintDoc]

OK, I am glad that worked!

MAC filtering is not secure because the MAC addresses are sent in the clear (not encrypted with your WPA encryption scheme).  Anyone can read the MAC addresses being sent to the router and then change their compouter's MAC address to fake their way into your router.

This is an interesting article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=43