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HP Recommended
HP deskjet 6940
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

My printer works fine via a wall plug. The printer has a fixed IP adress on the router.

I want to print wireless via a range extender (TP-Link TL-WA855RE). When connencted via a cable to the range extender on the printer's display it shows it is connected to the network. When trying to print however a message "Printer offline" appears.

TP-Link suggests as cause that this printer only can be coupled to one MAC-adres and so there is no solution for this problem.

Is there a solution to get the printer working via the range extender?

12 REPLIES 12
HP Recommended

When you plug your LAN cable into a LAN port on your regular router (not extender), does the printer work work?

HP Recommended

The printer works fine when  plugged in into a LAN port of the router.

HP Recommended

Well yes.  You have an extender problem.  Please call the manufacturer of the extender for support since it is not a printer problem.

HP Recommended

The manufacturer of the extender tells me it is a printer problem. They guess this printer can only be coupled to 1 MAC-adres (as they tell me this is the case with more HP printers). With the extender you need to couple to the extenders MAC adress as well as the routers MAC adress.

I thought that printers coupled to an IP-adress rather than a MAC adress. Is this true?

HP Recommended

All devices have only one MAC addresss.

HP Recommended

The extender makes a "Virtual MAC adres"as you can see in the answer below from the extender manufacturer


=============================================================================================

The MAC addresses for 855RE Ethernet interface and its wireless interface are different. Whats more, our range extenders use "proxy mode" in the wireless frame transferring. It will create a "virtual MAC" for each devices which are connected to it. That is why you will see "different" MAC addresses in the DHCP list of main router. You can connect more wireless clients to the extender and check their MAC addresses in the DHCP list of main router, and you will find out the way that our RE create virtual MACs, it will combine the real MAC address of the clients with its own MAC address

=============================================================================================

 

If it is true that this printer can only be coupled to one MAC adres, this virtual MAC adres may cause the problem, but I am not sure the printer couples to a MAC adres. I thought it couples via an IP-adres.

HP Recommended

Sorry I don't have that much experience with extenders.

HP Recommended

Just as a FYI, I have tested a HP Printer using a TP Link WR702N wireless travel router in extender mode and it worked just fine.

HP Recommended

Thans for your time.

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.