LaserJet Printer connectivity on ASUS router with smart connect enabled

[b4tunistic]

I have an ASUS router that has a smart connect feature that when enabled allows systems to connect to either the 2.4 or 5 Ghz change automatically depending on strenght. However, with smart connect enabled on the router my HP Color LaserJet M254dw will not function as it apparently does not work with smart connect as it sees two SSIDs with the same name. Therefore I had to disable the smart connect feature and create two seperate SSIDs (1 for 2.4 Ghz and 1 for 5 Ghz channel). The smart connect ability is awesome, but is there any chance HP will add a feature to there printer where it can also connect to either channel based on signal strenght? That way we can leave smart connect enabled and not have to select which SSID we want to connect too.

[John_Getzke · Accepted solution]

> The smart connect ability is awesome, but is there any chance HP will add a feature to there printer where it can also connect to either channel based on signal strenght?

In my opinion this feature request is unlikely to happen.  Smart Connect is a proprietary feature of ASUS routers and is not a universal technology.  HP and ASUS are unlikely to make an arrangement to support a unique feature like this unless it becomes more wide spread.

Your work arounds are:

- Ethernet cable your printer to the home router

- Split the SSIDs and continue to use Smart Connect

- Disable Smart Connect

- Print over direct connection/USB

- Connect your printer to a PC over USB, setup PC as a print server, share the printer from the PC with the network.  This way your wireless clients can still connect to the printer, they just have to go through the PC first.

My guess is that your printer does not have 5.0 GHz as a WiFi feature.  Attempting to connect to a single SSID is pushing it to the unsupported WiFi Tech which results in a bad connection.  Normally this shouldnt be a problem as the printer can only see the 2.4 GHz network to begin with.  The Smart Connect feature may be interfering wtih that process.

Split SSIDs isnt any more burdeon on your WiFi environment.  Both frequencies are being broadcasted in the same space and competing with other networks on the same or near channels.  Its a visual configuration on the individual clients that makes everything appear to be one SSID for human convenience.  If you were to look at the airwaves you would continue to see everything being broadcasted which is what the machines and antennas have to deal with.

[b4tunistic]

Thanks for the information. I do think more home router vendors are moving towards a smart connect feature. The Actiontec router provided by my ISP has the same capability but I do not use it on their router. As a matter of fact I have their wireless radio turned off and my router plugged into it to provide wireless.

[robbyrobaz]

I was losing an installed printer saying it was offline, when it was on and looked perfectly.  I think I fixed it by disabling ipv6 and the 5ghz on the printer web interface.  My Asus router is in Smart Connect mode where it uses one SSID for both 2.4 and the 2 5Ghz protocols.