M254 multiple confusion sources...

[adrianxw]

My 20 year old LaserJet 4 has really died now, apparently the power supply is dead. I read a few reviews, and concluded the M254 was a good replacement. I print very infrequently, Christmas circulars, letters with birthday cards etc. so inkjets etc are useless, they dry out in the jets during long printless gaps. I wanted a M254n as I was told I could connect this to my router and print from any of my machines, (wireless is a bit flaky here).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075GH7YJ1/ref=dp_cerb_3

However, (scroll to the bottom), says this is not a laser printer, but a dot matrix, whereas here...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B075GG7LZX/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creative...

... it says it is thermal. Now, I suspect Amazon is goofing but the doubt has been planted. What do I want?

[John_Getzke · Accepted solution]

The title of the printer confirms the kind of technology it uses:

"HP T6B59A Color LaserJet Pro M254nw Printer" = Color LaserJet, not dot matrix.  It uses regular laser Toner as a consumable.  Amazon appears to be screwing with you on this one.

"HP Color LaserJet Pro M254dw Printer,White" = Color Laserjet...in a white shell.  It uses a 203 series color toner cartridge as its consumable.  Amazon appears to be wrong on this one too.

[adrianxw]

Yes, exactly what I was expecting to hear. Amazon need a new author in marketting.

[adrianxw]

I'm having a problem with the new printer. It is all unpacked but connecting it to the router is "odd". I have connected the supplied cable from the printer to the router. The router has four ports, and a LED indicates the port is in use. I have tried connecting the printer to either of the free ports, and to one of the ports normally used by a computer here, in neither case does the LED light. I have also tried a spare cable I had, no change. I do not think it is "working", probably something silly, but so far I have been unable to progress. What do I need to do to get the printer connected to the router?

[John_Getzke]

If there are no LEDs on the Ethernet port of the printer or home router then there is no physical connection between the two devices.  Either your cable is bad or you are not plugging the Ethernet cable into the correct port on the back of the printer.  Swapping the cable is easy, sounds like you did that already too.  So I would then question how you are plugging the devices in or if the Ethernet port on the back of the printer is working.

To question if the port on the printer is bad, take the same Ethernet cable on the same port of the router and plug it into something else.  If it lights up then you know that part of the connection is fine.  All that is left is the Ethernet adapter on the printer.  

You can also print off a configuration page on the printer to verify what the current IP Address is.  If there are no lights and No IPv4 address then you know the printer is not connected to the network.

Hopefully you do not have some kind of a MAC filter or something on your home router that is turning off the port when it talks to the printer.  You may want to review your router settings to make sure it is accepting new clients without any extra steps.

Networking should be enabled by default on the printer.  You could try restoring the defaults if you somehow accidentally turned that feature off.

To service a faulty Ethernet adapter, contact HP and leverage your new machine warranty.  They will either send you a new printer or a tech to come and service your current one.

[adrianxw]

There are no LEDs, on or off, on the back of the printer, just a recession in the cover, with two connectors, one each type A and B usb. The router only has type B connectors, so I have connected the cable from a free port on the router, to the type A port on the printer. I have tried connecting the printer to the port that this machine is connected too, which is obviously working, no change.

If I disconnect the cable from the router to this computer, the corresponding router LED goes off as expected. Connecting the printer cable to a usb A port on the computer does not cause the LED on the router to light, but that does not really surprise me, the back panel on the motherboard has a type B connector labelled for networking. The motherboard is an ASUS  "Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1".

I tried to find a contact number for HP on the website here, (Denmark), but it would seem they don't want people to call them, that needs staff, and the AI "helper" (!) only can help with obvious stuff.

[John_Getzke]

It sounds like you are trying to use a USB print server on your home router rather than creating a normal network connection via Ethernet cable.  This will depend on the print server functionality of your print server and goes beyond what I can directly assist you with.  USB connections do not use LEDs like Ethernet cable connections, forget our comments on the LED visual feedback if you are attempting to proceed with USB.

This will alter your network installation of the printer too as now you will have to install whatever the IP address is of the print server on the home router, rather than the IP of the printer itself.

Here is my suggestion.  Connect the printer via USB to your Home router.  Log into your home router and verify if there is some kind of a print server feature.  There should be more information on the home router if there is.  Cross reference the User Guide for your home router to verify how the Print Server feature is supposed to work.  Once the print server feature is properly configured it should provide an IP Address that you can then install on your PC.  I would assume that IP would respond to PING as a test too.  

[adrianxw]

Errr, one of us seems to be losing the plot here. I have two computers under my desk, they are connected with ethernet cables to my router, which connects them onwards. I bought the "n" model of the printer, because I was told I could connect it to my router and then print from either of my machines. I have no idea where a "USB print server" is coming from, or frankly, what it is.

The printer does not have a usb connector.

[John_Getzke]

Here is a picture of the back of the printer from the M254 user guide:

M254 Back Side

For regular network connections you will want to plug your Ethernet cable into the Ethernet Port (#5 on the diagram).  The other end should go into a matching Ethernet port on the back of the router. 

#4 on the printer diagram is for USB installations:

https://www.urtech.ca/2018/02/solved-different-types-usb-connectors-speeds/

Lets make sure we are talking about the right situation before we proceed.  In a normal home networking situation everything would be connected to the Home router and nothing else:

Router ==== PC1

Router ==== PC2

Router === Printer

A USB Print Server is a feature that would be installed on your home router.  If you do not intend to use such a feature then lets ignore ignore that part of the conversation.  

[adrianxw]

As far as I can see, I have the supplied cable connected to the correct port on the printer at one end, and the router at the other end. The LED on the router does not light. I have also tried the connection with a second ethernet cable I had to hand, no change. I tried to connect to the router port that this machine is connected to, no change. I summise that the cable is not the issue, and the router is not the issue.