Scanner won't connect wirelessly

[loosbroos]

Hi again,

I disconnected the router from power (for 20 secs) then re-started it,  and then I re-started the computer and the printer (I also disconnected the printer from power (again 20 secs) as I have found in the past that this can make a difference to solving connection).

It still won't scan wirelessly. Image capture and HP Easy Scan open but don't connect to the scanner function of my F4580 - they just sit waiting for the scanner to respond. As I said in my original post the printer function still works wirelessly, which was why I didn't bother re-booting the router as I figured if the printer worked on WLAN then it wasn't a problem with the router connection.

Anyway to answer your question:

1/. there has been no network restructure lately (this is a home WLAN setup with only the computer and the printer on the network), no new router or firmware upgrade

2/. printer is in same location it has been in for last 8 years & distance to router is about 4 metres - but surely this isn't a factor - as I said the wireless printer function works perfectly .

3/. The router is as supplied by my internet provider NetCologne. The name on the front is 'NetConnect' and the manufacturer (I think) shown on the back is Sphairon, model Turbolink 7211.

I have Parallels Desktop installed on my Mac and after still having a problem decided to try scanning through Windows to see if maybe that worked (if it did it would point to the Mac OS being the problem). Problem is I can't connect the F4580 to the computer (I always had a problem connecting this printer wirelessly to my previous Sony Windows laptop) - the installation setup program gives a message 'The PC and printer are connected to different networks (10.211.55.00 and 192.168.0.0). They must be connected to the same network. This can happen when you use the maufacturer's default network name (SSID) and another nearby network is using the same name.' For info 192.168.0.0 is the IP Address of my network. If you think it would be of any help maybe you can advise me how I can resolve this and connect the F4580 via WLAN in Windows and then see if the scanner function works wirelessly

So I hope all this helps you - I look forward to hearing your thoughts

[ShlomiL · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Generally scanning is a lot more complex communication than  printing, therefore netowrk issues may only affect scanning.

When you press the plus button under System Preferences > Printers & Scanners, do you see the printer listed as Bonjour as expected?

Try following any remaining steps in here, these may help too:

http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Deskjet-F4500-All-in-One-Printer-series/3944755/model/3944756...

If the issue remain, scanning from Windows would be a good test, to deny any multicasting issue which will only affect Mac.

Parallels, as a virtual OS provide Shared Networking by its default configuration, meaning your VM establishes its own subnet and gateway, meaning this is virtually a different network than your standard one.

You may find more about its networking capabilities detailed below:

http://kb.parallels.com/en/4948

I suggest trying to set a Bridged Ethernet or WiFi mode, meaning the virtual OS is a part of your standard network envoirnment, meaning it will have the same subet and gateway as your Mac, then it should allow communicating with the printer through the local network as it should.

You may try following these steps and check if these may help changing your VM network settings:

https://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22251.htm

Regards,

Shlomi

[loosbroos]

Hi Shlomi

Sorry I haven't got back sooner

I haven't had time to check the proceedures you suggested (to be honest it's getting a bit above my computer knowledge) but the main reason is that I've just purchased a Windows 2-in-1 convertible Windows 10 based computer and have been setting it up

long story short I installed the Deskjet on it and the scanner (& printer) works wirelessly without a problem ...so would that suggest the problem is not the router, nor the WiFi connection?

If you still think it's worth checking if it works on the Parallels (Windows 7) installation on my Mac I'll try to follow the instructions you gave me in your last message. But at least I know now the problem isn't with the scanner - I guess there is some compatibility problem with the Mac OS

I'm still interested in your thoughts

Ciao, Bruce

[loosbroos]

Hello Shloml,

I have managed to change the Parallels Windows installation to Bridged Internet (turned out quite easy in the end - I'm just not familiar with thes facilities and my Parallels interface was different to the link), and managed to get the printer installed on Windows through the HP program ...and the scanner now works wirelessly!

It's not the perfect solution as I still can't scan wirelessly through the Mac but at least I can scan documents now on computer through Windows and then transfer them to the Mac OS

Thank you so much for all your help - I really am grateful!

Best Regards

Bruce

[ShlomiL]

Hi Bruce,

For your Mac, I would suggest contacting your router service provider and ensure your router support Bonjour which is essencial for a proper scanning conection from a Mac, you may need to change your router settings to allow a proper Bonjour traffic.

Bonjour may be named as Bonjour, mDNS, Multicast DNS, IGMP Snooping on different routers, your service provider should be able to answer if your router support a such and may require a different configuration to allow a proper connection through such a network discovery type.

Hope that helps,

Shlomi