Losing printer connection

novicegeek

novicegeek

Member
Hi there. Can anyone help me with a problem? I have two computers hooked up to one printer through a router. About every month or so, it will not print and it says there's no device driver installed. I've found out how to fix it, but I really want to know what's causing it (and how to make it stop).

To fix the problem, I print out a network page from the printer and check the IP address. It's usually changed from ...1.2 to ...1.3, or visa versa (that's the last two numbers, of course). I will simply go into printer properties, create a new TCP/IP port using the lastest IP address on the printer and it works fine.

Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on? It doesn't take long to fix, but being a novice geek, I'd really like to know what's happening behind the scenes.

I'd appreciate any help. Thanks.
 
Sounds like it's just releasing it's dhcp lease from the router. Setup the printer with a static ip outside the dhcp pool.
 
I almost understood that

Hey Vipernitrox, thank you for your response. Here's where the "novice" part comes in with my moniker. What you said, from what I understood of it, makes a lot of sense. But exactly how do I change this from a dynamic to a static IP address. I've got a Netgear router. Do I change it through the settings on the router? If so, that's no problem. If not, I'm afraid I'm a little lost. I thought I'd get some clarification before I messed with it any more than I already had (and lost Internet connection for a bit).

Thanks again.
 
Hey Voyagerfan99, I appreciate your helpfulness. My printer is an HP 6500 Wireless, model # E709n. Do you think you can assist me in this? I'd be mighty obliged.
 
In the network settings of your printer, change the IP mode from automatic to static and then just manually set the IP address to something within your wireless network range. You'll just need to modify or reinstall the printer (as a local printer on a TCP/IP port [done through the Printers & Faxes panel in Control Panel]) on the computer(s) you're looking to use it on.
 
That should work, novice geek, I don't really understand how it can lose connection to the Internet if it's being shared or whatever...from what I know it shouldnt disconnect...anyways I have no idea if it doesn't work...better ask John here he knows what he's talking about
 
darrenvox said:
That should work, novice geek, I don't really understand how it can lose connection to the Internet if it's being shared or whatever...from what I know it shouldnt disconnect...anyways I have no idea if it doesn't work...better ask John here he knows what he's talking about
Click to expand...

I'm the resident networking specialist :rolleyes:
 
darrenvox said:
That should work, novice geek, I don't really understand how it can lose connection to the Internet if it's being shared or whatever...from what I know it shouldnt disconnect...anyways I have no idea if it doesn't work.
Click to expand...

When the router reissues DHCP, approx once a month, your printers IP address changes.

This is like saying that you have a filing cabinet, your router is in the top drawer. Each month your filing clerk comes in and takes the router out of the top drawer and puts it into the second drawer down (why? well why not!!). The following month she moves it back to the top drawer.

By setting your printer to a static address you are telling the filing clerk to keep her grubby mitts off your router :)

Hope that helps.
 
GaryCantley said:
When the router reissues DHCP, approx once a month, your printers IP address changes.

This is like saying that you have a filing cabinet, your router is in the top drawer. Each month your filing clerk comes in and takes the router out of the top drawer and puts it into the second drawer down (why? well why not!!). The following month she moves it back to the top drawer.

By setting your printer to a static address you are telling the filing clerk to keep her grubby mitts off your router :)

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Actually it shouldn't do it. If the router has a correct dhcp implementation. It shouldn't give out a new network address to the same (still connected device). At the end of the DHCP lease the dhcp server should check if the device is still connected and using the IP. If so, it just re-issues the same IP to the device. Somehow that part is malfunctioning, i've seen it happen before with wireless printers. Printers are better of having a static ip address or a dhcp reservation.

So basically the clerk should first ask if the file is still occupying the space. But somehow the clerk is lazy or the file is lazy and they don't communicate :)

edit: oh and the usual dhcp lease time is something like a day or 2 days. Never seen it as high as a month. That's ridiculous.
 
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I've seen it across the board, all different routers so I set the printers to static now whenever I set them up.

What "should" happen and what DOES happen are two totally different things.

Maybe the filing clerk has lost her voice :)
 
Thanks to all!

Yes, I think that did it. I reset the IP address on the printer manually, but used the same number as was listed under the "port" tab in the printer properties. I ran a test print and it printed fine. Hopefully that will be the last of that. I really do appreciate all of your input for a novice geek. And that darn clerk has been fired.

Gary
 
That should keep it from losing the DHCP lease and renewing a new IP address. Let us know if you need anymore help :good:
 
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