Help wi-fi printer weirdness

[Puddy_Tat]

I am now on 'work from home' most of the time, I have a work issued laptop which I connect to my 'home' monitor and keyboard with a KVM switch. Laptop is connected by ethelnet cable to my (BT) router.

I have occasional need to print stuff so I can transcribe from a PDF or excel or something page to specialist software (I don't have space for two monitors, and it's often easier to hold a ruler under stuff on paper)

My printer (epson xp212, getting on a bit but works fine) is connected by wire to my main PC but I haven't got enough USB ports in the work computer (and don't want the faff) of connecting it by wire, so I've used the wi-fi connection to the printer.

Some days it works, some days it says it's offline (when the damn thing is there and switched on)

It hadn't worked for a few days so I tried uninstall printer / search printer today, and it worked fine again.

Anyone got any ideas? I'm with BT for interwebs, and that means I get a different IP address most days (I switch the whole kit off at the mains overnight) - would that confuse it?

I did occasionally print in the same way from laptop supplied for wfh-ing by old job, and don't remember having any problems with that.

I'm reluctant to go to work IT - I did the first time it happened, then the next day when I got called back, it worked fine without him doing anything. A few weeks later, it was happening again and a different IT bloke said it wasn't their problem and I shouldn't be printing work stuff on a home printer anyway (the stuff I print isn't remotely confidential)

Any bright ideas?

 

[souljacker]

Printer wifi used to be really really bad. If it's an old printer then that's probably the reason. Best advice is to get something new I suspect.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Printer wifi used to be really really bad. If it's an old printer then that's probably the reason. Best advice is to get something new I suspect.

hmph

apart from that, it works fine both as printer and scanner, so i'm reluctant to get rid.

the workaround (which is also probably against the rules) is to e-mail something to my 'home' e-mail, and print it from my PC. which is a bit annoying, but works...

 

[Elpenor]

Can you get work to buy you a USB adaptor so you have more USB ports. You said you don’t want the faff but this might be the solution?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Can you get work to buy you a USB adaptor so you have more USB ports. You said you don’t want the faff but this might be the solution?

i suspect not but suppose it's something i could think about getting.

the KVM switch is something I got - they would prefer to supply me with a monitor (or two) and keyboard. I don't have space to set up a second 'workstation' at home...

 

[Raheem]

Switch the printer off and on.

Switch the device off and on.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Switch the printer off and on.

Switch the device off and on.

or switch both off and go down the pub...

 

[keybored]

I have a wireless printer on my network. Every device on the network (Macbooks, Android phone, iPhone) saw it all the time except this Win10 machine which used to keep claiming the printer was offline.
I think I ended up adding LPR Port Monitor in Windows features, then removing it again. Been fine since (so far).

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I think I ended up adding LPR Port Monitor in Windows features, then removing it again. Been fine since (so far).

umm

i've no idea what that is, or how to do it.

and would i be able to do it on a work computer? don't think i have administrator rights

but that does ring a bell - i think one time it was 'offline' i did manage to print a PDF from my smartyphone

 

[keybored]

umm

i've no idea what that is, or how to do it.

and would i be able to do it on a work computer? don't think i have administrator rights

but that does ring a bell - i think one time it was 'offline' i did manage to print a PDF from my smartyphone

Go to Control Panel, Programs and Features, then look for Turn Windows features on or off (on the left) and expand the Print and Document Services folder

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Go to Control Panel, Programs and Features, then look for Turn Windows features on or off (on the left) and expand the Print and Document Services folder

thanks - i'll save that somewhere and try it next week (the work computer is unplugged and put away for the weekend now)

 

[MBV]

Agree with taking the simple solution and finding a way of using a wired connection.