Problem with router for Macbook

gino_76ph

Hi there!

I have a technical problem and would like some help please.

I currently have the latest Macbook Air and also happen to have an HP Photosmart 5510 all-in-one wireless printer. I am a long-time customer of TalkTalk and i'm now on fibre optic broadband using the Huawei Echolife HG532 router.

My issue is the communication link between my Mac and my printer. there seem to be a barrier between them as i am unable to print wirelessly to the printer.

My printer is connected to my Mac via the router and my Mac was able to add/detect my printer under the System Preference.

I have rung both Apple and HP and have come to a conclusion (and as advised by the latter) that certain "ports" needed to be opened. i rung TT and they told me that i need to contact the manufacturer. i then rung Huawei. their tech support is either non-existemt or they just tell you to go to the website and download the latest driver. i read in certain forums that certain driver updates won't solve the problem. i searched my device on Huawei's website but i couldn't find it there.

This is where i was banging my head on the wall.

What i want is to help me on how i can configure (if possible) the router settings myself in order to open up those ports so an unrestricted clear line of communication between my devices will be established so i can start printing for my course work which i badly needed this weekend.

and...is it worth changing my Huawei 532 and investing to this 1st-party Apple AirPort Extreme Base station router? is there a cheaper 3rd-party workaround or way to resolve this issue that seems to be very simple?

please advice thanks.

Gratis

Forgive me for asking but have you yet installed, for this printer, HP's Mac OS X driver, product firmware update (28 March 2012), and Critical Update (24 January 2012) for Mac OS 10.7 on to your Air?

They're here.

(Click on the first and third "+" buttons displayed on that page. Once you've installed them, re-boot your Air and then use "Print and Fax" Preferences – in System Preferences, from the drop-down menu under the Apple logo in the top left hand corner of your screen – to check that the new HP driver is selected as default.)

Do that before messing about with ports. Most HP Customer Support Advisors are hopeless with Mac issues; they're Windows fixated and don't understand Macs. Following their advice is more likely to mess up your Mac than cure anything.

You would also be wise to install this.

I doubt that this is a router issue at all.

You haven't given any indication as to whether you can print when your Air is connected to your router by Ethernet cable (as opposed to wirelessly) nor whether you can print when your Air is connected directly to your printer by USB2 (leaving your router out of the equation entirely).

If you can get it printing by either of the two methods above (having downloaded and installed the software to which I have provided you with links) you will at least be able to get your course work printed out this weekend and then you can work on the wireless issue at your leisure.

The Apple Airport Extreme is an excellent piece of kit – and a doddle to set up with a Mac – but bear in mind that it contains no modem.

Figment

Try setting a static IP on the printer.

gino_76ph

Gratis,

I have downloaded the first and the third "+" that you told me to download off the HP website. (First link) i have also downloaded the HP printer drivers off the Apple website. (Second Link)

Btw, my Macbook Air is connected to my Huawei router via wireless and my printer is connected to my Macbook wireless as well. both devices have the latest OS/software installed as of today.

How do i check (via the Apple logo on the left) if indeed i have the software set as default? how di check and double-check if all settings and software versions are all installed?

I tried printing and still it is not working?

Is there anything else i'm missing or need to do?

Please help....

Figment

The issue is likely to be one caused by the printer using DHCP to get an IP address which is liable to change each time you switch the printer on. The MBA (or for that matter any computer trying to use the printer) will be trying to communicate with the printer at the IP address it had at the time it was set up.

To overcome this, you either need to set the printer to use a permanent (static) IP address, or reserve an IP address for it in the router's DHCP settings. Once you have done either of these, delete and re-add the Printer using the new IP address

gino_76ph

Figment,

Sorry...but with the one you are suggestion can you please give me the steps that i need to do? ( a bit too technical for me:-)

Figment

Afraid you would need to check the printer's manual to find out how to set a static IP address (it will need the printer connected (temporarily) by USB cable).

You may also need to log into the router's web interface (admin panel) and adjust the range of IPs used for DHCP to free up an IP to use.

Gratis

It’s difficult to troubleshoot other people’s problems without knowing the context of them within their whole system and their other devices, installed or available.

I feel, to some extent, that you have started in the middle of the process and have jumped to some conclusions which may or may not pertain.

So, commence by going right to the beginning and establishing just what you’ve got and what does work.


Context.

1) Is your Macbook Air your only computer?

2) If so, what did you have before and did your HP printer (forgive the shorthand) work with it wirelessly?

3) Alternatively, if the answer to 1 is no, what other computers do you have and do any of those work with it wirelessly?

4) Also, if the answer to 1 is no, are you able to connect wirelessly to them with your Air?


Airbook.

5) Have you downloaded and installed both items in the third “+” box of the HP webpage? If not, do so.

6) Have you installed the (9 May 2012) Mac system update from 10.7.3 to 10.7.4 ?

(If not, go to here, bookmark that page for future use and then download the OS 10.7.4 “Combo” updater called “OS X Lion Update 10.7.4 Client Combo” – it’s big, 1.4 GB. Store this on your Airbook – so that you have it available to you, without needing to go online, to sort out any future problems you may have. Then install the update on your Airbook.)

7) Use “Software Update” (on the drop-down menu under the Apple icon in the top left hand corner of your Airbook’s display) to see if you need any further updates for anything else. Install those, if so. Then run “Disk Utility” which is located in the “Utilities” folder, within “Applications” on your hard drive: use this to “Repair Permissions” on your hard drive. Do that always when you install major new software. Then re-boot.


Printer.

8) Switch off your wireless router and connect the printer directly to your Airbook by USB2 lead. See if you can print with it, now that you have the latest HP and Apple drivers installed for it. This will establish whether the Airbook is giving the printer the necessary instructions for it to print.

9) If this works, print out your course work which you have indicated is urgent.

10) Then connect both the Airbook and the printer to your router directly by physical cables (use the Ethernet port on your Airbook) and see if that will work the printer (non-wirelessly).

11) If it does, remove the wired Ethernet connection between your Airbook and your router and connect to it wirelessly. See if you can now get the printer to work while it is still connected to the router by cable.

12) If it does, remove the wired connection between the printer and the router and then try it wirelessly.


I don’t have a wireless printer myself (all ours are connected into our wired Gigabit network) but all our wireless Macs can use all our printers with no problems.

When any issue has ever arisen, it’s always been because a system update has rendered a printer driver obsolete and it was cured by updating the printer driver.

Figment is right that allocating the printer (and also your Airbook) a fixed IP address on your router is a good idea.

But the fact that you write, in your initial posting, that your Airbook can detect and add your printer in “Print and Fax” preferences suggests that your Airbook is not having DHCP or routing problems finding your printer. If, on the other hand, you do not have the right driver for your printer installed on your Airbook, or the firmware on your printer needs updating, your printer will not understand what it is being told to do by your Airbook.

I really don’t think it’s a port issue with your router – but, there again, I don’t have a Huawei router. One possible cause is that both your Airbook and your Huawei router may be trying to connect wirelessly direct to your printer simultaneously.

Anyway, work through the above and see if that helps.

If you can afford an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station, it’s a nice upgrade and it will enable your Airbook to use 802.11n on 5 GHz.

Figment

10) Then connect both the Airbook and the printer to your router directly by physical cables (use the Ethernet port on your Airbook) and see if that will work the printer (non-wirelessly).

The current model MBA does not have an ethernet port, an ethernet USB adapter would be required.

Figment

Figment is right that allocating the printer (and also your Airbook) a fixed IP address on your router is a good idea.

But the fact that you write, in your initial posting, that your Airbook can detect and add your printer in “Print and Fax” preferences suggests that your Airbook is not having DHCP or routing problems finding your printer. If, on the other hand, you do not have the right driver for your printer installed on your Airbook, or the firmware on your printer needs updating, your printer will not understand what it is being told to do by your Airbook.

Two points:

1) A static IP for the MacBook Air is NOT necessary, nor would I recommend it, as it could cause problems when accessing other wireless networks.

2) The MBA would have detected/installed the printer at the IP address the printer had been allocated at the time it was added. If the OP deletes the printer from the MBA now and then adds it as a new printer, the MBA will detect and install it, and the chances are the OP will be able to print wirelessly from the MBA. However, turn the printer off for 24 hours or more and on next power on there is a possibility a different IP address will be allocated by DHCP. This is where the issue arises as the MBA will still try to use the IP address stored in Print and Fax properties.

gino_76ph

Gratis wrote: »

It’s difficult to troubleshoot other people’s problems without knowing the context of them within their whole system and their other devices, installed or available.

I feel, to some extent, that you have started in the middle of the process and have jumped to some conclusions which may or may not pertain.

So, commence by going right to the beginning and establishing just what you’ve got and what does work.


Context.

1) Is your Macbook Air your only computer?

Yes.

2) If so, what did you have before and did your HP printer (forgive the shorthand) work with it wirelessly?

I had an HP laptop and i was printing files to my old Canon printer in a wired way. Both my Macbook Air and HP printer are barnd-new.

3) Alternatively, if the answer to 1 is no, what other computers do you have and do any of those work with it wirelessly?

N/A

4) Also, if the answer to 1 is no, are you able to connect wirelessly to them with your Air?

N/A


Airbook.

5) Have you downloaded and installed both items in the third “+” box of the HP webpage? If not, do so.

I have downloaded BOTH items.

6) Have you installed the (9 May 2012) Mac system update from 10.7.3 to 10.7.4 ?

I am not sure.

But my curent Mac OS version is 10.7.4. do i still need to download the "Combo" pack?


(If not, go to here, bookmark that page for future use and then download the OS 10.7.4 “Combo” updater called “OS X Lion Update 10.7.4 Client Combo” – it’s big, 1.4 GB. Store this on your Airbook – so that you have it available to you, without needing to go online, to sort out any future problems you may have. Then install the update on your Airbook.)

7) Use “Software Update” (on the drop-down menu under the Apple icon in the top left hand corner of your Airbook’s display) to see if you need any further updates for anything else. Install those, if so. Then run “Disk Utility” which is located in the “Utilities” folder, within “Applications” on your hard drive: use this to “Repair Permissions” on your hard drive. Do that always when you install major new software. Then re-boot.


Printer.

8) Switch off your wireless router and connect the printer directly to your Airbook by USB2 lead. See if you can print with it, now that you have the latest HP and Apple drivers installed for it. This will establish whether the Airbook is giving the printer the necessary instructions for it to print.

Like i have said i can print websites and my Amazon/Ebay seller invoices with no problem as i am printing it via the Google Cloud print way. Only .doc files from NeoOffice & OpenOffice doesn't print via direct wireless printing. (which i think is similar to the way it prints via GCP)

9) If this works, print out your course work which you have indicated is urgent.

10) Then connect both the Airbook and the printer to your router directly by physical cables (use the Ethernet port on your Airbook) and see if that will work the printer (non-wirelessly).

Not applicable as my MBA has NO physical ethernet ports.

11) If it does, remove the wired Ethernet connection between your Airbook and your router and connect to it wirelessly. See if you can now get the printer to work while it is still connected to the router by cable.

12) If it does, remove the wired connection between the printer and the router and then try it wirelessly.


I don’t have a wireless printer myself (all ours are connected into our wired Gigabit network) but all our wireless Macs can use all our printers with no problems.

When any issue has ever arisen, it’s always been because a system update has rendered a printer driver obsolete and it was cured by updating the printer driver.

Figment is right that allocating the printer (and also your Airbook) a fixed IP address on your router is a good idea.

My e-printer has an IP address anyway because it is wireless and wirelessly connected to the router. I am also able to print by emailing files to my printer as it has its own email address now.

But the fact that you write, in your initial posting, that your Airbook can detect and add your printer in “Print and Fax” preferences suggests that your Airbook is not having DHCP or routing problems finding your printer. If, on the other hand, you do not have the right driver for your printer installed on your Airbook, or the firmware on your printer needs updating, your printer will not understand what it is being told to do by your Airbook.

I really don’t think it’s a port issue with your router – but, there again, I don’t have a Huawei router. One possible cause is that both your Airbook and your Huawei router may be trying to connect wirelessly direct to your printer simultaneously.

Anyway, work through the above and see if that helps.

If you can afford an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station, it’s a nice upgrade and it will enable your Airbook to use 802.11n on 5 GHz.

I have answered all your queries to the best of my abilities.

now, waiting for further advice & instructions...