2009-era Netgear 54Mbps print server won't connect to modern wifi

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AnalogOzerik

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Windows made it very difficult nigh impossible to share a printer connected to a Win10 box, so I bought a very cheap Netgear WGPS606 54Mbps print server. It won't connect to my modern wifi network, although it can *see* the wifi, and additionally it can communicate okay on the wired network but still won't let network machines access the printer.

The print server has WPA, my network uses WPA2, pretty sure I've tried all the different permutations, no good. What should I do? Buy a better print server?? Figure out how to get Windows to share a printer???
 
What model access points are on your network?

I just read over the Netgear WGPS606 manual and I think this may just be too old since it was made to work during win2k and xp days. It will need to connect to older 2.4Ghz network, will require drivers on the PCs that probably won't work, and may not even support the usb printer you have.

Honestly, when I'm trying to set up a network printer, I just get a network printer. The network lasers can be found very cheap used locall or in the CDW outlet.
 
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The built in networking on most relatively newer laser printers is excellent and many comes with lan and wireless options. In the case of the Brother brand they are built like tanks, and are known for reliability and have many generic ink carts available. I’d invest money into a modern printer with these features built in before I invested in a print server for a old printer.

If you need to keep the old printer, you can buy something like a raspberry pi and make the print server pretty cheap.

You can also buy a newer stand alone print server.

For security reasons your older unit is not safely compatible with your new network I believe.
 
The cheapest option might be to just buy a really old access point from eBay or whatever, and have it broadcast a WiFi signal that is compatible (e.g. Wireless B/G/N with WPAv1 encryption). Use a seperate SSID from your main network that way you don't have any clients try to connect to it other than the print server. This will get it on your network and then all clients can reach it.

Outside of that you should be able to share it from Windows but then obviously the main machine it's connected to must always be running in order for other clients to print to it.

How old is the printer too? Like most semi recent printers have WiFi or at least Ethernet so you connect it that way to your network rather than rely on printer sharing or a print server.
 
Yeah WPA2 isn't compatible with WPA, you'll need a print server capable of WPA2 or an access point which is configured for WPA security.

As for why the printer isn't accessible on the wired network, idk. I would imagine it's something that needs to be configured either in the server or the router, but I suppose it could also be the printer isn't compatible, I would have to read up on that print server.
 
Nobu said:
Yeah WPA2 isn't compatible with WPA, you'll need a print server capable of WPA2 or an access point which is configured for WPA security.

As for why the printer isn't accessible on the wired network, idk. I would imagine it's something that needs to be configured either in the server or the router, but I suppose it could also be the printer isn't compatible, I would have to read up on that print server.
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There are some routers that do not even allow WPA anymore because of the security risk.
 
AnalogOzerik said:
additionally it can communicate okay on the wired network but still won't let network machines access the printer.
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I'm not sure if getting it hooked up to wifi will help if it doesn't work when wired. If you've got any spare access points, I'd do what everyone else says, give it a dedicated access point with wep/wpa1/no auth and see... If you don't gave any spare access points, congrats on not being a horder ;p but take a network maintenance window and set your current ap to a new ssid and no auth and see if you can get it to work at all before getting a spare ap.

I *think* printer sharing is a pretty common feature for access points these days, so maybe your current one can do it, if it makes sense to put your printer near the ap.
 
re the print server: either dumb down your security to what it supports, stay hardwired, or get a different model that does support wpa2. i run into this all the time at work....
on the system: make sure "network discovery" is enabled, or you could try lowering it to 40bit encryption(under file sharing) and see if the others can see it.
 
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Dopamin3 said:
The cheapest option might be to just buy a really old access point from eBay or whatever, and have it broadcast a WiFi signal that is compatible (e.g. Wireless B/G/N with WPAv1 encryption).
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I thought about recommending this same idea, but once this problem is solved, there's the driver issue with the print server--there's none for newer windows it seems.
 
toast0 said:
I *think* printer sharing is a pretty common feature for access points these days, so maybe your current one can do it, if it makes sense to put your printer near the ap.
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This is a very good point! Most consumer routers have a print server feature built-in. Better to try to use that as it will be newer and is already connected to the network.
 
What didn't work sharing the printer?

Share it
Add right security members to see it
Allow firewall to pass it
Done
 
SamirD said:
I thought about recommending this same idea, but once this problem is solved, there's the driver issue with the print server--there's none for newer windows it seems.
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That's a good point. Two people said it worked on Windows 10 on the Amazon page.

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Might have to add it manually in the add a network printer/device dialogue and use the IP address. You could entirely be right so probably take this with a grain of salt.

edit: Oh I overlooked the Amazon AI saying people have mixed experience lol (but I presume most people that couldn't get it to work didn't try manually adding it)
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In general, my experience is that stuff designed for w2k, xp, and was stretching to work with win7 will be even a bigger stretch for win10. Especially since printers have also evolved quite a bit too.

My solution to something like this if I wasn't replacing the printer with a network one would be to use a win7 thin client and share the printer with the network using that.
 
Yeah, the print server doesn't seem like it's gonna work. The driver lets me select between WinXP and Win2000 LOL

My printer is an old Brother, which IS built like a tank, and I DO have a basement full of generic toner cartridges, so I'll stick with it :p

My router does have a tempting USB port, and is newer, so it might have a print server already built in!

Thanks for all the ideas!
 
I used to have one of these print servers. Wasted too much time trying to work on Win 10 with an old Canon AIO. Tossed the print server into the recycle bin. My time is worth * something *. Then the Canon AIO quit working after about 15 years. Now I have an HP LajerJet and an HP AOI, and both support WiFi and Ethernet. All is good.
 
AnalogOzerik said:
Yeah, the print server doesn't seem like it's gonna work. The driver lets me select between WinXP and Win2000 LOL

My printer is an old Brother, which IS built like a tank, and I DO have a basement full of generic toner cartridges, so I'll stick with it :p

My router does have a tempting USB port, and is newer, so it might have a print server already built in!

Thanks for all the ideas!
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Yep, as long as your router is fairly new, it should support the brother as the brother has support under cups under linux. :) Definitely post back because I'm curious how it turns out as I have a laser brother that's usb only that I've not figured out what I want to do with.
 
philb2 said:
I used to have one of these print servers. Wasted too much time trying to work on Win 10 with an old Canon AIO. Tossed the print server into the recycle bin. My time is worth * something *. Then the Canon AIO quit working after about 15 years. Now I have an HP LajerJet and an HP AOI, and both support WiFi and Ethernet. All is good.
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Once you go network laser, you'll never go back to anything else. :D
 
AnalogOzerik said:
Well, my USB-only Brother keeps chugging along, and shows no signs of wearing out. Helps that a lot of the wear-parts get replaced every time the toner runs out *genius*
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Oh yeah, they'll last too. Just got to find a way to network it--I think the router is the best bet.
 
SamirD said:
Oh yeah, they'll last too. Just got to find a way to network it--I think the router is the best bet.
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As long as the USB doesn't cause interference to the LAN'/WAN side. I had a router years ago that connecting the USB would cause the LAN connection next to it to suffer constant drops.
 
kydsid said:
As long as the USB doesn't cause interference to the LAN'/WAN side. I had a router years ago that connecting the USB would cause the LAN connection next to it to suffer constant drops.
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heh, like when I put my phone on my laptop and the video glitches. Yup :p
 
kydsid said:
As long as the USB doesn't cause interference to the LAN'/WAN side. I had a router years ago that connecting the USB would cause the LAN connection next to it to suffer constant drops.
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I'm hoping those days are behind us now--stuff was so jank initially, lol.
 
AnalogOzerik said:
Well, my USB-only Brother keeps chugging along, and shows no signs of wearing out. Helps that a lot of the wear-parts get replaced every time the toner runs out *genius*
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I used to think that Brother printers were not high quality, in general. Was I wrong? When my HP Laserjet finally quits, would I be bettter off with a duplex capable Brother printer?

For that LaserJet, about two years ago, it stopped accepting input and I ended up replacing the "formatter board." Turns out that there were a whole bunch of eBay listings, for HP and third-party boards. I paid more for an HP board. No problems since then.
 
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