Wi-Fi Pod and printer connection/disconnection, printer not detected problems

[Guy10]

Hello community. Since I have installed a pod to extend my home Wi-Fi network, my printer continually disconnects from the network, like if it did not know if it should connect to the main router or to the pod. The only way to get it to reconnect is to shut if off. Then it reconnects for a while, and disconnects again.

Thanks for any suggestion,

Guy10

[JDHodge]

I have four Pods, and two HP Laserjet Pro printers.  Our computers are Macs.  All software/firmware on the computers, printers, and network is current.

Printers lose connection every 2-3 weeks, and it takes me forever to get them back online, and I never really determine what I 'changed' or 'fixed'.  I usually unplug both printers and all pods, reboot our Gigahub, reboot our computers and then plug the Pods and printers back in.  I then spend another hour or so on each computer thinking with various settings trying to figure it out, when seemingly like magic they connect.  I have removed virus protection, and turned off Apple's private WIFI address, turned off VPN, etc. etc. with nothing resolving it.

The issue doesn't seem to be the printers connecting to wifi - I can see them in the Bell WIFI app, but I think it is an issue with AirPrint not broadcasting across either the Pods, or frequencies.   One of the printers shows an error in its status report that there are multiple SSID's broadcasting with the same name - which is what I would expect in a network that has 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz broadcasting at the same time.  Is it that the printers can't manage that?  

I also have a Synology NAS, and an Eve camera that are periodically losing their connection - much like the printers do.  Computers, iPhones, Apple TV's, Philips Hue lighting, Ring doorbell, Nest thermostats, smart switches, etc. all seem fine. 

When these devices lose their connection they are always visible in the Bell WIFI app, so it can't be the actual network connection, but rather an issue with some protocol, or visibility across pods or frequencies.  I have had the printers working fine when it is connected to the same Pod as the computer, and when they are connected to a different one.

Could it be that they are impacted when the Pods periodically optimize the network?

I have placed a Pod near one of the printers, and hard wired the printer to the Pod as an experiment.

Any suggestions?

[BellPatricia]

Hey there @JDHodge,

Thanks for reaching out to the Bell community and for all of the steps you've tried so far.

Are your pods and printer all connected to the 2.4GHz network? 

I found your comment interesting 'One of the printers shows an error in its status report that there are multiple SSID's broadcasting with the same name'. It seems possible that the printer's Wi-Fi management capabilities are limited and cannot handle multiple SSIDs with the same name broadcasting on different frequency bands. To avoid that conflict you can try renaming your 5GHz and 6GHz networks to something different from the 2.4GHz network. 

Keep the community up to date with how everything is going.

@BellPatricia 

[JDHodge]

Thanks for getting back to me.  My printers are HP LaserJet Pro M404 DW.

The printer I still have on WIFI is on a 5Ghz network, and the Pod it is connected to is hardwired to the Gigahub.  Is it possible to rename my SSID's by frequency when I am using your "Whole Home WIFI"?  It is my understanding that I am not able to do that, and I don't want to turn off "Whole Home WIFI", because then the Pods are not supported.

[BellPatricia]

Hey there @JDHodge 🙂

You can just temporarily turn off Whole Home Wi-Fi in your modem GUI, and then rename the band and connect your devices to a specific band.  

There are a few discussions in the community you may find helpful:

• Splitting SSID for IOT device configuration
• Split 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands on the Bell Home Hub 3000/4000/Giga Hub

How have things been working since you hard wired the printer to the Pod?

@BellPatricia 

[JDHodge]

My remaining wireless printer went offline yesterday, so is stayed online only a few days.  The one I wired is still working, so given they typically both went offline at the same time, I think we can assume it is specifically wireless that is the issue.  My printers are typically in the 5Ghz band, so maybe I will experiment with the suggestion of a temporary shutdown of whole home wifi, and establish a separate SSID at 5Ghz, then connect my remaining WIFI printer to that SSID.

[JDHodge]

I have finally found some time to split my WIFI network, per your suggestion.  My menu do not match your recommendation, nor the links you provided.  I have attached a screenshot.  When I have disabled "Whole Home WIFI", there is no option visible that allows me to create specific SSID's by band.

[JDHodge]

OK.  I figured out how to turn off "Whole Home WIFI", and then get to "Advanced Settings".  From there I was able to split my network into a specific IOT network at 2.4 Ghz, and my main network at 5 & 6 Ghz (2.4 named IOT, and the balance named hodgefamily).  HOWEVER, this mode disables the Pods completely, which isn't workable for me based on square footage of my house and property.  As soon as you turn "Whole Home WIFI" back on, and the Pods enable, it takes the 2.4 Ghz SSID (in this case "IOT"), and broadcasts that SSID to all frequencies, completely turning off my original "hodgefamily" SSID .  So this is not a solution.  For me to test this out I would need to be able to have two SSID's, one for 2.4 Ghz, and the other for 5 & 6 Ghz, with my Pods broadcasting both SSID's.