Forum Discussion
Printer connection
Does anyone know how to add a MAC address of printer to permitted devices on Gateway router? Would appreciate assistance.
From the WIFI interface specification i can see it supports 802.11 b/g OR b/g/n depending upon the purchase location. Bottom line it uses the 2.4 GHz frequency and authentication is WPA2 Personal as the most secure so the 2.4 GHz frequency must support WPA 2 Personal. Because of the specifications it appears to be a bit older. There have been a number of users reporting issues with printers that have older WIFI radios. There might be a newer driver for the printer, not highly likely, but worth investigating. The problem could be with the T-Mobile gateway’s backward compatibility. I have the Nokia GW not the Arcadyan KVD21 and I have a newer Epson and an 845 AIO which has similar wireless capability. With the 845 all in one it only supports WPA so I only use it as necessary but it does connect on the 2.4 GHz frequency.
If you have an older router, you have total control over, which you can use to make a work around for the 2.4 GHz WIFI connection and have it make a bridge mode or AP mode connection to the T-Mobile GW then you might be able to get the network connection working. It might be better to just get/use an extender that supports 802.11 b/g/n and not 802.11 ac/ax and try to get it to link to a wireless extender that links up to the T-Mobile GW. There are a number of user responses on the community related to efforts to get older printers to link to the WIFI. Maybe there are yet clues to be found. Reddit is another avenue to explore for answers as well.
If you cant get the WIFI connection to work you could connect to it via USB. The Windows and MAC OS specifications appear to date the printer a bit back to 6-8 years ago so even though it should work with the newer WIFI radios the drivers written for it may not play well with the newer 802.11 ax capable gateway. If you have the Arcadyan GW it could be there where the problem resides as the software for that router/gateway seems to be not as mature as it should be. I doubt that the “MAC Filtering” is the real issue here.
OK, so I was being a bit conservative on the generation of the printer. Those were initially released in September of 2011 so it might be considered a dinosaur. A newer, more efficient printer with better WIFI security might be in order. If you like Epson the ET-2760 AIO works quite well and is not that expensive. If you need multi tray, or faster printing capability and more features you might step up to the next level. You can fight with an older printer or upgrade and have a secure WIFI connection. Using a USB connection to print to the NX430 could be a reasonable workaround.
Thank you. I am all st up!!
Some devices cannot connect to the gateway’s default network. You want to leave this network alone and ADD a second network with the + sign at the bottom of the Network tab in the T-Mobile Internet app. For this new network, set the band to 2.4 GHz and set the WPA version to WPA/WPA2. Try connecting your printer to this second network. Use the default network for your other devices, as much as possible.
Here are the T-Mobile support instructions for how to add the second network with the app.
Android How to create additional Wi-Fi networks | T-Mobile Internet app | Android | T-Mobile Support
iOS How to create additional Wi-Fi networks | T-Mobile Internet app | iOS | T-Mobile Support
iTinkeralot wrote:
You should not have to add the printer MAC address to the gateway. Local LAN devices via wireless or wired should not be filtered by MAC address. The Nokia GW offers no filtering for the LAN and it is unlikely the Arcadyan does either given it has fewer configuration options than the prior Nokia T-Mobile gateway. There are firewall rules for the WAN but for the local LAN the printer should be recognized and joined as long as the SSID is a match and authentication is correct. Users have no influence over the open or closed ports on the WAN side so I don’t know how you can do what you are after.
Of course there are some older printers that don’t seem to play well with the T-Mobile gateway. If you are getting a message about filtering maybe it is not a proper/accurate message. What suggests to you the MAC address of the printer needs to be permitted?
Post the model of the printer. It may be an authentication issue not a filtering condition.
I have a HP Envy 5330 and the report gave me recommendations to add the printers MAC address to the router permitted devices. I am not able to connect even with the 5g wireless with a 2.5g wifi setup
Have an HP Envy 4500 series all-in-one. Connecting to the T-Mobile gateway seems to be related in some way to the Network Security (WPA version) used. If I use WPA/WPA2 w/ encryption mode TKIP&AES (older versions) then the printer connects. If I use the newer version WPA2/WPA3 (recommended) w/ encryption mode AES, then I get an error about MAC Address Filtering. There is no place on the gateway (T-Mobile Internet) app that says anything about “MAC Address Filtering?” T-Mobile Tech Support thinks this is an issue with the printer itself. HP Tech Support is not that great (so far).
The primer probably supports WPA and since it was missing it could not connect. I believe that is probably one of the most common connection issues with older printers. For some older printers it can also be the driver for the printer’s network adapter but most of the older printers just seem to only use 2.4GHZ radio frequency.
Good to hear you were successful.
I was able to get my HP officejet 4630 to work by changing the WPA version from the recommended WPA2/WPA3 to WPA/WPA2. This setting is found in the T-Mobile app under the network tab and then clicking on the network name.
If establishing a second SSID for the 2.4Ghz frequency does not work for the printer to connect right away be sure to confirm the wireless authentication capability of the printer itself. Some older printers only support WPA or WEP. If the proper authentication type is not allowed the printer will not be able to connect to the wireless LAN.
In the event the printer still refuses to connect to the T-Mobile gateway in some cases using a network extender that is 802.11 n or ac may just work. For some reason, probably the implementation of the 802.11ax with the T-Mobile gateway, getting older printers to connect directly to the GW is difficult or not possible. The second SSID on the 2.4 GHz radio usually works it seems.
Forget WPS with the T-Mobile gateway and just make the manual connection to the gateway. If all fails most older printers still have the USB for connection to a client direct in addition to the wireless. If the printer has an Ethernet port just use one of the available ports on the gateway or add a small switch for more Ethernet ports. With the direct Ethernet connection then the authentication to the WiFI is taken out of the equation so it is one obstacle less to deal with.
Using the T-Mobile Internet App, I added a second network with frequency band set to 2.4 GHz and WPA version set to WPA/WPA2. My HP Officejet Pro 8610 connected immediately and printed what was pending from my Macbook. I plan to play with the settings to determine what all works and what does not.
Same issue and same resolution as P Jooste…
I have an HP Deskjet 2050A all-in-one (J611 series). We just switched to T-Mobile and have been trying to get everything wireless set back up again, the printer was the last piece. I thought I had tried everything (reinstalling the printer drivers, seeing if there was a way to set a MAC address in the gateway, etc.) but the advice here of adding another SSID on the gateway specifically for the printer with 2.4 frequency band and WPA2 encryption only, the printer now is able to connect to the network and I can print from any device on the network.
Thanks especially to iTinkeralot!
To connect my HP DeskJet 2600 to my T Mobile router I should just hit the WPS button but the router doesn’t have one! Need help
