18 replies to this topic

[Peter1]

I had a printer and used to connect my phones and chromebook via the router's SSID & password which was my home's secure network. I always thought the ethernet cable from the printer to the router,  allowed the router to send out my ssid for the phones and chromebook to see, enter the password and be connected. My desktop is also connected to the router.

I thought the SSID came from the router as the printer is connected with an ethernet cable.

I have a new Epson WF 2760 and was told to use Cloud Print for the Chromebook and iprint for the phones. This works so I am not asking o fix anything but rather to understand something.

 

Shouldn't this second printer work like the first one as I described above. 

 

Did I get an ethernet port for nothing as I could have just connected wirelessly.

 

Would wireless or the Cloud Print and iprint be more secure as it seems my old way of doing it all with the ethernet cable cannot be done with this printer??

 

If wirelessly, I notice the keypad has no characters like,? etc , so I would have to change the password as I have a lot of these characters in my password. I could only use numbers.

 

I guess it is apparent I could use some help. I am afraid this cloud print and iprint have defeated the use of the ethernet cable and sacrificed the security I sought with the ethernet cable.

Edited by Peter1, 25 June 2017 - 06:18 AM.

[Digerati]

I feel we have discussed much of this a couple times before.

I always thought the ethernet cable from the printer to the router,  allowed the router to send out my ssid for the phones and chromebook to see, enter the password and be connected. My desktop is also connected to the router.
I thought the SSID came from the router as the printer is connected with an ethernet cable.

The SSID (service set identifier) has absolutely nothing to do with Ethernet (802.3). SSID is a wireless (802.11) feature only. The method your computing devices connect to your network has nothing to do with the manner in which your printer connects to your network.

 

For example, I have a mixed network. Some of my devices connect to my network via Ethernet and some though the wireless side. Yet all can print to my printer which is connect via the wireless side. And again, only the wireless connected devices need to know my SSID.

As for your keypad characters, at least for Android devices, you click the Sym for symbols. Then you should see a key labeled "1/2". That does not mean one-half but screen 1 of 2. Press that key and you will see a second screen of symbols (that said, the "?" symbol should be on the 1st screen).

[Peter1]

I am glad you replied.

When I had an HP printer, I used to connect the ethernet cable to the router. I then would find that SSID with my device like a phone and enter the router router password to be connected. Does that sound right or was the printer wifi and I did not realize it?

 

Is cloud print and iprint any less secure than wireless b/c if so I would set all up wirelessly and not use the ethernet cable. 

As far as the special characters, I was setting  up(as a trial) wirelessly at the printer which did not have any characters on the keyboard. Do you set up wireless at the printer or at the phone?

 

If you were me would you use wireless or the ethernet cable with cloud and iprint for security?

 

I know I don't get it quickly but will persevere given time and help.

[Digerati]

Does that sound right

 

No! Printers, cell phones, computers etc. don't have SSIDs. Only wireless networks do. So the WAP (wireless access point) in your wireless router had a SSID assigned to your network. The wireless (not Ethernet) connected devices then used that SSID and WAP passphrase to gain access to the network.

 

Is cloud print and iprint any less secure than wireless b/c if so I would set all up wirelessly and not use the ethernet cable.

 

Huh? Ethernet is inherently more secure than wireless.

 

How would use Ethernet with your phone or tablet? Do those devices have Ethernet ports?

 

Remember, when you setup a networked printer, your devices do NOT connect to the printer to print. They connect to your network and the router then sends the print job to the connected printer. You need printer drivers, but your devices are not sending print jobs directly to the printer.

[Tomk]

Let me try and see if I can explain what I think you are asking.

 

In order to use your printer on your network... you must have it connected to your network.  Most printers will connect with an ethernet cable. 

 

Some printers have wireless printing.  These printers allow you to send a print job to them wirelessly.  They don't need to be connected to the network to use them.  The print job is sent directly to them.  This is similar to how we all used to hook a printer directly (with a parallel, serial, or USB cable) to our computers.  It still doesn't use an SSID.  There may be other ways, but I've only done it using IP addresses.  You can also configure these printers to connect to your wireless network (instead of directly to your computer).

 

As Digerati said, this is different from the "usual" network process where you send a print job over the network (ethernet or wifi) and the router "routes" it to the network printer.  You only need to know the SSID of your wireless network to get connected to your network.  For any reason.  Be it printing, sharing data, connecting to the internet.

 

Also as Digerati mentioned earlier, wired is always safer.  Local network is usually safer than cloud.

[Peter1]

I have boiled it down to either EPSON iprint for the phone and Cloud ready for the Chromebook or;
Find a way to do as my old HP did by joining my network.
Maybe going wireless would let me put all in my routers secure network.
Which would you do?

@Tom I just saw your reply and when I get to my computer I will discuss it with you however my last post seems to be what Epson wants the user to do both iprint and cloud-ready I would prefer to use my network as I did with my old HP I just don't know how talk to you as soon as I can get to the computer

Edited by Peter1, 25 June 2017 - 05:06 PM.

[Peter1]

I connected my printer to the router with an ethernet cable. I cannot see my router's network from my phone or chromebook.

Epson advised using iprint fro the phone and cloud print for the chromebook.

I can also use the wireless feature but am unsure of something. Do I still leave the ethernet cable connected to the router and set up a wireless connection to my router's network for the phone and chromebook or do I not use the ethernet cable.

If I use a wireless connection will it be more secure than iprint and cloud ready?

Is it true that  wirelessly I will use my router's secure network and its password?

 

I think people come to forums for help as we all do not know it all. As is said we all started somewhere. I have very little experience with networking but need to use this printer safely so I ask questions. There is no reason to berate a person just because he does not get it.

 

I am happy to receive civil tutoring from Tom but do care for the bully attitude I have been getting otherwise..

I have seen this same attitude on other forums by the same person.

If you cannot have the patience to be civil you do not belong on a help forum.

I met DI's at Parris Island as a young man and know a bullyism when I see it. I can take but at my age and health prefer not to.

 

Please advise civilly or not at all. 

Edited by Peter1, 26 June 2017 - 05:14 AM.

[Tomk]

Peter,

 

I think, perhaps, you've misinterpreted responses you've received from Digerati.  It appears to me that there was a little miscommunication.  The replies you received were accurate and not intended to be chastising or uncivil in any way.  What I see is that the response covers the question you asked, but not what you actually wanted to know.  As you said, on the forums, we all make assumptions about what the person with whom we are interacting knows or understands.  It's also difficult to read the "tone" of a response.

 

You've been around the forums enough to know that when a helper truly doesn't want to help... he doesn't berate or chastise the OP (original poster), he just doesn't respond.  I've "known" Digerati for many years now.  I look forward to his responses to questions because I almost always learn something from them.  If I had a problem and came to the forums for help, he is the guy I'd hope would respond.  He's in the top 1% as far as knowledge goes.  Granted, I have also, on other forums, seen him accused of rude responses.  I've seen "curt" responses, but none I'd interpret as rude and even the "curt" ones were reserved for other techs, not OP's.  Maybe I'm just naive and my respect for him overshadows what others have accused him of... but...even if he needs to work on his "tone", he is still the guy I'd want helping me.

 

That being said, back to your printer:

 

I don't print from my phone.  I don't know how you printed before, but it seems to me that if you get the printer set up on your network, using the ethernet cable as you did before... then it should work as it did before.

 

I don't use Chrome, I don't use Iphones.  I don't know the specifics of what is entailed with the programs you've mentioned.

 

Wired is always more secure than wireless.  It is much easier for a person to "intercept" your wireless signal than it is for them to take over your wired connection.  They would have to physically connect to you with a wire.

 

I would connect the printer to the network with ethernet if at all feasible.  If you connect to the printer wirelessly, there are two options.  Connecting wirelessly directly to the printer, or connecting the printer to the network wirelessly and continuing to send print packets to the printer through your router...just like you do when it's connected with a wire.

 

If any of that doesn't make sense... try asking again.  I may have better luck with a better response to a restated question - or perhaps a tech with more knowledge than me will step in and give you a better answer.

[Peter1]

I'll try but at least I was not all wrong.

[Digerati]

My intent surely was not to scold or personally criticize. Sorry if it appeared that way. While I may be a grumpy old retired Master Sergeant, bullying has never been my style. 

 

But as an electronics technician with decades of experience working in and around exposed voltages, technical discussions are done in a direct and to the point manner. That is how I operate when giving advise. And while that may appear to be berating, curt or rude, it is never meant personally. It is meant only to maximize understanding and minimize mistakes, accidents, and/or death (understanding that anything that plugs into the wall can kill!).

 

As far as I know, there is no way (with one exception - see below) to print wirelessly (via 802.11x) from a computing device directly to a printer without going through a network. This is why it is called a "networked printer". It does not matter how that computing device connects to your network. It can be via Ethernet or wifi. It does not matter how the printer connects to the network. It can be via Ethernet or wifi. The computer still sends the print job to the network, and the network router then routes the print job to the printer's internal print server via it's assigned IP address.

 

The one exception is via Bluetooth. Bluetooth (BT) is wireless too, but that wireless is totally different from the wireless network. Bluetooth does not use IP addresses or networks. But the computing device must have a BT adapter, and of course, the printer must support BT as well. You then must "pair" the two to print. The computing device typically must be well within 10 meters from the BT printer to work.

 

As for security and wireless, I personally would not worry about security if you decide to use wireless to network your printer. If a hacker did manage to hack into the wireless side of your network, that IN NO WAY means he/she can then hack into your networked computers - especially those on the Ethernet side of your network. The greater risk is the bad guy will use your network to gain Internet access - thus stealing some of your bandwidth, perhaps to distribute spam or malware, or to conduct DDoS attacks. A very strong wireless passphrase is typically enough to thwart those efforts, however.

[Peter1]

One disabled vet to another=peace.

[Tomk]

I'll try but at least I was not all wrong.

I'm not sure you were any wrong.  It just appeared to me that my "pig latin" understanding of computer terms may be closer to yours than Digerati's.  Let's face it.  Talking about computers entails it's own language.  The three of us currently discussing this are speaking 3 dialects of the same language.

 

A real world example.  I had a superintendent that spoke Castilian Spanish.  I have two employees who also speak spanish.  One is from Mexico and one is from El Salvadore.  All three sound like they are speaking spanish to me.  Pablo (from El Salvadore) and Nacho (from Mexico) cannot talk to each other.  I can speak english with either one of them and I'll figure out what they are saying.  Their broken English is such that they get nowhere when they try to talk to one another in english.  It is just as bad when the speak to each other is Spanish.  However, Paul (my superintendent from the Azores) can speak to both of them at the same time in spanish and they will both understand him perfectly - and he, likewise, understands them.  Same language... different dialects.  Same here.  Digerati speaks computers.  He speaks it very well (maybe better than he speaks English ).  I've picked up a few of the correct terms... and you're gaining in knowledge.  In some ways you are currently at the point where you know enough to be dangerous.    What you said is really close to what you wanted to know.  I'm in construction.  I talk with people who point up and refer to the roof over their heads, when what they are really talking about is the ceiling that is under the roof but still over their heads.  Based upon context, I usually know what they really mean... but sometimes we have a whole conversation that is nonsensical because we are talking about two different things.

 

To print directly to your Epson printer, you would follow the directions on page 41 of your user guide.  Even then, I don't know if you could print to it from your phone.  I wouldn't do it.  I would set things up to print through your network - just like your old printer did.

[Digerati]

However, Paul (my superintendent from the Azores) can speak to both of them at the same time in spanish and they will both understand him perfectly - and he, likewise, understands them.  Same language... different dialects.

 

Interesting since the Azores (where I lived for awhile back in the 70s) are Portuguese islands. They don't speak Spanish there, but Portuguese. While both are based on Latin, they are as different as French and Italian, which are also based on Latin.

[Tomk]

You are correct.  Paul just happens to speak 5 languages and he is currently working on Mandarin.  He speaks Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and English fluently.  He says he knows enough french to get by if he had to and can speak a smattering of others.  He claims to be the "dumb" one in his family.  His Dad speaks 10 languages and his brother speaks 7 - all fluently.

[Digerati]

I hate people like that!

 

If he can pass the vetting for security clearance, he could get one of the better government jobs out there - especially after he gets Mandarin down.