Reconnect printer after Quantum fiber installation
 

I know you guys are going to laugh, but tech left yesterday after installation without checking whether wifi printer was connected. Of course now I can't print. Have been on chat with Quantum for 52 minutes & they say they can't help. Any advice as to how to hook it up again. I keep getting a message that printer can't be found. Uninstalled it and still can't discover it. Thanks.

Does the printer believe that it is connected to the new wifi? If not then there should be procedures for doing that.

Or is it that the printer is connected to the new wifi but the computer cannot find it? In that case, reinstalling the printer software should not have been necessary but should have fixed the problem.

What model is the printer and what are you trying to connect from (Windows, ipad, iphone, etc)?

Contact the printer manufacturer for more information, but this is the typical setup, assuming your printer has a WPS button or menu option and your new modem has the same.
1. With the printer on, press the WPS button or select it from your menu.
2. Press the WPS button on the modem or select from menu.
3. After a short time there should be an indication the printed is connected.
4. Assuming you are using WINDOWS, go to Device Manager, select printers, and if any are showing, delete the one NOT working, then do a search for new devices. You should get a new printer found, complete the installation.
5. Your printer should now be working.

If this does not work, contact the printer manufacturer.

Quantum lets you set up the name of your network in their 360 app, which I assume the tech had you install on your phone. If the name of the new 360 network and password is not exactly the same as the old network, the printer won't recognize anything.

Also, Quantum Fiber networks only operate on 5 GHz. Many older devices will only operate on 2.4 GHz. If your printer is 2.4, that's the problem. This can be resolved by plugging a dual band router into the Quantum wall unit, and setting up another network name on 2.4 Then connect the computers and printer to the 2.4 network. If you don't already have a router from your previous setup, you can buy an inexpensive one on Amazon for ~$30.

+1 -- Good advise.

It would help to know the make and model of the printer.

What brand of printer is it? I always get outstanding support from Brother.

No network provider is going to setup your internal network, that’s your responsibility. And don’t use the geek squad because they don’t know how to implement networks either.

When you get a new internet provider, 99% of the people just use the default wifi network names (ssid) for both the 2.4 and 5ghz networks in the router.
The easiest and the best thing to do is change both ssid’s in the new router to your old ssid from the prior router, and yes, you can name both the 2.4 and 5ghz ssid’s the same name, been doing it for decades.
After doing this, restart each device on the network (printer for example) and it will come up.

I’ve never heard of a router not providing both 2.4 and 5ghz wifi signals, but if this is the case, 2 things you can do:
1) replace the provided router with your own and configure it how you want it. I used 4 mesh routers in my house and it doesn’t matter who I have as an internet provider.
2) add a router or a mesh network of routers behind the provided router and configure your wifi networks using your routers, just turn off the wifi settings in the provided router.

Pretty simple

I switched to fiber in my previous home and had many, many 2.4 ghz devices. Smart lights, Traeger smoker, etc. and the new fiber equipment had backward compatibility. If the previous WPS connection advice does not work, I would advise using the menu system on the printer itself to search for networks. Once found and selected, manual re-entry of the password will be required to connect.

My two cents.

Printers are the most poorly designed and the most user unfriendly computer products on the market. Why can't printer makers design a product that their customers can understand? That being said, I always buy HP printers and they must have an LCD screen on the front of the printer with clearly legible information about the printer instructions and status. You may pay a little more, but it is worth it. Recently, I tried to help a friend connect a printer that was so cheap that the screen could only display one line of information at a time after pressing several navigation buttons. After an hour of non-success, I told the guy to buy a better printer.

Plug printer into computer and it will find wifi. Then you can unplug

If you have a wired connection between the computer and the printer, you don't even need wifi. Why would the printer find wifi?

Call the printer manufacturer and/or go on YouTube and search.

I can definitely help you!
 

I can definitely help you!

Does this also apply to Ring doorbell? I can’t get a pic on my phone after Quantum install.

Thank you all for your advice! Some of it is definitely above my level of expertise, but I can learn. What I found out from the Canon printer manufacturer was that I need an app to reinstall the printer. They walked me through the setup until we got to a point where the app could find my network, but didn't allow me to input password. Canon told me to call Quantum Fiber and switch me from WPA 3 to WPA 2. Quantum told me they couldn't do that. I think the simplest fix is to buy a better printer. Will try a couple more things you guys suggested before I do that.

I have many 2.4 GHZ devices that had no problem connecting to my Quantum Network. I believe they support both.

Quantum doesn't use a traditional modem or router. It functions differently than most other setups people are familiar with. But yes, as I mentioned earlier, you can add your own dual band router and that will likely fix the issue.

Maybe it's different now than it was previously, IDK, but the tech who did our install 6 months ago told me that they now only broadcast in 5 GHz and my 2.4 devices would not work unless I added a separate dual band router. And he was correct.

Almost certainly. Ring uses 2.4 GHz IIRC.

This is so typical of tech support. You do NOT need an app, nor does WPA have anything to do with it. The computer and the printer do need to be on the same WiFi network. You likely don't need a new printer either. I would be happy to try and help you, but I won't be back in TV until December and I doubt you want to wait that long.

If you can position the computer near the printer, you can just skip the Wifi and hardwire the connection with a USB cable.

Here is Quantum's FAQ page on 2.4 Ghz devices. Does this looks easy or intuitive for a non-tech saavy senior? It sounds like you can temporarily use your phone to connect to the devices to set them up, but I don't see how that solves ongoing use. Ring, Blink, MyQ, etc require a constant 2.4 signal to function.

Again, maybe it was different several years ago.

Quantum FAQ 2.4 Ghz devices

With all due respect, I think what the Cannon printer manufacturer told you was total hogwash. You shouldn't need an app to use a wifi printer. I don't know what printer model you have but, when buying a printer, don't buy the cheapest one they sell.

It is at least conceivable that an app is needed to UPDATE the printer. In the old days the update package would be run from your computer and update the printer over the cable. Without a cable, the update package needs to be sent over wifi. Since downloading updates is not a normal function of printing, an app could be necessary.

I had a problem with an older HP printer that would not connect to a new router. It was not a 2.4/5.0 issue but might have been a WPAx issue. I had a nearby computer and cable available and connected it that way rather than troubleshooting the WPA compatibility.

That doesn't seem terribly helpful at all. Sure, you can set the wifi password but there still will not be a 2.4 network to connect to once the mobile device disconnects.

I don't think we have enough information to diagnose the problem. But, apparently, the printer was connected to wifi before Quantum was installed and now it isn't. I have never needed to update a printer to get a wifi connection. I have used an HP plug-in printer app to facilitate printing, but it was not really required. If the printer is old and cheap, I would just buy a new printer, which will probably solve the problem.

Why call the printer manufacturer? I have around 50 2.4ghz devices in my house, do I need to call each of these companies every time I switch network providers? NO! Like I said, I used many of these same 2.4ghz devices in my last home and haven’t changed the ssid’s for over a decade.
I’ve had copper and fiber networks, none of them matter for your internal network.
Just go into the new router, change both ssid’s to match your old wifi name and same pwd and you will be fine. No need to hire anybody for a 5 min job.

And if there is only one SSID because the router does not support 2.4ghz? Or if even that doesn't work because the firmware/hardware of the printer does not support the newer WPA protocol? How do you turn those situations into a 5 min job?

You don't seem to grasp the issue. There is NO new router unless you add one. Quantum doesn't broadcast in 2.4 Ghz, only 5 Ghz, so 2.4 devices will NOT work unless you ADD your own router that has that band and configure it properly.

If the OP owned their own router in the previous installation, and plugged it into the Quantum wall device, then yes, nothing should change. I assume this is your situation and why you incorrectly believe the same situation exists here.

The only thing I agree with is that calling the printer manufacturer is a waste of time.

Nobody knows what they are talking about here. If you just got quantum, they should have given you the latest technology router that should provide the basics: 2.4 and 5ghz wifi bands


This is from the quantum site:

Yes, Quantum Fiber's WiFi 6 plans support 2.4 GHz networks. The 2.4 GHz band can provide good range and coverage, making it a good option for larger homes. However, other electronic devices, like baby monitors and garage door openers, can also use the 2.4 GHz frequency and interfere with your WiFi signal.

And more info from quantum:
Yes, some Quantum Fiber routers support 5 GHz networks:
C4000XG Modem: Uses WiFi 6 technology with dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11ax
C3510XZ: You can check if the 5 GHz frequency band is enabled or disabled in the WiFi Settings block on the home screen

I have never seen any router for the past 2 decades that didn’t support both the 2.4ghz and 5ghz wifi bands

To the OP, if you have a router that doesn’t support both the 2.4 and 5ghz wifi bands, (all routers should, it would be very odd that I doesn’t), you have 2 options:

1) tell quantum you want a router that has both 2.4 and 5ghz wifi bands and then configure this router using your old wifi name for both ssid’s

2) send back the quantum router and buy 1 or 2 mesh network routers that support wifi 6e which will also support the 2 wifi bands. Then configure these mesh routers to use your old wifi network name for both wifi bands and use the wifi 6e band as the backhaul for the mesh routers

Not all areas have access to the same speeds or options. My neighborhood does not have WiFi7 available yet, and again, I will tell you that the installer told me in no uncertain terms that 2.4 would not work in my house unless I added my own router. So maybe different villages have better options, but since we don't know where the OP lives or what level service they have, it's moot. We also don't know for certain that a 5/2.4 issue is what's preventing the printer from working; that was speculation.

Most Printers are cheap and after few years outdated. I just buy new one. I had perfectly good HP printer that done it all. Once windows 10 was installed it wouldn’t work and couldn’t be made to work. So I brought 59 dollar one compatible with windows 10. I gave old one to kid that delivered refrigerator. He was happy and I was happy to get rid of it and someone could use it.

Quantum Fiber & Printer
 

I had the same issue for two days. I finally called the Canon Printer Company support and after spending 45 minutes with him Quantum Fiber still couldn't recognize my printer. He finally asked me what model printer I had. When I told him he said, " Your printer is only a 2.4 GHZ but Quantum is 5.0 GHZ so it will never recognize it." I asked what he recommended, and he said upgrade your printer to a 5.0. SO, I did purchase a new one and it set up in about 5 minutes. My old one was purchased in 2002 but he said it was manufactured a few years before that meaning it was already outdated. Check your printer maybe a new one would help. Good Luck

Well, I stated this 30 posts back in #4 and all I got was pushback. [/eyeroll]

I understand. Some so-called experts won't accept real info.

I bought my own router/modem a couple of months ago. It's a 5G. I did not know at the time my printer, my husband's Kindle, and now it appears my ECOBEE will/would not connect wifi with my 5G. So I bought a new printer as the other, while it worked great, was wireless but 8 yrs old. I have not figured out the Ecobee but my wifi options on the ECOBEE does not list my 5G....that's another project for another day LOL. I do not have Quantum Fiber.

Last time I shopped for a router everyone I looked at was a dual band. That's been a few years ago, did they all change to single band?

HP printer
 

I helped a friend today for about 3 hours including waiting 90 minutes to chat with Quantum support to try and connect her HP printer. They (Q support) of course tried to redirect me to HP but I put up a valiant fight and lost. They basically were no help. I asked them for the ID and password to login to the router/modem and they gave me a password that of course didn’t work. I wanted to see if I could get some more info on the router/modem. One of the suggested things that I found in searching HP support said to check something in the router configuration but I couldn’t login to check it. During WiFi setup, The printer finds the network but will not connect after entering the password. After reading this post, I did a test. Took her printer to my house where I have both 2.4 and 5 MHz channels. I have CenturyLink. During WiFi setup at my house, only the SSID of the 2.4 MHz appears not the 5MHz. I was able to connect and print. So while the printer finds the network at her house, it won’t connect. That could be the difference between how Quantum work. Anyway, since she would have to purchase additional equipment to add a 2.4 MHz channel, my recommendation is buy a new printer. I think everything else she has is working with the 5G.

My Quantum installation on July 7went off without a hitch.

I went from Xfinity using my own modem and WiFi 6 router, to Quantum using their newest modem and WiFi 7 router. The spec sheet for the router says it "operates across all three frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz)." FYI, the 6 GHz band is for backhaul to/from additional routers, aka mesh system.

The Quantum router is configured with one SSID for both 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz.

My HP printer is a few years old. It connected without a problem, but I know it supports 5 GHz.

I have a 1-year-old Kodak digital picture frame that requires 2.4 GHz. With my Xfinity setup, I had a separate SSID for 2.4 GHz. The Kodak frame connected to the Quantum router without any intervention on my part and it is operating normally.

This is 100% false. All routers that support the new protocols also still support all of the old protocols. The real issue here is that many smart devices only connect to 2.4Ghz networks, and when you try to connect them, they only see the 5Ghz network.

The original 360 Wifi app had the ability to force your network to 2.4Ghz for the initial device connections. Once connected the devices are fine when the default goes back to 5Ghz. I do not see that provision anywhere in the new Quantum app... so this is going to be a huge issue for them and customers.