Troubleshooting and reporting wireless issues for products released later than 2017

Issue description

• Computers are unable to print wirelessly.
• Printer is unable to connect to wireless network.
• Unable to access printer EWS.

Solution

Before replacing a wireless printer, please try to obtain as much of the following data as possible

1. Obtain the make and model of the Access Point / Router used by the customer in their wireless network.

   Note:  This data may prove essential if return is “NDF” at Lexmark.



2. Verify what security type is being used.

   Note:  Expect WPA2 Personal unless it's an enterprise account, can be seen from setup page.



3. Check the firmware version of the printer. This can be seen from network setup page.



4. Proximity of Printer to Access Point. Signal strength can be seen from network setup page if we are successfully connected. Anything below – 70 dBm (less negative) is a weak signal and performance may be improved by relocating the printer.



5. Please provide the country/geography where the issue is reported, especially if a Low Voltage printer is used in a non-US/Canada country, or a High Voltage printer is used in Europe.

If the issue is that we never connect/authenticate to their wireless network, check the following:

1. If it is a wireless standard model and the network that the end user is trying to connect to does not appear in the list of available networks in their chosen setup method, make sure they aren't trying to connect to a 5 GHz band only network if they complain that they cannot connect at all. Only the N8370/N8372 options support the 5GHz band at this time.



2. Debug tip: If network isn’t reported by printer but it is by their mobile device, see if they will report the signal strength seen by a mobile device that does see the network in the same location.



3. Inquire if they are using the Mobile Assistant to attempt to connect, or the printer panel or EWS.

   • If the Mobile Assist app was used, did they refer to the setup videos on YouTube? (Google “Lexmark Mobile Assist Setup Videos”)

   Note:  The customer may get a message that they must “tap for options” after connecting to the AP created by the Mobile Assist app, and after doing so, must then select “Yes” to proceed with wireless setup. This is an Android limitation with newer Android releases, and this message is appearing because the printer does not have internet access.



4. How easy is it to repeat the problem?



5. Does the printer ever re-connect automatically.



6. Does enabling Wireless Performance Enhancement mode fix the issue



7. Is there anything happening on the network when printer loses connection?



8. Verify the user does not have MAC address filtering enabled on the router.



9. Inquire as to whether the SSID is broadcast or hidden. (Network name must be explicitly entered into the EWS wireless settings or panel setup method if SSID is hidden. Network can also be manually entered via Mobile Assist app.



10. Unless customer is requesting use of static IP, make sure that both DHCP is enabled on the router and the printer.



11. Check if the customer is connecting to a "guest" WiFi network. Many wireless access points / routers like “eero” and “Google Wi-Fi system” allow the creation of separate Guest Wi-Fi networks that are intended for internet access only. These types of Wifi networks do not allow access to devices on the main WiFi network. In some cases, Guest Network devices are also isolated from other devices on the Guest network.

    In these cases, the Lexmark printer should be connected to the main WiFi network, and not to a Guest WiFi network in order to support LAN-based printing.