Printer Network Guide

Understanding The Network

Please pay attention to the diagrams below as they will be constantly referred to throughout the document. 

Let us take care of basic definitions that are critical to understanding the set up.

IP Address: IP address is a set of numbers that identify the address of each device. An IP address is broken down to 4 sections: AAA.BBB.CCC.DDD. Let us break it down a bit more so we know how to read them. 

• The first two sections (A & B) give us an indication if the network is a local network or internet network. Normally local network IP addresses share the same initial point of numbers which is usually 192.168. If it is different and not 192.168 at the start, it is fine as long as all the other devices have the same numbers.

• Section Three (C): This is considered a Subnet, this is explained more below.

• Section Four (D): This is a random unused number between 2 to 255. This number is unique, think of it as the house number in a home address. No home in the same block can share the same number. The same here, the final set of IP addresses cannot be duplicated in multiple devices. 

Subnet: A subnet is the equivalent of which block number is your house address located. Each subnet is unique to its own network. This is the 3rd section of the IP address and an important indicator to see if the system is connected to the same network or connected to a different network hence why the devices are not seeing each other. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution to this problem, there is and continue below to find it out.

Router: This is the main network device that all the systems connect to. It is the point where it connects the RMS ecosystem with each other and as well the internet. 

Access Point/Wifi Boosters: These are extra routers/devices that extend the connection from the main router to other areas in the establishment

Ethernet Cable: The internet cable which has a RJ45 connection point at each end. 

Ethernet Port: This is where the ethernet cable (or the RJ45 connector to be specific) is connected to the printer/router/device. 

We will be referring to this diagram as T1 for the rest of the guide. T1 is the most common way our clients have their system connected. They have a single router which is connected to the internet. Having the internet as always for all scenarios, optional. Clients will only need to access the internet to upload order data to the console or update the cashier application. Issues to solve for clients in T1 cases are very straightforward.

Troubleshooting clues for T1 cases:

• Check if the IP address subnet is the same or not. If not, then either the client is connecting to an ethernet cable that isn’t connected to the router, or the client has previously set manual IP on the device and we need to factory reset it. 

• Check the health of the Ethernet cable

• Check the health of the ethernet ports in both the printer and the router by disconnecting/reconnecting or trying a different port.

• Make sure to FACTORY reset the printer to test the network. IP address 4th section should change, if it does not change, then there is an issue. 

• Check for external devices connected to the same network such as Wifi Boosters or Cameras. If it is a Camera, it MUST ensure the devices have their IP address as static. It is preferable that the client locks the IP address for the devices before enabling the cameras. 

We will be referring to this diagram as T2 for the rest of the guide. T2 is common among stores that have a lot of equipment or larger establishments. Having a single Wi-Fi point of access will not be sufficient enough for the client’s daily operations, so some are forced to get more access points/wifi boosters/etc. Is this okay? Yes, it is totally okay as long as the client maintains the pre-requisites.  

These set up can look like a headache but they are much simpler than you think once you understand how, in a super basic fashion, do routers assign IP addresses.

IP address assigning with 1 router only: 

All routers will occupy the number 1 slot for IP address range. So if you have a router that has the IP of 192.168.5.###, its IP address will ALWAYS be 192.168.5.1. When it gets a new signal for a new connection (Such as a printer or any other device) it will start handing out the IP address in sequential or randomized fashion. So the first device connected might be 192.168.5.2 then the next device 192.168.5.50. 

Routers can assign IP addresses from 2 to 255. The last number cannot be 1 or more than 255, if it is either of those, then something is seriously wrong or manual set up is done incorrectly. 

IP address assigning with 2 or more routers/Access points: 

On a normal behavior, each device will have its own address book. Which means if Router 1 has a device in 192.168.5.123, router 2 can ALSO have another device with the same IP 192.168.5.123. However, this will not allow the two devices to communicate with each other in our system because each router has a unique separate address book. We must ensure that there is only one address book for the IP address. 

The trick is to have a network technician configure router 2 to stop assigning IP addresses on its own. Let Router 1 handle that job, and this is done by disabling DHCP function on router 2. DHCP is the function that allows the router to assign IP addresses to the devices it's connected to.