Chromebooks Can't Access Printer

[wreade]

Hello! I don't know if this a Chromebook issue or an issue with my Nest Wifi or an issue with my printer.

I have two Chromebooks that can't connect to my wifi printer. I have one Chromebook that can connect to my wifi printer. I have a Windows computer that can connect to my wifi printer. I can't figure out why the two Chromebooks can't connect to my wifi printer.

To be clear, I can open a browser and point it to the IP address for the printer and the two Chromebooks I mentioned can't connect to the printer's information page.

What should I look at to rule out a network issue?

[wreade]

Anybody out there?

[Kimy]

Hi wreade,

Thanks for posting here in the Google Nest Community. We need to understand more about the situation. But based on your description, I don’t think it’s the printer since it is stationary and will just receive printing commands from other devices within the network. The fact that it already did with the other two devices (the Windows computer and the 3rd Chromebook) proves that there’s nothing wrong with it. Let’s determine by checking if each computer can communicate with one another. If these two Chromebooks fail to communicate with anything within the network, then this is device-specific.

Performing a sequential reboot for each involved device (Chromebooks, router, printer, etc.) helps in refreshing the communication. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Kimy

[wreade]

@Kimy,

Thanks for your response! I will try rebooting the devices.

You mentioned determining if each computer can communicate with one another. How do I do that with my Chromebooks?

Thanks!

[Kimy]

Hi there,

Try to share folders or create one. Then try accessing each folder from each computer. Let me know how it goes.

Cheers,

Kimy

[wreade]

I've never done that before. Can you share some instructions?

[Kimy]

Hello there,

I suggest that you give our friends at Chromebook Help Community a shout. You’ll get advice from users just like yourself, make sure that you indicate the particular make and model. Let us know if you still have concerns related to your WiFi.

Thanks,

Kimy

[Kimy]

Hi there,

I just wanted to follow up to see if you still need our help. Please let us know, as we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Regards,
Kimy

[wreade]

Kimy,

I'm trying the Chromebook help forum.

Will

[LovelyM]

Hey Will,

Thanks for the update and we hope that your issue gets resolved soon. If you still need additional help, feel free to reach out to us again. 

Sincerely,
Lovely

[wreade]

@Lov I found this post on the HP support website. It indicates that computers will only be able to connect to the printer if they are on the same band. Since my Nest Wifi has dual bands, could this be the problem? How can I tell which band a Chromebook is using and which band my printer is using?

[LovelyM]

Hello Will,

Sorry for the delayed response. To answer your questions, yes, the dual-band could be the reason why your Chromebook and printer are unable to communicate with each other. If the printer is farther away, it should connect to 2.4 GHz, while if it is closer, it should use 5 GHz. You can try adjusting the proximity of your Chromebook and see if that helps resolve this issue.

Learn more about how Google Nest Wifi and Google Wifi 2.4 and 5 GHz bands work.

Kind regards, 
Lovely

[wreade]

Will there be an update to the Nest to change this? It seems to me that all the devices are on a single network, even if they are different bands. There shouldn't be an issue with computers using a printer on the same network.

[LovelyM]

Hi wreade,

We don't have any news to share about this feature at this time. You may file feedback directly with our product team about making this feature available in the future.

Cheers,
Lovely