We move between city and country cottage every year.
We have internet service from two different companies, each, of course, with their own modems/wifi access points.
Each year we move a WiFi AirPlay printer from one location to another. it’s always a bit of a struggle to get the printer online in the new location. (It’s a newish Canon TR8600 model). Telling it to look for a new network is a “process”.
The thought just occurred: what if I give each network the same SSID and password. They are located about 200km/125 miles apart. Would I be causing more trouble than benefit?
I realize there might be a one-time task of getting devices to connect to the new network.
Would the fact that the hardware behind the SSID is different in the two locations cause problems?
That should work! This is, in fact, what I did for my mother-in-law, between her summer and winter homes. Not for a printer that she carried with her, but for everything else - iPad, MacBook, and iPhone.
I have a summer cottage as well, but I just leave a printer there. I take the ink cartridges out for the winter. It’s been going strong since - well, I’m sot sure when exactly, but somewhere around 2010. (It’s an HP Envy 100.) I’m not sure when AirPrint started, but this must be one of the first printers that supported it.
I agree that setting the same SSID and password should be fine.
A general comment: unless you need photo quality prints, a laser printer is a better choice than an ink jet printer for secondary, less used residences, assuming you don’t want to transport a printer back and forth. The ink never dries or clogs, and depending on how often you print, you may well never need to buy additional toner.
A second general comment: if you are transferring a printer back and forth, be careful about how you are transporting it. Whether it is an inkjet or a laser printer, tilting it can spill ink or toner, causing a real mess and possibly even damaging the printer (or your car seat). Some printers actually have transport instructions. If yours does, be sure to follow them.
Thanks. I do need to print photos, so Lasers are not for me.
David
This should work just fine. I have a travel router that I occasionally use on the road and it shares an SSID/password with my primary home network. All of the other devices (iPhones, iPads, Macs, PCs, various game consoles) I might carry with me just automagically find and connect to the travel router.
When I changed ISP a couple of years back I was sent a “New, Improved” router.
I just changed its SSID and password so that it was the same as the old one.
No-one in the house is any the wiser.
(except that they complain that “the wifi isn’t as good as it used to be”)
At minimum, remove the ink/toner from the printer before transport. Put them in zip-lock bags so if there is any spillage, you won’t ruin anything other than the cartridge.
And if there’s a toner spill, do not use a vacuum to clean it unless you have one specifically designed for toner cleaning (an ESD-safe vacuum with a HEPA filter). Toner is a very fine electrostatic powder. It can pass right through ordinary filters, get sucked into the vacuum’s motor and then catch fire.
If you need to clean a toner spill and don’t have an ESD safe vacuum, use a dry cloth or paper towel to pick up as much as you can. If you must use a liquid, use cold water. Avoid heat or solvents, lest they set the toner into the surface, making it uncleanable.
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