topic imageCLASS MF4880dw - can't be seen by new router in Printer Software & Networking

imageCLASS MF4880dw - can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Sun, 04 May 2025 18:14:30 GMT

Computer = Win 11 Pro Version 24H2, Version 24H2. Installed 01/23/2025. OS build 26100.2894

Printer is MF4880dw.

Printer has had wired (Ethernet) connection since I bought it. I could never figure out how to make the wireless work.

Internet connection (Verizon FIOS) is a router in the living room (first floor) where the main internet cable comes in the house. There's also a wireless extender in my office (second floor) where I plug in both the computer and printer.

This all worked great until yesterday when we got a new router and wireless extender and Verizon upgraded our internet connection to 1 GB.

New router = Verizon CR1000B
New extender = Verizon FIOS E3200 Extender

Now I can't print. I look at the router and it doesn't see the printer. Same ethernet cables. On the other hand (and I'm mystified by this) I can do a remote scan using the Canon MF Toolbox (V4.9) and save the file to the C: drive on the computer. So the wired connection is there.

Another thing to note is that with the old router / extender if I recycled power on the printer, when it came up I'd be told the new IP address on the printer status screen. Now that doesn't happen. Which I guess is no surprise.

Anybody have any ideas as to what I can do to fix this? I can't reinstall the printer drivers because the printer can't see the ethernet printer. (I tried that.) I've recycled power on the printer. I've rebooted the computer. I've switched the ethernet cables from printer & computer to the wireless extender.

Is there any known reason why the extender can't see the printer?

I just spent 60 - 120 minutes on a chat with Verizon technical support and I ended up back where I started.

How hard is it to do the wireless connection from printer to WiFi network? If I do this do I have to install different drivers on my computer?

I suppose I could use a USB cable instead. Or I could buy a new printer.

Any thoughts? Anybody seen this problem?

Thanks for any help you can give. When we moved in 10 years ago and got the initial extender I remember just plug and play. None of this difficulty.

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

shadowsports — Fri, 02 May 2025 00:26:02 GMT

Greetings,

Your printer supports a 2.4 Ghz broadcast that uses WPA2 encryption. Please ensure your network meets these requirements.

Canon Support for imageCLASS MF4880dw | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

After connecting the printer, (wired or wireless), review the list of attached devices in your router's admin Interface. This will allow you to confirm connection and verify the IP address the router has assigned to the device.

Since your router is newer, its possible its wireless configuration is set to standards the printer does not support. Its easy to change this.

Hint: For a dual or tri-band router, try giving each broadcast a unique name. You can also temporarily disable the other bands while making a connection, then re-enable. If the router is set to use WPA3, this encryption standard is not supported. You can use WPA3/WPA2 or WPA2 only for the 2.4Ghz broadcast.

IP address changes> Yes, if you use DHCP your router may at will change the IP address assigned to your printer. If this occurs, there is a good chance your computer will not be able to find the printer at the last known IP address. Solution: Assign or reserve a static IP for the printer on your router. Uninstall the printer from your system, restart, reinstall the printer as an IP printer using the address you reserved previously. The IP will never change and any device that connects to your network will always be able to find the printer at its assigned destination.

If you have questions or need more help. Just ask 😀

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

shadowsports — Fri, 02 May 2025 01:01:53 GMT

I confirmed the router comes with a single SSID name for all broadcasts 2.4, 5, 6Ghz and comes pre-configured to use wpa3 encryption.

https://www.verizon.com/content/dam/verizon/support/consumer/documents/internet/verizon-cr1000b-router-guide.pdf

You'll need to make some minor changes in order for the router to use the standards the printer supports.

The extender uses 192.168.1.100.

All of this information is covered in the routers manual, link above.

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Fri, 02 May 2025 01:18:48 GMT

Thanks @shadowsports for your quick reply.

I looked it up - I bought the printer at the end of 2014. That means it's 11+ years old so I can see that it might easily not support current security standards.

So I've been connecting the printer wired only (Ethernet cable to the extender). The printer, however, is not among the devices listed in the router's admin interface. How can that be? What am I missing here?

I would like to just continue to use the wired Ethernet interface if I can. Any suggestions why the printer can't be seen by the router? What can I do to fix this?

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Fri, 02 May 2025 01:22:24 GMT

I just noticed your second reply.

Are you saying I need to change something in the printer configuration even for a wired interface?

This is out of my area of expertise and I'm quite confused.

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

shadowsports — Fri, 02 May 2025 02:51:10 GMT

Hi,

No. For ethernet, no changes are required for connection. I'd still assign a static IP however. Is this what your extender looks like? You have the printer connected to LAN 1 or 2 correct?

When you log into the router's admin portal, do you see the extender attached? "Devices" page 64?

Also see page 77. This is where you configure a static IP. Verizon calls it "static NAT" on their device apparently.

Static NAT - allow multiple static NAT IP addresses to be designated to devices on the network.

Also consider disabling UPnP "Universal Plug and Play" This is a network protocol that allows devices on the LAN to dynamically open and create port forwarding rules. This is insecure. You can google it for more info

For now, lets just get the printer working. 😀

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Fri, 02 May 2025 19:13:24 GMT

Yes that's what the back of my extender looks like.

I have 8 online devices, which include the extender (model number followed by a long alphanumeric string), the desktop plugged into the extender, the settop box (Verizon cable box) and a Roku, which are all plugged in via Ethernet or coax (the set top box & the extender). There are also mutiple other devices (phones, tablet, another Roku, etc.).

Then there are 3 offline devices. One is what I think is the TV (also plugged in via cable to the router in the living room but turned off at the moment). The other 2 offline devices I am not sure what they are.

Another offline device is identified at Melvin-s-S-24-Ultra, which I believe is a Samsung phone and I think belongs to the Verizon technician. I just blocked that and will likely delete it shortly.

Finally there's a device called unknown_bc:f1:71:24:e7:bc. That looks like a MAC address? Perhaps that's my printer although if so why would it be offline. I'm going to do some poking around on the back of the printer and other printer documents and see if I can verify the MAC address for the printer.

One last question - if the router doesn't see the printer how can the router assign the printer a static IP address?

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Sat, 03 May 2025 03:46:40 GMT

First, I was able to confirm that for device unknown_bc:f1:71:24:e7:bc that is indeed the MAC address from the Settings page for that device under Network Info. That device also appears to have an IPv4 address (192.168.1.155) and a subnet mask.

The IPv4 DNS is 192.168.1.1 which I gather is the router so that makes sense.

I tested connectivity to this device (4 IPv4 Pings) and of course it failed (which is why it's offline I imagine).

I tried to find the MAC address for the printer and couldn't. There's a panel on the back with lots of stuff but nothing that looks like a MAC address.

I see

IC: 498D-FXXXXX

US: AZDFA10BFXXXXX (hidden for privacy)

No idea what those are but I'm including them in case they make sense to you. There are a couple of other FCC numbers as well.

One more thing that perplexes me - this unknown device. How could the router know about it unless it was online at some point? And given what I'm going through now how could that happen. What caused it to go offline?

I guess I'll rummage through my box of discarded cables and see if I can find a USB-B <-> USB-A cable. That's fallback position one for me.

And finally, could I just be running into a problem and a printer this old just can't be connected to my new internal (house) network?

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

shadowsports — Sat, 03 May 2025 03:48:14 GMT

Greetings,

Did you give each wireless broadcast a unique name? Did you change the encryption standard to WPA2 for the 2.4Ghz broadcast? The printer cannot communicate with a 5,6 or 7G broadcast, nor will it negotiate with WPA3 encryption.

The IC number is a machine ID

The US number is the serial number of the printer. (For privacy this will be removed)

The 6 pairs of digits separated by semi colons is a MAC address (of what not sure). The printer should allow you to print a network configuration page from its LCD (with some navigation) this would likely display its MAC Address if you don't see it on a sticker (back or bottom of device).

You might be able to use >nslookup 192.168.1.155

to find the name of the device if its cached.

Example my printers IP is 192.168.1.99

C:\Windows\System32>nslookup 192.168.1.99
Server: ZenWiFi_XT9-EE50
Address: 192.168.1.1

Name: Canon_MF650C_Series
Address: 192.168.1.99

You are making progress 😃

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Sat, 03 May 2025 20:56:56 GMT

Did you give each wireless broadcast a unique name?

Remember I'm not using wireless. The printer is connected via ethernet cable to the extender.

Did you change the encryption standard to WPA2 for the 2.4Ghz broadcast? The printer cannot communicate with a 5,6 or 7G broadcast, nor will it negotiate with WPA3 encryption.

This is the major reason I'm not using wireless. I don't want to use old outmoded security.

I will go looking on the printer through the network settings for the MAC address to see if I can find it. And what IP address the printer thinks it has.

BUT....if the computer and the router can't see the printer I'm not sure how the MAC or IP address will help. Hopefully this will become clear once / if I can find this information.

One last thing - this occurred to me this morning - the computer can't "see" the printer (nor can the router). Then when I'm doing a remote scan and press the "Go" button on the computer how does this command get to the printer to start scanning? This makes no logical sense to me. I have a feeling that it's giving me some information but I don't know what.

Oh wait, one more last thing. When I woke up the computer from sleep this afternoon, I noticed that the printer woke up too. And on the printer status screen it said "printing" multiple times until it stopped. Nothing was printed. In fact there were none of the sounds associated with printing on the printer. On the computer in the status tray there was nothing about the printer or a print job. Eventually the printer status screen went back to the usual information. I don't know what this means either.

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Sun, 04 May 2025 01:47:36 GMT

You might be able to use >nslookup 192.168.1.155 to find the name of the device if its cached.

Just got a chance to try that:

nslookup 192.168.1.155
Server: CR1000B.mynetworksettings.com
Address: 192.168.1.1

*** CR1000B.mynetworksettings.com can't find 192.168.1.155: Non-existent domain

Now moving on to the printer to see if I can find a network configuration page.

You are making progress 🙂

Going to have to take your word on that. Doesn't feel like much progress from here. 😞

Re: ImageClass MF4880dw can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Sun, 04 May 2025 02:17:24 GMT

One last reply tonight. More dead ends.

I went through multiple menu layers on the printer status screen to find the MAC address. Which I did and which is something completely different from the MAC address of the unknown offline device in the router device map. Also the printer is using IPv4, and the IP address it thinks it's using is 169.xx.xx.xx. Which makes no sense to me since I would expect a local IP address (192.xx.xx.xx).

So I'm stumped.

If I want to assign a static IP address, is that done on the router side or the printer side?

Re: imageCLASS MF4880dw - can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Sun, 04 May 2025 19:17:46 GMT

Previously I had 11 devices listed - 8 online and 3 offline. I had figured that the device labeled unknown_(MAC Address) was the printer and couldn't figure out how it had ever been online. I was wrong.

I went and turned on the TV (one of the offline devices had been LGwebOSTV) figuring I would now have 9 online and 2 offline devices. I was wrong.

I now have 10 online devices. Somehow unknown_(MAC Address) has something to do with the TV.

I have deleted the device associated with the Verizon technicians phone.

Now I'm really stumped.

Things I can do but am not sure they'll prove anything:

Recycle power on the router and wireless extender. I want both to be unplugged at the same time. Then I'd plug in the router first, then extender. Perhaps unplug the printer at the same time. See if the printer pops up then.
Drag the printer from my office (2nd floor) to where the router is on the first floor and plug it in there. See if that makes a difference.

Again I'm mystified that the Canon MF Toolbox allows me to start a remote scan. How can the computer know where to send the Start message?

At some point I will reluctantly try the USB option.

Re: imageCLASS MF4880dw - can't be seen by new router

LapSteel — Mon, 05 May 2025 20:22:24 GMT

@shadowsports

I just tried #1 above and the printer doesn't show up on device map. But on a lark I tried printing and it worked. I had also recycled power on the printer and there was no message about the new IP address.

So why is this working now? Do I declare victory? Do I wait for the other shoe to drop? This kind of "solution" always make me nervous.