MF743C AirPrint doesn’t wake up

[Banto]

I have a new MF743C printer.

I use eero for router and wireless.

Printer is connected via Ethernet to Eero router. Eero has a DHCP reservation for the printer.

When printer is in sleep mode, especially after a couple of days, then apple devices cannot see it via AirPrint. If I restart the printer, then devices can see it again.

When I cannot AirPrint, the printer is online because I can connect to the Web UI.

Please advise on what I need to keep this working all of the time.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

First thing to do.  Check the AirPrint settings on the printer, ensure they are correct.  Page 342

https://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300034338/03/MF740_640Series_UsersGuide_usEN_1.pdf

I suspect this is a result of the eero.

Let me explain why. 

Printer is connected to the eero wired

Printer has an IP reserved by its MAC

iPAD can print to printer via AirPrint

Then after a period of inactivity the airprint stops working

Manually wake the printer again and AirPrint works

"When I cannot AirPrint, the printer is online because I can connect to the Web UI"

What this (initially) indicates is a problem with the eero's ARP table.  If the Apple device is running a current version of iOS, I suspect the wake packet is not being sent to the printer because the ARP table in the eero is being purged or is badly coded.

If you want to verify this theory.  Put a hub between the eero and printer.  Connect a PC or MAC running a packet sniffer and test if a wake packet is being forwarded by the eero to the printer when a AirPrint job is initiated.

Or you can replace the eero and test with another router between the iPAD and printer.

Why I believe this theory is correct.  The ARP table is responsible for maintaning or identifing the IP address of a device using its MAC address.  If this resolution doesn't exist or occur, the printer cannot be identified.

Manually waking the printer forces a reconnect and updates the ARP table.

You are able to reach the printer's webserver (even when you cannot AirPrint) using its IP because no resolution in the router's ARP table is needed.  You are using an IP address.

[Banto]

If the ARP table was corrupt, then I wouldn’t be able to connect to the printer via IP address.

[shadowsports]

Hi,

No one said anything about corruption.  Consumer grade routers are not known for their code quality or persistency.  Many do not maintain ARP tables consistenty or reliably.  The information may not exist.  

Try testing with another brand.  Eero's are known for their simplicity, not for their speed, code quality or robustness.   

[themunger]

here here.  I agree 100%. this is not a router issue.  I have used 4 different routers with this same printer, and the problem persists.  I am now using a new DECO system that was 1200 bucks and is isanely stable and has incredible signal quality.  Even my xfinity wifi enabled tuner has never had an issue with it and it is by far the pickiest of all devices i have ever had in the home. Some times these problems come up simply because the home based routers dont have the horse power to handle all of the devices connected. people tend to think "well, its me and my wife and my 2 kids, so we have 4 phones connected. and a couple of pcs...so why cant it handle the traffic?"  They forget that their apple watches use wifi, they web cameras around the home use wifi. all their IOT devices use wifi like ovens, fridge, televisions for sure. ipads, alexas or google's version....and on and on. Suddenly, there are 100 devices connected when they count printers, and other crap. the home router was designed to handle maybe 20-30 devices and when johnny gets on and games, he eats all the cpu bandwidth the poor little sucker could handle.  

the router i have now handles in excess of 200 devices and has a maximum throughput of 33 GBps.  It is for all intents and purposes a commercial device.

and yet, this issue persists...why? Because canon cannot figure out how to write a firmware that actually works. and since they cant figure out how to wake up their printer, here is a novel idea...add a software switch to turn off power save mode all together. Id rather eat the extra cost of keeping it awake if it means not having to drudge down there and reset the darn thing every time someone needs to print. the ability to "OPTIONALLY" take part in this green planet mumbo jumbo should be a real thing. forcing us to use green settings is just ridiculous.

[Banto]

Read any review of eero products and it will refute your claim they they are not known for speed, code quality or robustness. I have had these things for two years and they have been absolutely rock solid. Not a single issue until I introduced a Canon printer.

So, maybe it’s Canon they isn’t known for speed, code quality, or robustness. Additionally, the user experience is terrible so it fails on simplicity as well.

Starting to regret not sticking with HP printers.

On a related note, is there anyway to get email support from Canon? Being sent to user forums for a business class printer is a little disheartening.

[Banto]

And, an ARP table that isn’t accurate, would be by definition corrupt.

[Banto]

Let’s try this another way, is there a way to turn off the sleep? I found settings about making the sleep timer window longer but not a way to disable.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

See pages: 

470 and 182 for menu options

Also see Wireless - Page 472 as it might affect the NIC as well.

Just a thought.  With the printer asleep and AirPrint not functioning, try pinging the printer.  If the printer replies, its NIC is "listening" for wake packets. 

[Audrey]

Hi,

Shadowsports is troubleshooting the issue correctly. If the printer was not recieving the signal, the Remote UI could not be accessed from the computer. If the issue continues after turn off sleep mode, restart the router and computer.  One the computer is fully rebooted, try printing from the Mac again.

If you continue to have issues, you may have to setup static IP address on Ethernet, MAC and printer. Please contact our support group using the following link:

http://Canon.us/ContactLI