Amit2777 wrote

Now, I can either return the printer or disable the Smart Connect (& let go my badwidth/speed benefits - the reason why we buy expensive routers)

@Amit2777 

Not sure what you meant here?

Smart Connect and 'my badwidth/speed benefits' actually are not related? If anything, with Smart Connect you CAN lose 'speed'!

Smart Connect concept is pretty simple. The router 'figures out' what band (2.4 or 5Ghz) the device can work on and connects it to one it WILL work on. However, Smart Connect will not aways connect your device to the one that it is best suited for. From what I've read, TP-Link Smart Connect will take into account the number of devices on the bands. It will not overload one band vs. the other(s). That means one could find an N device on the same band as an AC device which can degrade the performance of the AC device. Also mix G devices (if anyone still uses these) with N speed devices.

Always best to MANUALLY configure the router and device to isolate individual speed devices to the proper bands.

Most if not all printers will need the 2.4Ghz band. I've had Smart Connect enabled on a few different routers and my printers (all HP) have never had a problem being 'found' by my wired and wireless devices of all speeds. At one time though I did have problems with ONE specific HP 310A printer. It needed one of 2 RESERVED IP Addresses to work correctly via wireless. Later printer PC s/w did fix that problem though.

Wondering if you assigned on the ROUTER the Printer MAC address to a specific IP address and then reinstalled the device s/w so it used that same IP Address (or changed the printer fixed IP Address on the s/w) if that would solve the problem?

@Amit2777 Having a similar issue w/ Smart Connect (for me, it's Sonos speakers that only work on 2.4ghz). Hope TP-Link can issue a firmware update addressing this. TLDR, my speakers drop off of the network periodically with Smart Connect enabled, but work fine when it's turned off.

@Amit2777 Same issue here. Smart connect needs fixed ASAP.

@IrvSp : I thought about the address reservation and had removed that binding. The issue is almost 2 months old now. Meanwhile in last 5 days twice my router went down and had to reconfigure/restore from previous config (anyway that is a separate issue :)

I expect Smart Connect would "load balance" the bandwidth and connection. Evenif I forgo "Speed" benefit, a simple network communication between devices should work when connected to the router. Additionally, majority of the smart home devices are on 2.4GHz so I kind of dislike the idea of multiple SSIDs or switch the network when you want to print...or turn off the LED

@Amit2777 They could probably fix Smart Connect by allowing you to force specific devices to use 2.4GHz or 5GHz in the settings. I like having one SSID but don't like all the problems that come with.

@Amit2777 

I don't know how Smart Connect actually works or even if it is the problem?

Load leveling I think is done only at connect time, if it were to do it leveling the devices to keep the bands even in the number of devices per band, that is known usually as Dynamic leveling. I think this is an option on implementation from the chipset maker, but not many use this function, and I don't think TP-Link does.

The root problem could be the router for some reason thinks the device can be capable of using 5Ghz even?

It might be nothing more than the IP Address change each time you boot?

For my HP printer, the printer control on my Windows PC thinks it is here, http://192.168.0.182:3911/ (printer is NOT on now). When it was last on, that is the IP Address it had:

http://192.168.0.182:3911/. I am not using Smart Connect and the Printer is NOT set to an IP Address either in the printer or router. Quite possible it would be given the same IP Address when it comes on IF it were available. All my devices connet every day but the Smart TV and the Printer. Those 2 were on today though (TV not named), On my A20, this is the DHCP list:

The circled one it the TV. NO device has a reserved or fixed IP Address. I am NOT using Smart Connect, and I manage who connects to what BAND. Note that the IP Addresses are NOT sequential. I would have expected them to be though.

I don't know what Brother Printer you have, but the problem could be with the s/w for it? Have you checked to see if you have the lastest s/w? At one time with a much older HP and had problems like you have. Assigning an IP Address to the printer solved that.

If you want to do that, you need to carve out some IP Addresses outside of the DHCP range. Rather than start the IP Address Pool at the default (192.168.0.2), start it at say at 192.168.0.100. Then you can adding the printer any IP Address between 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.99 and it will aways get that IP address. You can do it one of two ways, by the router under IP Address Reservation or on the Printer.

Since those addresses not in the pool will NOT be given out to any device, you have to make sure you don't assign two devices the same IP Address though.

Of course, without Smart Connect, you also must manage the device and have it connect to the SSID you wish.

@Amit2777 I am not an expert on networking, but I think this might not be related to "Smart Connect." I have the same issue with an HP printer whereby it shows on the Windows 10 Pro printer que as "offline" after so long (not sure of length of time) despite it showing as connected to the AX6000. This has been extremely frustrating; a reboot of the router often, but not always, fixes the issue, and then the "offline" problem repeats after functioning on my network for a while.  I got so frustrated that I connected a 50 ft ethernet cable to the AX6000 two days ago. You won't be this, but yesterday, the "offline" problem reimerged with an ethernet connection to the AX6000. I don't think this is a wireless issue now. 

@CFisher Agree. After I wrote down my problem here - in a week's time somehow my router got frozen and I had to recover from config backup. Since than it started working ok (🤞). My Brother Printer is connected via 2.4GHz guest network and so as other smart devices. My laptops etc...are via normal "smart connect" (mixed mode) network. They are working at the moment without doing anything special. 
May you can check the version and updates if any ? But agree there seems no set rules or config which can surely work. 

@Amit2777 

Im having an issue with my ax11000 and a brother printer. Works after a reboot but a few hours later, printing no longer works on any device AirPrint or windows laptops. Printer still shows up on the router though as connect and same for the brother printer....

I didn't just pay over $300 for something can't can't handle a standard basic printer. For the record I have had this printer for two years and worked great on my netgear ac2300.

another annoying issue with Smart Connect: when playing stadia, AX6000 won't switch you to 5ghz for optimail performance, so that need to literally switch the 2.4ghz off so I can play.... super annoying... PLEASE add the function to force devices on the right band.