Last week, my PC-using Grand-daughter was complaining about slow intermess access while playing a multi-player, on-line game. Best we could determine, her laptop (barely a year old) had only a 'B' version of WiFi. In the process, I eliminated one network since the two secured one's had rather long names and the different part of their names was not visible on all screens/windows. That made it somewhat difficult or at least time consuming to determine exactly to which network one was connected.
One name had "5 GHz" the other had "2.4 GHz" but the rest of the names were exactly the same. As far as I know, if the receiving device can use the faster speed, it will be sent data that way. If it is not capable of 5 GHz, the router will simply use the slower speed. So, the two networks were actually identical except for the name, which was almost impossible to see! "Let's get rid of the un-needed network and make the name shorter, also!"
Easy. Maybe two minutes? Done. Well, except the now our iPhones/iPads needed to be told about the lost networks and the newly named one. Again, a simple trip to the WiFi Settings and the devices immediately recognized the new network.
Today, I noticed that the Epson 1430 was not displaying the WiFi green light. Of course, since the network changes had been done over a week ago, I completely forgot it as a possible problem. I pressed the "WiFi" button and the printer went about 'looking' for the network it had been using. It reported this activity by alternately illuminating the
green and then the
red leds... for about 15 minutes!
At about the 16th minute, I decided that maybe there was a problem. Thus began an exhausting search for a 'reset-my-Epason 1430-wifi'.
The results of the above search were not encouraging. Epson claimed that I should uninstall all Epson software and then re-install it! An aside: I am very leery of even updating printer software, usually from Apple. Once I get a printer working, I hate to mess (sorry for the technical jargon) with it! I have seen the update make a printer un-usable, usually just before SWMBO needs to print something immediately!
I think that is where I developed my habit of making archives of every app before updating it. So, I Archived all the Epson stuff I could find in the System and Home Libraries.
I also downloaded the latest Epson Drivers and Software, just in case I actually did a wipe of what I already had. Then, I searched some more. Apparently, this (loosing a WiFi connection) is not an uncommon problem.
Especially for HP printers. I found numerous procedures for many Epson models, but not mine. But I finally realized why the connection was probably lost.
IT'S MY GRAND-DAUGHTER'S FAULT! I plan on letting her make amends my baking some cookies... she needs the practice, anyway.
Unfortunately, all the links I found kept referring to using the "Set up" item in either an app or the installer. That option was not in any app I have. That left the installer option. Do I really need to uninstall before running the newest installer? Probably not. Besides, how could it be any worse?
So, I started up the installer and much to my surprise, there was a "Set up" step in the list of actions that would be performed!
After installing the new code successfully, there was a screen asking how to connect to the printer:
WiFi or USB. I clicked the WiFi button.
New connection or a previous connection? Well, it's not a new one, really... so I chose 'Previous'.
That's what I get for being too literal! The Installer ended by saying nothing changed, so long, been nice working with you. "But, but... How about a second run through those choices?", I asked. Too late, the Installer was already gone/closed/finished!
A second 'installing' actually went much faster, apparently, it's smart enough to update/change/add only what is old or missing.
So this time around I clicked the
New WiFi connection button. It worked! Nice ported-from-windows animation showing the printed sending something to the router and getting a response. (lame!) Of course, the router reported the network name, no need to select one of type it in (as was expected with a Windows machine). I now have the solid
green light again. No thanks to Epson...
