How to connect an Epson TM Series Printer with a Wireless Adapter
Overview
 Wireless connection allows you to
locate the printer anywhere where there's power - no need to worry about printer
cables.
A wireless printer replaces the
traditional data cable with wireless adapters on the computer and printer,
linked with a radio signal. Once a wireless connection is established it offers a way to print documents
without a direct connection.
Required Components
Epson Printers Covered
Installing and Setting the
Connect-It Wireless Adapter
Install the Connect-It wireless adapter into the Epson TM series printer
The adapter can replace the existing adapter and
is held in place by 2 screws.
Note: the wireless adapter
requires more power than other types of adapters (serial, parallel). If the
printer fails to work after installing the wireless adapter, try a different
power supply.
If changing a printer to wireless you must change the specific dip switch on the
Epson printer to allow for the wireless card.
(Key: DIP SW2-8 On: refers to the
switch number 8, on switch bank 2, is turned On)
Getting Initial Printer and
Connect-it Adapter Settings
Get the initial settings of the wireless adapter. Run the printer self test (hold down
the feed button while turning on the printer). The printer will print a list of
initial settings including SSID (network ID), Mode (Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure),
current IP address (default: 192.168.192.168)
A similar test can them be done on
the UB-RO2 adapter by inserting a paperclip through the small hole in the
adapter for 3 seconds.
A sheet will print showing the MAC
address, SSID, mode, wireless channel number, authorization
method (None, WEP), Gateway (GW), IP address and IP assignment method.
The network specific settings have been
highlighted above.
Configuring the Computer
There is no way to change the
settings on the Connect-It adapter directly. You first must connect to a
computer and then change any settings using the Epson TMnet utility. This means
that you must modify your computer wireless settings to work with the adapter to
make settings on the Connect-It adapter. The connect-It adapter defaults to
Ad-Hoc mode, with a SSID of EpsonNETIBSS, IP address of
192.168.192.168 and no encryption.
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Install the computer's
wireless adapter if not already installed
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Change the wireless adapter to
Ad-Hoc. Open up the Wireless Adapter tab and press Advanced. Then change the
Networks to access to ad-hoc.
-
Open the Wireless Adapter
Properties in the Network Connections of the Windows Control Panel. If the
first three numbers of your IP Address are 192.168.192 (assuming the
wireless adapter is set at the default IP address of 192.168.192.168) then
you do not need to reconfigure your computer’s IP Address. If the first
three numbers of your IP Address are not 192.168.192, (Ex. 192.168.1), then
you need to change your computer's IP address to an address in the same
subnet. Change
the IP address to a static IP address. Then make the IP address of the adapter
different than the Connect-It adapter (like 192.168.192.2)
-
Disable the computer's wired
network adapter (Local Area Connection) if installed (The TMnet utility
doesn't seem to work when there is also a live wired network card enabled)
Making the Initial Connection
from the Computer to the Printer
You can make the initial connection to the printers. Open up the View
Wireless Networks in the Wireless Adapter properties.
The printer will be
visible as "EpsonNETIBSS" as a "unsecured computer-to-computer network"
(with the default settings).
Click on the connection to connect to the printer:
This should establish the connection between the
printer and the computer.
Pinging the Printer
You can verify the printer is connected to the computer by pinging the printer from the
computer.
Open up a command window and enter:
ping <IP_address>
where <IP_address> is the IP address of the
printer.
The printer should reply to ping requests. Repeated timeouts indicate that the
printer is not conneced.
Logging onto the Wireless
Adapter using TMNet WebConfig
TMNet web configuration allows you to access
the adapter via your network using a web browser. Generally speaking the adapter
must be in the same sub domain as the computer to be able to log on
(see previous section for how to configure the PC
to the same subdomain)
Running the TMNet configuration
utility on the Computer
Alternatively you can run the TMNet configuration utility on your computer to view or change
the settings on the wireless card. This utility will scan for the wireless
printers on your network and allow you to make changes to the adapter's
settings.
To obtain the TMNet configuration
utility from Epson's website:
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You may have to re-enable your wired LAN
port to download the EpsonTMNetWinConfig utility.
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Download and Install Epson’s
TMNetWinConfig available from
www.epsonexpert.com
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You WILL be REQUIRED to log in to access these
drivers.
-
If you do not have a log
in, you will be required to register for this service (this is free and
takes less than 10 minutes). This is a process controlled by Epson not
Beagle Hardware.
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Click on TECHNICAL RESOURCES
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Select WIRELESS INTERFACES under the
CONNECT-IT INTERFACES
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Click the download icon
for the TMNetWinConfig
-
For
detailed installation instructions, click here.
The utility will scan for and
will list the wireless printers.
Select the printer and press
Configuration to view or change settings.
When you make changes and press 'OK' the
utility sends the new settings to the printer and resets the printer. Note: the
default password is <blank>. Don't
forget to make the same changes on the computer side to maintain connectivity.
Installing the Printer Driver
in Windows
The printer drivers are available directly from the Epson Expert site (see
the instructions above). Select the
printer you are using to get the drivers to work with wireless adapter.
The printer should be visible in the printers folder of the Windows Control
Panel.
Configuring the Printer in
Windows
You need to make a few changes in the printer settings to get it to work
with the wireless adapter. Specifically you need to configure the port you are
using. Open the printer in the Windows Printer Folder. Select the Ports Tab.
Turn off bidirectional support, if enabled.
You must now add the port as s TCP/IP port. Press
"Add Port" and select "Standard TCP/IP Port" , then select "New
Port". This will open up the Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard". Enter the
IP address of the Connect-It adapter (default: 192.168.192.168). The utility
will then locate the printer on the wireless network and create the port. This
port (IP_...) will now be selected fro use with this printer.
Testing the Printer
You should now be ready to test the printer by printing some text.
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