Convert Enterprise printer to a prosumer printer OpnWrt Mesh
1 background
My workplace was upgrading their equipment so they let me take home their kyocera printer (manufactured in 2016). It’s sticker price is ~$10,000 and used ones around the webs were ~$3000. Well, I got it for free as long as I could handle moving a 200 lb printer to my home.
1.1 Guide
CUPS server
Set up
Configuration
Select AppSocket/HP Jet Direct
Enter “socket://169.233.52.233”
use ip of your printer
The ip address can be found by going through your kyocera network panel.
use the kyocera ppd 6002i file
1.2 A Better way if you are using OpenWrt
This option allows you to use kyocera interface.
Requires: 2 OpenWrt routers
Mesh the 2 OpenWrt routers
There are cheap archer c7’s floating around ebay for ~$20 that can mesh their 2.5Ghz bands.
Simply find the ip of the printer then use that as the url.
You can download a phone app to search IPs in your LAN network or just look at the printer network settings.
1.3 Toner
Drill a hole, buy a rubber plug and use that hole to refill the toner.
1.4 Conclusion
A 60 ppm(pages per minute) MFP printer doesn’t come cheap and I don’t think I ’ll need to replace this printer anytime in the near or far future.
2 OpenWrt Settings
2.1 Archer C7
- Interfaces >> Interfaces >> LAN >> General Settings
- Protocol : Static Address
- Device : br-lan
- IPv4 address : 192.168.1.50
- IPv4 netmask: 255.255.255.0
- IPv4 gateway: 192.168.1.0
- Interfaces >> LAN >> Advanced Settings
- Use default gateway: checked
- Use custom DNS server: 192.168.1.1
- Interfaces >> LAN >> DHCP Server
- General Setup
- Ignore Interface: Checked
- Advannced Settings:
- Dynamic DHCP: Checked
- General Setup
- Interfaces >> Devices >> General device options
- Bridge ports: Switch VLAN: eth1.1
