If your printer stopped working immediately after a new modem, router or internet connection was installed, the printer itself may not be faulty. It is often still trying to use the old Wi-Fi network while your computers, phones and other devices have already moved to the new one.
PcRiot provides onsite help across Perth for printers and scanners that stopped communicating after a modem, router, Wi-Fi or internet provider change. The modem, printer, computers and scanner software are checked together so the complete setup can be restored.
Why a new modem can stop a previously working printer
A wireless printer becomes part of your home or office network when it is first installed. It remembers the Wi-Fi name, password and network settings supplied by the modem or router.
Replacing that modem can create an entirely new network, even when the internet connection itself is working properly. Your laptop and phone may connect to the new Wi-Fi immediately, but the printer may remain attached to the old network or become unreachable.
Common causes include:
- 🔐 The new modem has a different Wi-Fi name or password.
- 📡 The printer is still remembering the previous wireless network.
- 2️⃣ The printer only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and cannot complete setup through the new combined network.
- 🛡️ The modem is using a WPA2, WPA3 or mixed security mode that the printer handles differently.
- 🔢 The printer received a new network address after the modem was replaced.
- 💻 The computer is still sending print jobs to an obsolete printer connection.
- 📄 Printing has been restored, but the scanner software is still looking for the printer at its old address.
When the new modem uses different network details, start with the guide to a printer that stopped working after the Wi-Fi name or password changed. It explains why reconnecting phones and computers does not automatically update the printer.
This is why repeatedly restarting the printer or reinstalling its app does not always solve the problem. The fault may sit anywhere between the modem, printer, computer and software.
The modem, printer and computer all need to agree
A network printer depends on several separate connections. The printer must first connect to the modem or router. The computer must then find the printer on that network, and the correct driver and printer port must send jobs to its current address.
If the printer shows that it is connected but Windows, macOS or an application cannot detect it, see why a computer may be unable to find a printer that is already connected to Wi-Fi.
Scanner applications create another layer. They may use separate discovery services, background utilities or saved network details that do not automatically update when the printer moves to a new network.
A complete repair may therefore involve:
- 🌐 Checking the modem’s wireless bands, security settings and connected devices.
- 🖨️ Connecting the printer to the correct Wi-Fi network or Ethernet connection.
- 📍 Confirming the printer’s current IP address and network status.
- 🪟 Removing obsolete Windows printer ports or duplicate printer entries.
- 🍎 Refreshing printer connections on Mac computers and Apple devices.
- 📱 Testing printing from the phones and tablets that are actually used.
- 🔍 Repairing scanner applications and scan-to-computer functions separately.
When the printer has joined the new network but the existing computer queue still reports it as unavailable, the computer may be using its former address. The guide to a printer showing offline after a new modem or router covers stale ports, duplicate entries and changed IP addresses.
Newer Wi-Fi can expose older printer limitations
Many printers remain in service for much longer than a modem or router. A perfectly usable printer may have been designed before Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7, WPA3 security and aggressively managed combined wireless networks became common.
Newer Wi-Fi technology does not automatically make an older printer unusable. Problems can occur, however, when the new modem presents the network in a way the printer’s older wireless hardware or setup software does not understand.
The settings that may need to be checked include:
- 📶 Whether the printer supports only the 2.4GHz wireless band.
- 🔀 Whether the modem combines 2.4GHz, 5GHz and newer bands under one Wi-Fi name.
- 🧭 Whether band steering is moving devices between bands during printer setup.
- 🔒 Whether the printer supports the modem’s current WPA2 or WPA3 security configuration.
- 👁️ Whether the computer and printer can discover each other across the local network.
For a detailed explanation of these compatibility problems, see why a printer may not connect to a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 router even when the network name and password are correct.
The aim is not to disable modern security or permanently weaken the network. It is to identify the compatibility problem and choose settings that allow the printer to connect reliably without unnecessarily disrupting newer devices.
Telstra, NBN and other ISP modem replacements
This problem commonly appears after an internet provider supplies a replacement modem or a customer changes between Telstra, Optus, iiNet, Aussie Broadband or another provider. It can also happen after an NBN connection change, a modem failure or an upgrade to a newer Wi-Fi router.
The internet may be working perfectly while the printer remains offline. That is because the printer depends on the local network created inside the property, not simply on whether the NBN or internet service is active.
A provider-supplied modem may introduce:
- 🏷️ A new default Wi-Fi network name and password.
- ⚙️ Different wireless security or compatibility settings.
- 📡 Combined wireless bands and automatic band steering.
- 🔄 A new range of local network addresses for connected devices.
The Telstra Smart Modem 4 can require additional printer compatibility troubleshooting because its Wi-Fi 7, WPA3 and band-steering configuration can expose limitations in older wireless printers.
Copying the old Wi-Fi name and password to the new modem sometimes helps, but it does not guarantee that every printer, scanner application and saved computer connection will recover correctly.
Why printing may work while scanning remains broken
Printing and scanning are related, but they are not always controlled by the same software or network connection.
A computer may rediscover the printer automatically and begin printing again while the manufacturer’s scanner application continues searching for the old device address. In other cases, scanning from the computer works, but the printer’s scan-to-computer button cannot find its destination.
Scanner problems after a modem change can involve:
- 🗂️ Scanner software retaining the printer’s former network address.
- 🧩 Missing or damaged manufacturer scanning utilities.
- 🖥️ Scan-to-computer services no longer running on the destination computer.
- 🧱 Firewall or network discovery settings blocking communication.
- 👥 Different results across Windows computers, Macs, phones and tablets.
When documents print normally but the scanner remains unavailable, see why a printer can work while its scanner stops after a new modem. Printing, scanning, scan-to-computer and scan-to-folder can each retain separate network settings.
PcRiot tests printing and scanning separately rather than assuming that a successful test page means the complete multifunction printer is fixed.
Reconnecting one device may not restore the household
A printer can appear fixed from one computer while remaining unavailable everywhere else. One Windows laptop may use a newly detected printer, while a desktop computer continues sending jobs to the old connection. A phone may find the printer through its manufacturer app while a Mac still shows it as offline.
When the printer works from a phone, Mac or one computer but fails from another, use the working device as a diagnostic control. The guide to a printer that works on one device but not another after a router change explains how mobile apps, AirPrint, Wi-Fi Direct and old computer queues can use different connection paths.
PcRiot tests the devices the customer actually uses rather than stopping after the first successful print.
This can include:
- 💻 Windows desktops and laptops.
- 🍎 Mac computers, iPhones and iPads.
- 🤖 Android phones and tablets.
- 🏠 Multiple household users with separate computers or accounts.
- 🏢 Small-office computers that share one network printer or scanner.
What PcRiot checks
The service is more than entering the new Wi-Fi password into the printer. PcRiot checks the entire route between the device creating the document and the printer receiving it.
Depending on the equipment and symptoms, the work may include:
- 📡 Checking the modem or router’s Wi-Fi names, bands, security and compatibility settings.
- 🖨️ Clearing the old network from the printer and connecting it to the correct new network.
- 🔌 Checking Ethernet connections where the printer is wired to the modem or another network device.
- 📍 Confirming or stabilising the printer’s network address where appropriate.
- 🧹 Removing duplicate, offline or obsolete printer entries from computers.
- ⚙️ Repairing printer drivers, network ports and manufacturer utilities.
- 🔎 Restoring scanner applications and scan-to-computer functions.
- ✅ Testing printing and scanning from the computers, phones and tablets in normal use.
For printer problems unrelated to a modem or network change, PcRiot also provides broader printer setup and troubleshooting across Perth.
Get the old printer setup working again
If the printer worked before the modem or router was replaced, there is usually a clear reason it stopped communicating. PcRiot can check the Wi-Fi settings, reconnect the printer and restore printing and scanning across your computers and other devices.
Onsite printer and scanner help is available for homes and small businesses in Maylands and surrounding Perth suburbs.