Your printer used to work fine. Now your phone can't see it for AirPrint, your laptop's print dialog says "No printers found," or the initial WiFi setup on the printer just times out repeatedly. The Eero Pro 7 is a great mesh router, but a few of its defaults trip up older printers in ways that aren't obvious until you know where to look.
Two-part move that catches most cases at once: set the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz encryption settings to Standard (WPA2), then bring the printer within six feet of the gateway eero for the initial pairing. Open the eero app, tap Settings, Network settings, Encryption, and set the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to Standard (WPA2). The 6 GHz band always uses WPA3, so leave that band as-is. Move the printer into the same room as the gateway, run its WiFi setup, then put it back where it lives.
If that doesn't get it, here's the rest of the playbook.
Why Your Printer Won't Connect to the Eero Pro 7
The eero Pro 7 is a BE10800 tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router. For legacy printers, check encryption in the current eero app under Settings, Network settings, Encryption. Common reasons printers fail:
- Hybrid or Enhanced encryption is enabled: eero says some legacy devices may struggle with Hybrid (WPA2 + WPA3) or Enhanced (WPA3); Standard (WPA2) is the compatibility setting.
- Printer needs 2.4 GHz only: the eero broadcasts a single SSID and steers your phone to 5 GHz; the printer can't see what your phone sees.
- mDNS/Bonjour discovery failing across mesh: AirPrint relies on mDNS and the eero sometimes doesn't propagate it cleanly between satellites.
- Printer paired but phone is on guest network: the two networks are isolated and printer discovery doesn't cross.
- WiFi password contains special characters: older printer keypads can't input apostrophes or symbols.
- Printer firmware out of date: older firmware doesn't support modern WiFi authentication.
- Static DHCP reservation gone after eero re-setup: after a factory reset, the printer's previous IP reservation is gone.
Set 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Encryption to Standard
In the current eero app, encryption is under Settings, Network settings, Encryption. If a printer has trouble connecting, set the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to Standard (WPA2). The 6 GHz band on eero Pro 7 still uses Enhanced (WPA3), because eero says 6 GHz requires WPA3.
Move the Printer Within Six Feet of the Gateway
Initial WiFi pairing on a printer is much more sensitive to signal strength than ongoing operation. If you set the printer up across the house from the gateway, the handshake may fail repeatedly. Bring the printer into the same room as the gateway eero for the initial pairing.
Once it's connected, you can move it back to its final spot.
Temporarily Pause 5 and 6 GHz for 2.4 GHz Setup
Many printers only support 2.4 GHz. eero uses one network name across 2.4, 5, and supported 6 GHz bands, and its official workaround for 2.4 GHz-only setup is to temporarily pause the 5 and 6 GHz bands. In the eero app, tap Settings, Troubleshooting, My device won't connect, My device is 2.4 GHz only, then Temporarily pause 5 and 6 GHz.
The pause lasts up to 10 minutes. Start the printer's WiFi setup during that window using the printer manufacturer's official app (HP Smart, Canon PRINT, Epson iPrint, etc.), not a third-party utility.
Update the Printer's Firmware
Many older printers shipped with WiFi firmware that predates modern routers. Check the printer manufacturer's website (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother all have firmware downloads) and update via USB cable to a computer if WiFi pairing isn't working. After firmware update, retry the WiFi setup.
This often fixes printers that worked fine on an older router but can't pair with the eero.
Restart Discovery on Your Phone or Mac
If the printer is on the network but doesn't show up for AirPrint, the issue is mDNS discovery, not the printer itself. On iPhone or Mac, toggle WiFi off and back on. On Mac, you can also remove and re-add the printer in System Settings, Printers & Scanners.
This forces the device to re-broadcast for available printers via mDNS.
Power-Cycle the Gateway Eero
If mDNS propagation across the mesh is broken, restarting the gateway resets it. Unplug the gateway eero, wait 60 seconds, plug back in. Don't restart the satellites. Wait 5 minutes for the mesh to re-stabilize, then retry printer discovery.
Check Guest Network Isolation
If you're using a guest network, devices on it are isolated from the main network. The printer must be on the main network and your phone or computer must be on the main network too. Open Eero app, check which network each device is on, and move them to the same network.
Set a Static DHCP Reservation for the Printer
Once the printer is paired and online, give it an IP reservation. Open the eero app, tap Settings, Advanced networking, Reservations & port forwarding, and add a reservation for the printer's MAC address and IP address. This means the printer always gets the same IP, even after the eero reboots.
Reset the Printer's Network Settings and Pair Fresh
If the printer's WiFi memory is corrupted from previous failed attempts, reset only its network settings (not the whole printer); the menu path varies by manufacturer but is usually called "Restore Network Defaults" or "Reset LAN Settings." Then run the printer's WiFi setup wizard from scratch with the printer near the gateway eero.