You set up a mesh WiFi system to blanket every room in coverage, but now your Epson EcoTank ET-4850 has gone dark on the network. Print jobs stall, the printer drops off and reappears, or the setup wizard never finds your network at all. The good news is that the ET-4850 absolutely works on a mesh system once you account for one quirk, and most of the fixes below take just a few minutes.
The single most important detail to understand first is the printer's radio. The ET-4850's WiFi supports only IEEE 802.11 b/g/n on the 2.4 GHz band; it has no 5 GHz radio at all. Mesh systems often broadcast one combined network name across both bands and quietly steer devices between them, which is exactly the behavior that leaves a 2.4 GHz only printer stranded. The fixes start with the safest, fastest changes and end with the official reset and support path.
Why a Mesh Network Trips Up This Printer
Because the ET-4850 can only join a 2.4 GHz network, a single combined SSID that covers both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz can confuse it. When the mesh tries to steer the printer toward 5 GHz, a band it cannot use, the connection drops or never establishes. Splitting your bands removes that confusion at the source.
Per the official guidance, if you are using a 5 GHz wireless router, set the router to operate in dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) mode. If your router uses a single network name (SSID) for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band, give each band its own network name (SSID) instead, such as Home Network 2.4 GHz and Home Network 5 GHz.
Once the bands are separated, you can deliberately point the printer at the 2.4 GHz SSID and keep it there. This one change resolves the majority of mesh-related connection failures on this model, so it is worth doing before anything else. You will make this setting in your router or mesh app, then connect the printer in the next step.
Reconnect Cleanly With the WiFi Setup Wizard
After splitting the bands, a clean power cycle and a fresh connection often seals the deal. Restarting both the printer and the mesh clears stale connection state that can linger after network changes.
- 1.Turn the printer off and on.
- 2.If a wireless connection was previously established, unplug your router's power cord, wait briefly, then plug it back in.
- 3.On the printer, press the Home button and select the network icon.
- 4.Choose Wi-Fi (Recommended), then Start Setup or Change Settings, then Wi-Fi Setup Wizard.
- 5.Pick your 2.4 GHz network name, or choose Enter Manually if it does not appear.
- 6.Enter the password (it is case sensitive), select OK, then select Start Setup.
Watch the WiFi icon on the LCD for connection status. If it fails, the most common causes are picking the wrong SSID (make sure it is the 2.4 GHz one) or mistyping the password.
Clear the Offline State on a Windows PC
If your printer is connected to the mesh but Windows still reports "Printer is Offline," the holdup is usually on the computer, not the network. A stuck queue and an offline flag can keep jobs from ever reaching the printer.
Open the Epson print queue.
Delete any pending print jobs.
Select Printer, then deselect the "Use Printer Offline" checkbox.
Restart both the printer and the computer, then try printing again.
If the connection still fails during this process, you can temporarily disable the Windows Firewall while you troubleshoot, then re-enable it afterward. On Windows 11 go to Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > Windows Firewall; on Windows 10 go to Settings > Network & Internet > Windows Firewall. Always turn the firewall back on once you are done.
Remove and Re-Add the Printer on a Mac
Mac users who see "Printer is Offline" over WiFi can often fix it by removing the printer and adding it back using Bonjour, which lets macOS rediscover the printer at its current address on the mesh.
Open System Settings or System Preferences, then Printers & Scanners (it may appear as Print & Scan or Print & Fax on older systems).
Select the printer and remove it with the minus button.
Click the plus button to add a printer.
Select your printer with Kind set as Bonjour, then click Add.
Confirm the printer's WiFi indicator shows it is connected, and power-cycle the router if the Mac still cannot see it. This works on recent macOS releases, including macOS 26 Tahoe.
Verify the IP Address Has Not Shifted
Mesh systems can hand the printer a new IP address after it roams between nodes or after a reboot, which quietly breaks the saved printer port even though the printer is online. The fix is to confirm the real address and make sure your computer is pointed at it.
From the control panel, print a Network Status Sheet and compare the printer's IP address to the IP saved in your computer's printer settings. If the two differ, your computer is trying to reach the wrong address, and you will need to update the saved port on your computer to the printer's current IP.
To stop this from happening again, assign the printer a fixed or reserved IP address in your router or mesh app. With a reservation in place, the printer keeps the same address through reboots and roams, so the saved port stays valid.
Fall Back to a Wired Ethernet Connection
The ET-4850 includes a wired Ethernet port (10/100), and this is your most reliable option when mesh WiFi keeps misbehaving. A cable sidesteps band steering and weak 2.4 GHz coverage entirely.
If the mesh's 2.4 GHz signal is weak where the printer sits, or band steering keeps knocking it off WiFi, connect the printer by Ethernet to a mesh node or router. This bypasses the WiFi band issue completely while keeping the printer on the same network, so every device can still reach it.
Confirm the Printer Itself Works With WiFi Direct
Before you spend more time on the network, it helps to prove the printer hardware is fine. WiFi Direct connects a phone or computer straight to the printer, with the mesh out of the picture entirely.
Press the Home button and select the network status icon.
Select Wi-Fi Direct, scroll down, and select Start Setup.
Connect using the Epson Smart Panel app, or select Other Methods.
For an iPhone, scan the QR code; for other devices, choose Other OS Devices and enter the printer's network name and password.
Select Complete.
If printing works over WiFi Direct, the printer is healthy and the problem lives in your mesh or router settings. That tells you to focus on the SSID split and IP fixes above rather than the hardware.
Update the Firmware and Reinstall the Driver
Outdated firmware or a corrupted driver can cause connection drops that look like network problems. Updating both brings the printer and your computer back to a known-good state.
Run Epson Software Updater to update firmware. On Windows go to Start > Epson Software > Epson Software Updater; on Mac go to Applications > Epson Software > Epson Software Updater. Select your model, check Firmware Updater (or Epson Firmware Update on Mac), and follow the prompts. Do not interrupt power during the update.
If problems continue after the firmware is current, reinstall the printer software. Download the latest driver and utility package from the Downloads tab on the official ET-4850 support page and run it to replace any damaged driver files.
Reset Network Settings, Then Restore Defaults as a Last Resort
If the printer still will not hold its place on the mesh, clear its network configuration and start fresh. Resetting only the network settings is safe because it wipes the network configuration, not your other settings.
Press the Home button and go to Settings > Restore Default Settings.
Choose Network Settings, then select Yes to confirm.
Reconnect using the Wi-Fi Setup Wizard described earlier, choosing your 2.4 GHz SSID.
For a full factory reset, choose Clear All Data and Settings instead. Be aware that this resets all control panel settings and deletes stored information, so use it only when nothing else has worked. If issues continue even after a full reset, contact Epson Support for further help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 connect to a 5 GHz mesh network?
No. The ET-4850's WiFi supports only IEEE 802.11 b/g/n on the 2.4 GHz band, so it cannot join a 5 GHz network. On a mesh system, connect it to a dedicated 2.4 GHz SSID, or use the wired Ethernet port instead.
Why does my printer keep dropping off the mesh WiFi?
Mesh systems often broadcast one combined SSID and steer devices between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Because this printer only supports 2.4 GHz, that steering can drop it. Giving each band its own SSID and connecting the printer to the 2.4 GHz name usually stops the drops.
How do I find my printer's IP address?
Print a Network Status Sheet from the control panel. It lists the printer's current IP address, which you can then compare to the IP saved in your computer's printer settings to spot a mismatch.
Is a wired connection better than WiFi for this printer?
The ET-4850 has a 10/100 Ethernet port, which makes a wired connection a reliable fallback. If mesh WiFi keeps dropping or 2.4 GHz coverage is weak, connecting by Ethernet to a node or router avoids the band issue entirely while keeping the printer on your network.
Will resetting network settings delete my other printer settings?
Choosing Restore Default Settings > Network Settings only clears network configuration. Choosing Clear All Data and Settings is the full reset; it resets all control panel settings and deletes stored information, so reserve that option for a true last resort.
