Printer Wireless Connection Priority Based on Previous Access Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printers struggle to quickly establish connections to specific fixed access points due to prioritizing connections with mobile terminals that receive stronger radio signals, leading to inconvenience in wireless LAN environments with multiple access points.
Innovation Solution
A printer apparatus and method that determine the order priority of access points based on previous communication schemes, such as port numbers, to establish wireless connections efficiently to the intended access point, reducing connection time by prioritizing access points used for printing and printer information management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the printer attempts to reconnect to mobile terminals with stronger radio signals, then the connection establishment speed is improved, but the connection reliability to fixed access points deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller stores connection information including SSID and password for multiple access points in advance. When reconnection is needed, the controller retrieves stored information and attempts connection to fixed access points first before mobile terminals, ensuring reliable reconnection to intended destinations without waiting for signal strength-based reconnection to mobile devices.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of prioritizing mobile terminals based on signal strength (conventional approach), the invention inverts the priority by prioritizing fixed access points for reconnection attempts. The controller determines connection priority based on stored access point information rather than current signal conditions, reversing the conventional signal-strength-based selection logic.
2Ease of operation
If the printer uses signal intensity to determine connection priority, then the ease of operation is improved, but the connection time to specific access points increases
Solution Approach 1:
Connection information including SSID and password is stored in advance for multiple access points. When reconnection is required, the controller uses this pre-stored information to directly target the intended access point, eliminating the time-consuming process of scanning and selecting access points based on current signal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The printer automatically determines the intended access point based on pre-stored connection information and initiates reconnection without user intervention. The controller autonomously selects the correct access point from stored data, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for manual selection while reducing connection time.
Data Source
AI summary
A printer apparatus includes a printing unit that performs printing; a communication unit; and a controller. The communication unit establishes a wireless connection to any one of a plurality of access points in accordance with any one of a plurality of communication schemes. The controller determines order priority for the plurality of access points to which an attempt to establish the wireless connection is to be made in accordance with a communication scheme used in a previous wireless connection to each of the plurality of access points and causes the communication unit to establish the wireless connection to an access point out of the plurality of access points in accordance with the order priority.