wifi hp envy on public network; why can I use it?

fatkatie · 22 Nov 2018

First - thanks all for the help so far. I am going to send in some support cash. Thanks again.

I have a W7Pro64 box with a public network profile. It's cabled into my Xfinity TG1682G "gateway".

If I'm setup as public network how is it that I can use the HP wifi envy printer? Would other users
be able to access this printer if they could log into the network via the WiFi?

I did install support software on my pc that allowed access to the envy, but shouldn't the nature of the
"public" network profile preclude this?

Thanks all.

Samuria · 22 Nov 2018

A public network had a live on the internet IP a private has local IP starting 192 as a rule and can't be connected to via the internet the settings doesn't effect that it just tightens security

NavyLCDR · 22 Nov 2018

The public v. private network setting on your computer has more affect on incoming connections than it does on outgoing connections. Your printer is likely assigned an IP address on your local LAN of 192.168.X.XX, the same as your computer should be 192.168.X.XX.

The IP address in the range of 192.168.X.XX on your LAN are being set by your Xfinity gateway and a user would have to be able to log into the LAN side of your gateway to have access to the printer. Your WiFi should be password protected, so they would have to have the WiFi password, or plug into a physical ethernet port on your gateway, to get onto your LAN.

Some printers do have remote printing capability where they connect to an external internet server, and then to print remotely the user has to print to that external internet server which then forwards the print job to the printer, also via the internet.

Now, here's something you might not be aware of. Your Xfinity TG1682G "gateway" is likely broadcasting an Xfinity WiFi guest hotspot that the public who subscribe to Xfinity can log into if they are within WiFi range. This is supposed to be kept separate from your private LAN, but it certainly is not a feature of Xfinity that I particularly am fond of.

How to Turn Xfinity WiFi Home Hotspot On or Off - My Account Help

bro67 · 23 Nov 2018

fatkatie said:

First - thanks all for the help so far. I am going to send in some support cash. Thanks again.

I have a W7Pro64 box with a public network profile. It's cabled into my Xfinity TG1682G "gateway".

If I'm setup as public network how is it that I can use the HP wifi envy printer? Would other users
be able to access this printer if they could log into the network via the WiFi?

I did install support software on my pc that allowed access to the envy, but shouldn't the nature of the
"public" network profile preclude this?

Thanks all.

All that "Public" does is change the Firewall settings for what ports are open. If you have a Ad-Hoc network setup with say the printer, you will always be able to access it with the "Public" firewall profile. The biggest change between "Private" and "Public", is File and Folder sharing, along with device sharing. If on your home network, always set to Private.