AirPrint not working with Xfi

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@ohyn wrote:

Airprint does not work well with Xfi. iPhone is connected to the network alright, and the printer may connec for a minute or so, then disappears. It appears the problem is that a router is needed for airprint. Is the Xfinity gateway not acting as a router? (And it must support Bonjour). Is there a work around?

Thanks for any help. I need to be able to rely on Xfi alone, without a router.

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since 2000 routers have come with multicast. most home wifi routers are really just a switch and wireless access points. unless you have restricted types of packets that might disable or mishandle multi-casts (like bonjour) they really don't have an effect. the bonjour service is in your client and the printer. the router/AP just acts like a cable between them. When my iPad seems not to see my HP printer I just power down restart the ipad and the printer then works (last time was on an old ipad mini 2 now traded in for a new ipad 10.2). 

Thanks for response.

First, it's not just one IOS device and not just one owner / user in this household having that same problem. And, google search on the problem will show many affected by it. How many times are you willing to turn off and on your device (as has been recommended by many) to be able to find a printer for each job? That solution is neither practical nor helpful and does not really work for us. 

I found an article in one iphone forum that made several suggestions,  but the most critical point made, to me,  is that you need a router (which is why I asked if Xfi Gateway is not a router). Once I connected my router back to the Xfi gateway and connected my printer the router Wifi (not Xfi), the printer showed up on our devices faster than the finger could move. That was a relief, but now, we are using two wiFi's instead of one.

So, is there another workaround for Xfi? You have to agree with me that having to reboot your device each time you have to print is not ideal. Thanks.

I’ve found that the issue is that the device your printing from has to be on the same pod the printer is on. Not sure how to get around this. It appears that each pod acts with its own IP address and the printer doesn’t see any other devices on the network unless it’s on the same pod or on the main gateway at the same time. The only workaround is to email the doc directly to the printer or print from the same device while checking the xFi app. Too much work.