Like many Bambu printer users, I’ve been enjoying the convenience of LAN-only mode for sending prints directly from Bambu Studio. However, I’ve been plagued by an intermittent and incredibly frustrating issue where the “Send And Print” function simply hangs, ultimately failing with an IP and passcode error. This problem is especially infuriating as it tends to surface when I’m under time pressure to get a print started.
My setup is straightforward: my printer operates exclusively in LAN mode. Within Bambu Studio, I can interact with the printer perfectly. I can view the live camera feed, monitor AMS status, and even the filament refresh in the send dialog box works flawlessly. The issue arises specifically when I attempt to “send and print” a sliced file. The system gets stuck on “preparing print job” for about ten seconds before displaying the dreaded “check your IP and passcode” error message. Clicking “test” in the error dialog predictably fails as well.
The perplexing nature of this problem is its intermittency. Sometimes, after multiple printer power cycles, the “send and print” function will suddenly start working again without any other changes. However, when time is critical, resorting to the SD card becomes my only option. This involves exporting the G-code to the SD card, physically inserting it into the printer, and initiating the print manually – a cumbersome workaround that completely defeats the purpose of network printing. Ironically, after completing an SD card print, subsequent “send and print” attempts over the network often work immediately, without any further printer reboots.
Network analysis reveals some clues. While the MQTT connection remains stable (explaining why Bambu Studio can still retrieve printer status), the FTPS connection appears to be the culprit. It seems to hang during the initialization phase, possibly during login. This aligns with Bambu Studio’s diagnosis of incorrect credentials. Interestingly, when the “send and print” issue is present in Studio, manual FTP attempts to the printer using tools like FileZilla, with the exact same credentials, also hang during login.
My printer resides on its own dedicated Wireless Access Point (WAP) in a room free from network congestion, eliminating potential wireless interference.
To troubleshoot this persistent problem, I have already undertaken a comprehensive list of actions, including:
- Factory resetting the printer: Hoping to clear any corrupted settings.
- Updating printer firmware: Ensuring I’m running the latest software version.
- Power cycling repeatedly: Countless power cycles of the printer in attempts to resolve the issue.
- Switching between cloud and LAN modes: Testing if toggling modes would reset the connection behavior.
- Formatting the SD card: Suspecting a potential issue with the printer reading the SD card.
- Using a different SD card: Ruling out SD card failure as the root cause.
- Experimenting with OrcaSlicer: Trying an alternative slicer to eliminate Bambu Studio-specific issues.
- Testing with different computers: Confirming the issue is printer-related, not computer-specific.
- Ensuring laptop and printer are on the same WAP: Verifying network segment consistency.
- Creating a dedicated SSID and subnet: Isolating printer and laptop on a dedicated network.
- Allowing internet access in LAN mode: Testing if internet connectivity affects LAN printing.
- Longing for wired Ethernet: Wishing for a more reliable wired network connection option.
- Expressed frustration: To put it mildly! And even considered exploring alternative printer brands.
Previously, I raised a support ticket with Bambu Lab regarding this issue. Their initial suggestion was simply to reboot my computer, an unhelpful response that disregarded the fact that the problem manifests across multiple computers on my network. The issue was less frequent at that time, and the unhelpful response discouraged further pursuit, leading me to temporarily give up and rely on printer reboots to restore functionality. However, the problem has become significantly more frequent recently, pushing me to seek further assistance.
Before reopening another support ticket with Bambu Lab, anticipating further frustration, I am reaching out to the community. Has anyone else encountered this specific “send and print” behavior in LAN mode? Does anyone have any insights or potential solutions that I haven’t yet explored? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
