Airprint between two routers?

Question

I have setup AirPrint via CUPS in Ubuntu 12.04.03. This works through my main router, when my iPad and iPod are on this wifi router. That router is the main ADSL into the house. I then have another router, a MikroTik Routerboard, on an Ethernet cable attached to this. I use both of these networks for different iDevices, however the CUPS server is attached to the main router.

I think AirPrint only works on the local router, but I need to use it on both networks.

Is it possible to create some sort of tunnel to direct the AirPrint into the MikroTik router's network?

Thank you.

Answer 1

AirPrint utilizes the Bonjour service to discover local 'Airprint' printers. Because Bonjour can 'only' discover local printers it makes it almost impossible to reach outside your local network to discover nearby printers.

The best advice I can give would be to purchase a second network adapter (Ethernet or Wireless) and connect it directly to your 2nd 'MikroTik' router. This would then allow you to have the AirPrint server accessible in both networks. An under $20 fix to a complex solution.

The easiest solution however would be to use your second router as a bridge to your main network. However I am guessing you're avoiding this scenario for some undisclosed reason.