Strange Ping results

[#1]

Hi,
I'm hoping someone can help out with a strange networking issue.
I've recently added an Epson XP-415 wifi printer to our home network, and sometimes it works, sometimes it dosn't. I've established that if I ping the printer sometimes it responds with "Destination Host Unreachable" if this happens the only way I can get it to connect again is to re-set the router (Netgear DG834G v5). it will then work again, until the printer is turned off - next time it gets turned back on it won't connect.
Set up in the router is pretty standard, using DHCP up to a range of .240 and the printer has a fixed IP of .250 (ie above and outside of the DHCP range), I have four other devices on the network that use DHCP and they go on and off the network as expected.
Anyone have any clues as to what could be wrong - I've been onto Epson, but they just went throught the standard setup for the printer and told me that they don't know anything about router settings, great help !

[#2]

Hi Alfa,
It's a difficult one for us to advise on but you could try connecting the printer to the router under DHCP without assigning a static IP to see if it helps.

[#3]

Adam,
That's the odd thing about it - the printer was originally set up to use a dynamic address under dhcp, and I was getting exactly the same results - changing it to a static address should, I believe have sorted it out but it hasn't made any difference at all.
I was hoping there might be a network guru around that might be able to advise what I'm doing wrong?

[#4]

Alfa,
I have seen a similar problem with a Samsung printer - I believe that the following explains what I saw and consequently how I fixed my issue.
1. By default routers are often set up to select the wifi channel AUTOmatically.  Thereby as the wifi spectrum use changes, the router switches wifi channel accordingly to what it see as being best.
2. Most wifi clients see that the channel has changed and follow the move with out issue.
3. I believe that printer wifi drivers do not similarly follow such channel changes - the reason is not obvious to me, it could be down to power save functionality, it could be bad design.
I suspect that in the above scenario, the wifi router has done a channel change and due to the printer not following, it has in effect been dropped off the network.
Subsequent to me configuring the router to use a fixed channel, my Samsung printer has never dropped off the network.  This "fix" might also work for you.  If you are already using a fixed channel, then I'd look at checking to see if you have the latest firmware.  Though I bought my printer in Oct last year, the firmware was well out of date.  I also had issues with the in-built Apple Airprint going to sleep, eventually a firmware update from X.25 to X.51 fixed that issue too.

HTH,
Kevin

[#5]

Thanks for that
The router is already using a fixed channel, but I'll try changing it to anouther channel or auto and see if that makes any difference - I'll also check out the firmware on the printer - I know that the router is eol and unsupported now.
Let you know after I've tested it tomorrow!
Regards
Alfa