Can no longer connect to network printers after installing Cyber Security on Mac OS 14.5

[Dzyner 0]

Hi. I'm running Mac OS 14.5 and just recently uninstalled the older (end of life) version of Cyber Security Pro and installed the latest version of Cyber Security. Everything works fine as far as I can tell (I can browse the web, emails work, etc.). However, this morning I went to print to my network Epson 4500 and while my Mac can physically "see" the printer under Printers & Scanners, it cannot communicate with it.

What I've tried:

1. Uninstall and reinstall printers. While my Mac can see the printer (as a Bonjour printer), it cannot add it and shows the error, "Unable to communicate with the printer at this time."
2. Tried to connect using IP Printer option (no luck, same error)
3. Tried downloading and using the Manufacturer's installer, no luck.

This seems to have started after installing ESET Cyber Security as noted above. Prior to this (just days ago) I had no issues at all printing to this printer. Could this be an issue with the Network itself needing to be flagged as "trusted" or "Home" versus "Public"? I know my wife (who is running ESET on her PC) had a similar issue that was traced back to an incorrect Home Network flag (she had our private home Wifi network flagged as "Public"). If so, how do I change that? I do not see that as an option on the Mac version.

[Marcos 5,231]

Is that with ESET CyberSecurity Pro v6 or the latest ESET CyberSecurity v7.4.1600.0? If the former, does temporarily disabling the firewall make a difference? ESET CyberSecurity v8 is going to be released this year so I'd suggest you test it with it when available.

[Dzyner 0]

4 minutes ago, Marcos said:

Is that with ESET CyberSecurity Pro v6 or the latest ESET CyberSecurity v7.4.1600.0? If the former, does temporarily disabling the firewall make a difference? ESET CyberSecurity v8 is going to be released this year so I'd suggest you test it with it when available.

Thanks for the quick reply Marcos. See attached for the exact version and system details (7.4.1600.0). This is looking more and more like an ESET issue, based on the fact ESET is the only change I made since last successfully printing.

I noticed under Settings > Network a section called "Filters & Proxies" (see second screenshot) and I'm wondering if the ESET Transparent Proxy entry beneath that is causeing local network connection issues? I am unable to disable it, even when rebooting in SAFE mode. ESET insists on locking down this setting as "Enabled". When I choose "Disable" it auto-enables it again, even in SAFE mode. Is there any way to COMPLETELY disable ESET without uninstalling it?

Is there a way to add the IP of the Printer (and any other local network device) into a setting somewhere that will allow that device unrestricted access?

Unfotuantely I cannot wait for a new version. If indeed ESET is causing this, and there is no way around it, I will need to uninstall it until fixed or I cannot print.

[Dzyner 0]

Can anyone tell me whether or not I can reinstall Cyber Security Pro (which is what I UNINSTALLED in order to Install Cyber Security V7.4.1600). I have a strong suspicion that installing the NEW version of the software is causing my issues and I'd like to test this by reinstalling CS Pro, but where can I find it in order to do so?

I will first Uninstall CS V7.4.1600, reboot my Mac and ping my printer via Terminal to confirm I can connect to it (I cannot connect currently and Ping is unsuccessful). If indeed I can successfully ping my printer, I will then want to Reinstall the older version (Cyber Security Pro), but need to know where I can locate and download it.

[itman 1,740]

6 minutes ago, Dzyner said:

I will then want to Reinstall the older version (Cyber Security Pro), but need to know where I can locate and download it.

You can download it from here: https://www.eset.com/int/home/cyber-security-pro/download/

[Dzyner 0]

Thanks itman.

I figured this out. Turns out something changed with my mesh system (not sure yet what) and because the printer is only capably of connecting at 2.4Ghz, while my laptop is at 5Ghz, they are not communicating. It dawned on my when I uninstalled ESET and it was still an issue. I checked the printer in the Router's app to see what band it was on (2.4Ghz) and noticed my computer was on 5Ghz and on a whim I changed my computer to 2.4Ghz and voila, it worked. There is only one network that has both bands shared and set to auto-detect (like most modern mesh systems) so I'm not sure why the printer and/or my laptop are seeing them as separate networks. I'll need to dig into that.