Bambu Lab integration: LAN-only vs Bambu Cloud

There are three ways to use SimplyPrint with a Bambu Lab printer. The one most users want, full control (start prints, AMS, temperature, movement), requires the printer to be in LAN-only Mode with Developer Mode enabled on current firmware. The other two paths (monitor-only Cloud mode, or not adding the printer to SimplyPrint at all) are real options if LAN-only Mode doesn't fit your setup.

This article lays out all three, why LAN-only Mode is the full-control path on current firmware, and per-model details so you can pick what fits.

The three ways to use SimplyPrint with Bambu Lab

The "no printer connection" path isn't our intended flow, but it's a real option some users take, mostly people who don't have spare hardware to run the bridge (a Raspberry Pi, mini PC, or always-on Mac/Windows machine). You keep Bambu Handy and MakerWorld exactly as before. The trade-off is that everything filament-related is manual: SimplyPrint can't see your prints, so you have to subtract filament from spools yourself, and there are no live stats, no auto-deduction, no print history populated for you.

"I want to keep Bambu Handy and MakerWorld. Can I still use SimplyPrint?"

Yes. Pick the path that matches what you actually want:

• You want to keep Bambu Handy AND have SimplyPrint drive the printer. Not possible on current Bambu firmware, and not something we support. They're mutually exclusive: LAN-only Mode disables Bambu Handy, Cloud mode disables third-party control. The only exceptions are X1 / P1 / A1 printers still on firmware from before Bambu's authorization update (see the per-model table below) and the X1 / X1C with X1Plus open-source firmware.
• You want to keep Bambu Handy and use SimplyPrint as a monitoring layer. Run the printer in Cloud mode and add it to SimplyPrint in monitor-only mode. You'll see live status, webcam, AMS, and statistics. You start prints from Bambu Handy or Bambu Studio.
• You want to keep Bambu Handy and use SimplyPrint's other features (slicer, filament organization, file storage) without connecting the printer. Don't add the printer at all. Cloud Slicer, Filament Manager, label generation, NFC, and file storage all still work. You lose live status, webcam, and automatic filament-usage tracking, so you'll be subtracting filament from spools by hand. Not the intended setup, but a real option for users who don't have hardware for the bridge.

MakerWorld is the one piece we can't replicate, in any tier. Bambu Lab doesn't allow third-party MakerWorld integration, so SimplyPrint can't pull from MakerWorld even if you're on the full-control path.

Why LAN-only Mode is required for full control on current firmware

In 2025 Bambu Lab introduced the Authorization Control System (ACS), first on the X1 series in January and then on the P1 and A1 series in June. It restricts third-party software from sending write actions to printers connected via Bambu's cloud. That includes us, OrcaSlicer, Home Assistant, and every other integration. It is a Bambu policy, not a SimplyPrint choice, and it applies to all currently-shipping firmware.

The workaround Bambu themselves point to is LAN-only Mode with Developer Mode enabled. In that configuration the printer talks directly to local clients on your network (like the SimplyPrint Client) without going through Bambu's cloud, so ACS doesn't apply and SimplyPrint can drive the printer normally.

Full background: Bambu Lab security firmware "Authorization Control System" update: will I still be able to use SimplyPrint?.

Per-model status

This table is about full SimplyPrint control: starting prints, setting temperatures, moving axes, AMS control. Monitor-only Cloud mode is available on every printer in it; the SimplyPrint Client doesn't check the model or firmware when you add a printer through your Bambu Lab account.

The "Cloud mode" column is the firmware where the printer itself still accepts commands from SimplyPrint. The ACS firmware listed is the version that added the authorization check; anything from that version on refuses them.

The same versions are listed in the ACS article. If you're planning a fleet, plan around LAN-only Mode.

What still works in Cloud mode (the monitor-only tier)

If you add the printer to SimplyPrint while it's in Cloud mode on ACS firmware (the versions in the table above or newer, which is every printer on current firmware), you get a useful but limited integration. In the SimplyPrint Client, you add a Cloud-mode printer with Add with a Bambu Lab account anyway (read-only) and sign in with your Bambu Lab account instead of entering an access code. You then pick the printer from the ones linked to your account. You start prints from Bambu Studio or Bambu Handy; SimplyPrint is the dashboard.

The sign-in screen describes this as being for older X1C, P1P, P1S, A1 and A1 Mini printers. That's our advice, not a block: the Client lists every printer on your Bambu Lab account and lets you add any of them for monitoring, including the H2 series and P2S.

You can:

• See live print status, progress, layer count, ETA.
• Read temperatures, fan speeds, AMS state.
• View the webcam stream (the SimplyPrint Client must be on the same local network as the printer for webcam to work, and X1-series printers need LAN Mode Liveview turned on).
• See the print job in your statistics and history.

You cannot:

• Start a print from SimplyPrint.
• Pause, resume, or cancel a print.
• Set or change temperatures.
• Send movement or homing commands.
• Send raw .gcode files (Bambu only accepts .3mf in Cloud mode, on any firmware).
• Use AutoPrint, queues that auto-dispatch to the printer, or any other feature that needs SimplyPrint to send actions.

The buttons don't disappear. If you try one, the printer refuses the command and SimplyPrint shows an MQTT Verification failure notification. That is the printer's firmware saying no, not a SimplyPrint fault; the fix is LAN-only Mode + Developer Mode.

For monitor-only setups this is genuinely fine. For everything else you'll want LAN-only Mode.

What you give up by going LAN-only

Short and matter-of-fact:

• Bambu Handy stops working. Bambu's own app requires Cloud mode. The SimplyPrint mobile app covers the same ground (status, control, start prints, AMS, webcam) and a lot more. The one thing we can't replicate is MakerWorld, because Bambu doesn't allow third-party MakerWorld integration.
• Firmware updates via Bambu Handy stop working. Use the offline USB / microSD method instead, or briefly switch modes to update. See How to update Bambu Lab firmware in LAN-only mode for the full walkthrough.
• File transfers are slightly slower on older models (X1 / P1 / A1) because files route through the bridge device. On the H2D and newer hardware the difference is barely noticeable.
• You'll need a USB stick or microSD card in the printer. SimplyPrint uses removable storage to transfer files in LAN-only Mode.

Things that don't change: print quality, AMS behavior, slicer support, network requirements (printer and bridge device still need to be on the same network), or how the SimplyPrint Client itself runs.

Already on old-enough firmware and Cloud-mode control works for you?

If your printer is below the versions in the table, it still accepts commands, so starting prints and changing temperatures from SimplyPrint can keep working in Cloud mode. Cloud control is no longer supported, though: we don't fix issues that only happen on this path, and the SimplyPrint Client labels Cloud printers read-only. Two more things to know:

1. One firmware update ends it. Updating past the version in the table turns the printer monitor-only, and new accessories, especially newer AMS units, may need a newer printer firmware than your current one.
2. Staying on old firmware as a long-term plan means missing every fix and feature Bambu ships after it.

For most users, the simpler choice is to enable LAN-only Mode + Developer Mode once and stop thinking about it.

Related articles

• Bambu Lab: LAN-only mode and Developer Mode - how to enable
• How to update Bambu Lab firmware in LAN-only mode
• Bambu Lab: printer stopped working after firmware upgrade / can't start prints anymore
• Bambu Lab security firmware "Authorization Control System" update
• Bambu Lab: how to downgrade firmware
• Connecting Bambu Lab printers to SimplyPrint
• How to install the SimplyPrint Client
• Migrating from the SimplyPrint Bambu Lab client to the new SimplyPrint Client

Updated on: 27/10/2026