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. They're mutually exclusive: LAN-only Mode disables Bambu Handy, Cloud mode disables third-party control. The exceptions are X1 / P1 / A1 on pre-2024 firmware (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 early 2025 Bambu Lab introduced the Authorization Control System (ACS), which 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 Bambu Lab 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 (the "Full control" tier above): starting prints, setting temperatures, moving axes, AMS control. Monitor-only Cloud mode works in every cell of this table; the table is about whether the full path is available via Cloud mode or only via LAN-only Mode.

We expect Bambu Lab to eventually remove the old-firmware Cloud-mode full-control path for the X1 / P1 / A1 series too, most likely when those models are sunset. If you're planning a fleet, plan around LAN-only Mode.

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

If you add the printer to SimplyPrint while it's in Cloud mode on current firmware, you get a useful but limited integration. You start prints from Bambu Studio or Bambu Handy; SimplyPrint is the dashboard.

You can:

• See live print status, progress, layer count, ETA.
• Read temperatures, fan speeds, AMS state.
• View the webcam stream (the SimplyPrint Bambu Lab Client must be on the same local network as the printer for webcam to work).
• 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).
• Use AutoPrint, queues that auto-dispatch to the printer, or any other feature that needs SimplyPrint to send actions.

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 Bambu Lab Client itself runs.

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

You can keep using it. We'll keep supporting that path for as long as Bambu does. But two things to know:

1. The set of users who can use full Cloud-mode control is shrinking. New accessories, especially newer AMS units, may ship with firmware that requires a newer printer firmware than your current one, which would force you onto the LAN-only path anyway.
2. We can't realistically support multi-year-old firmware on every model forever. If you're staying on old firmware as a long-term plan, expect occasional connection or feature edge cases.

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

Updated on: 25/05/2026