Wireless Printer & network?

drew1 · 08-11-2011, 07:09 PM

My wife is a teacher & bought a new printer last week to start school with. Today when I got off work, I loaded up the printer & some other stuff in the truck & took them to her room. She had heard they were going wireless this year & got a wireless printer.

I got to the school & her laptop was wireless, no LAN cable. When setting up the printer, I choose wireless instead of USB. It did a network search & found 3, what I think is the school district, what I think is the school, & what appeared to be a teacher with a wireless router. The printer did not show it recognized her computer.

I'm ignorant about networks. I mean REAL IGNORANT. My only experience networking was a direct connect through parallel ports to get drawings & spreadsheets off of a dying laptop.

My wife may have to finish herself tomorrow. If she connects to the school network, does this mean that she can print on & scan from her printer through her laptop? Can everybody else on the network do the same with her printer?

Is my best option to buy a wireless router & connect her laptop & printer though it? I hate to use the USB port since she kind of wants the computer & printer separed.

stomachmonkey · 08-11-2011, 07:44 PM

I would not be attempting to set up wireless devices in an environment/network that I don't control. It's just asking for a headache.

Is this a public school? They very well may have strict policies about what types of devices you can run. From a security standpoint wireless devices that expose their network, even in a benign way, are generally frowned upon.

I'd go USB.

cmccuist · 08-11-2011, 07:48 PM

Drew, I bought a wireless printer for my wife (also a teacher). But I had to set it up first by connecting it with the USB. After it ran through the set up, then you can connect it wirelessly.

drew1 · 08-12-2011, 02:07 AM

Monkey & Craig, Thanks for replies.

I really don't want to try to hook up through a wireless router as I feel this could become a school security issue. I guess I was hoping the printer would be like a wireless mouse. It would have some kind of antenna that plugs into the computer's USB port then they can talk.

Craig, can your wife's computer & printer communicate with each other without a router once you introduce them with a USB cable?

Thanks,

Drew

cmccuist · 08-12-2011, 04:31 AM

As I remember it, you put the CD in, go through the prompts, plug in the printer via the USB, and then the printer is configured with it's own IP address. Then you can access it with any computer that has wi-fi.

There should be a quick start card in with the printer documentation. I remember it was pretty easy. I can print from all the computers in the house that have wireless.

Steve Viegas · 08-12-2011, 07:36 AM

I believe the above advice is good. On top of that, the network should have some security installed on it. I suspect you will need to talk to the school IT department and have them do the installation. They will have the correct passcodes to allow the computer and printer to connect to the network.

If you are just worried about the computer talking to the printer and visa versa only, then it is a different story. Do the hardwire USB connection first. Use the CD supplied by the manufacturer. It will be fairly straight forward.

drew1 · 10:46 PM

Thanks for replies. Early this morning P [rinted out Monkey & Craigs posts , gave them to my wife, & told her to see if the school IT had time to help or answer questions. They told her to get on the school network & they would come back & enter a password on her printer. She is at that stage now, hope they'll have time Mon.