Adding a wireless printer - Page 2

Kymmy · 12-09-2011, 11:59

Set it up locally first (as a wired printer) otherwise you can't set up the wifi settings

Russ · 12-09-2011, 12:05

So I'll need to set it up on the machine that's wired connected to the router first?

Dai · 12-09-2011, 12:43

Just wire the printer to a pc for initial setup. Don't involve the router at this stage. The software should then find the printer and ask you the questions it needs to do the first stage of the installation.

Kymmy · 12-09-2011, 13:54

Unless the printer has a built in control panel/display to configure the wifi then you need to add the printer to a PC, load up the software and then configure the printer for the wifi settings of your home.. Once that's done the printer can then be disconnected from that PC

Russ · 12-09-2011, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymmy

Unless the printer has a built in control panel/display to configure the wifi then you need to add the printer to a PC, load up the software and then configure the printer for the wifi settings of your home.. Once that's done the printer can then be disconnected from that PC

This is where I'm having problems. I've loaded the software on to both machines and physically plugged the printer in to the laptop. Unless there's something I'm not doing, neither machine can find a printer on any network when I remove the cable from the computer to the printer.

Dai · 12-09-2011, 16:08

Presumably the setup software asked you about stuff like SSID & wireless password and maybe gateway address?

If these have been set in the printer then once it's plugged into the router it should get an IP address from the router. Try logging into the router's control panel and checking connected devices. With luck you'll see the printer as a new device and can get it's IP address from the router. Once you get that far it's possible to manually create a TCP/IP port on the pc or laptop which will enable the printer.

Russ · 12-09-2011, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaiNasty

Presumably the setup software asked you about stuff like SSID & wireless password and maybe gateway address?

No nothing like that - the software for the printer installed etc then it got to a point where it said to choose either a USB connection or wi-fi. When I selected wi-fi it started trying to detect the network but couldn't find it.

Kymmy · 12-09-2011, 17:06

Until you tell the printer what security and password your wifi uses then it will not connect to the wifi.. hence you need to install as a usb printer, set up the wifi then reinstall as a network printer

Russ · 12-09-2011, 17:54

All sorted now - thanks

Dai · 12-09-2011, 18:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ

All sorted now - thanks

I love a story with a happy ending.

Russ · 12-09-2011, 18:06

This may be obvious to some however there was nothing in the instruction manual to explain this - not helped by the booklet being in about 15 different languages and English not being near the top - but what I needed to do was install the printer and software on the computer which was connected by a cable to the router then do the same on the wireless laptop.

techguyone · 14-09-2011, 12:05

That was an epic struggle, good t get there in the end.
I just got a HP printer for my daughter, and configured that as wireless, thankfully, it had a little screen on it, and I could input the wi-fi password etc and it all went very smoothly.

tweetiepooh · 14-09-2011, 12:34

Don't some devices have "sync" buttons or options where you push a button on router and on device and they pair up, exchanging info.

My network laser printer is wireless via a bridge and I fix the IP outside the DHCP range so I can put entries in /etc/hosts to refer to printer by name. (Windows picks up this automatically but not Linux).

techguyone · 14-09-2011, 13:16

I must admit to liking how anything 'networked' isn't like the bad old days, where you needed a degree in black magic to get anything to work, things are pretty much plug n play now.

handyman · 14-09-2011, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ

OK cheers for all this so far - another stupid question (I really know nothing about networking) - which cable do I use to connect the printer to the router? The only output on the printer is the standard square-ish shaped socked and the cable that cable with it has a USB on the other end which of course doesn't fit anywhere on the router which has ethernet ports.

And you used to work in tech support for ntl...