Wireless Printing

I have this neato cheapo device from China (naturally) that is a 'USB printer sharing device'. One usb wire goes to the closest computer, the other to the wireless router. The common usb wire goes to the printer. Once the software is on the 'puters, I just tell the switch to 'switch' and print from that computer. Love it. Google 'usb printer sharing switch', don't need to spend big bucks, mine was sooo cheap, from an importer in California.

True, but that means trailing wires all around the house. My computer is at one end, the router is plugged into another computer at the other end, and the one I want to get configured to print is downstairs at the other end of the house. If they were close together, I would just use Ethernet so I would get faster Internet and the printer thing would probably work straight away.

I've used this with success out to about 1000M

What model of printer do you have? It is unlikely that it is a network ready model.

A wireless router provides two functions.
1. It provides a shared accessto a highspeed internet connection (DSL/Cable). This access is shared to all the computers connected to the router.

2.A wireless router usually has RJ-45 ports for connecting wired computers over ethernet same as a wired router and has a wireless access point built in so you can connect to the router from a PC equipped with a wireless network card without using a cable.

In order to print to the printer over the "router" actually over the network, the printer has to be connected to the network in some fashion.

Basically you need a Print Server that connects between the network and the printer. This device can be either wired or wireless. Since you have already purchased a wireless router, you should consider a Wireless Print Server. This will allow you to place the printer in a convenient location without having to worry about a cable from the printer to the router.

Make sure you purchase a device with a compatible connection for the printer. If the Printer uses USB you need a USB print server, if it prints through a parallel port you need a Print Server with a parallel port.

Try to purchase one with an RJ-45 connector for a wired connection as well as the wireless antenna. This can make configuration much easier.

For example:

Linksys WPSM54G Wireless Print Server - 54Mbps, 802.11b, USB 2.0

The printer is old! It is a HP Deskjet 520 from around 1980. It came with my windows 3.0 :D It connects via LPT1. Last time, I didn't go through the router, my computer acted as the router and the other computer just connected when need be. Both the computers have internet. The printer is shared over the network, but the problem being that I can access the other computer's shared docs, but the other computer cannot access anything on my computer, saying the network path was not found. I think if it could access it, it would be all running smoothly as it was before. Thanks for your info on the print servers, but if possible I would like to avoid getting one, as I had it working before, and my computer is almost always on and so acts as it anyway. By the way, I use the old printer because the ink cartridges are only £4 each! Brand New. I don't use colour printing unless printing off pictures, and I have another printer connected to the problem computer for that use, but the cartridges are £30 for the pair.

Black and white laser printers with wireless interface are now available for under US$100. Get rid of that old boat anchor!

Im happy with my old printer. It does the job, works well and has really cheap ink. That suits me fine :D

Be sure of the work group name for each computer on the network

They are all the same, it is something to do with the firewall

Let's get this straight; you disabled the firewall and got wireless printing then you rebooted before enable firewall?? Try it that way...

That is how I did it, but once I enabled the firewall again, it stopped the 'communications' and I couldn't send things to print from the remote computer

Windows firewall is bottom of the heap...checkout Comodo...is a good free highly configurable FW and turn-off windows FW and it's quirky oddities.

Bondy,

Are you talking about the Windows firewall, or the one built into the router?

Tom

Windows Firewall. For my wireless network, the router isn't connected in it. Each computer has it's own connection to the router via wireless, but on a separate network I am trying to set up the printing

If you are having a thought to purchase a WI-FI printer then I would suggest you go for the HP printer. It has the product available for you and they gave you all kind of supportive service. If you ever face any kind of trouble with their product they have their toll free helpline no. you can find it here:-

https://www.onlineprinterhelp.com/hp-printer-wi-fi-connectivity-error.php

I have had similar problems to this a few times. In both instances the computers didn't have the same work group. This can be found in the control panel by switching to the classic view (a link on the far left), double clicking system, and then going to the "computer name" tab. Click the "change" button if they don't match.

Also, the printer needed to be manually shared in one of the instances. This is done by going to control panel, clicking on classic view, double clicking on "printers and faxes", right clicking on the default printer, and selecting "sharing...". Tell it to share the printer and away you go.

I have changed both computers to a new network, and still the other computer cannot find mine. The printer is already sharing. Thanks :D

Willdesktop is my computer, and computer 3 is the one I am trying to get to remote print. You can see that having pressed the little + next to will desktop, it has disappeared.

I'm certainly not great at this but I just had the very same situation. I may not recall correctly but I think that I had the wrong security code in the laptop that couldn't print and which didn't access the computer which had the printer connected to it. I finally got the same code in it and all is well for me now. Good luck!

Bondy,

This might have to do with the router. The routers usually have a built-in firewall, and that may be blocking your connection from the remote computer. Take a look at your router setup, you should be able to add the IP addresses of your computers in the firewall setup, so it will always allow traffic between those addresses. If you want to test this theory, you can try to disable the routers firewall completely, and see if that fixes the issue, if it does, then you can work out the details on how to configure the firewall to work with your setup. Good luck!

Tom

Wireless printing can be fantastic when it just works, but getting everything talking — whether it’s Wi-Fi Direct, AirPrint, or a printer’s own app — often takes more tweaking than expected. I usually start by updating firmware, assigning a static IP, and checking interference from other networks. It’s also worth comparing workflows if you handle docs a lot; a site like fax cover sheets surprisingly breaks down efficient one-time fax/scan tools that complement your wireless setup without extra hassle.

Wireless printing is very convenient, especially in offices where multiple people need access to the same printer without dealing with cables. However, many workplaces still rely on traditional document transmission methods like fax, particularly in industries such as healthcare, finance, and legal services where it is still widely accepted for sending signed or official documents. Even if your printer is wireless, you may occasionally need to send paperwork to organizations that only accept fax communication. Because of that, many users now turn to online fax solutions that allow documents to be sent directly from a computer or smartphone without a physical fax machine. Resources like https://comfax.com/ explain how modern digital fax services work and how they can be integrated into existing workflows. Combining wireless printing with a reliable fax option can help create a more flexible and efficient document management process.