Network printers

AlphaOmega · Post by **AlphaOmega** » 2006-01-23 02:50pm

I am looking for a wireless network printer for my laptop (Gateway, Windows XP Home SP2). I cannnot find one that is rather inexpensive >$200. I see there are USB printer adapters, but are these good? Anyone have a good set up at home or work at a good price?

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2006-01-23 04:51pm

Any printer can be added to your wireless network via a wireless print server, like these. That plus a printer, and you're all set.

Buyer Beware. Going by the reviews on NewEgg some printers are not compatiable with some print servers, so do your homework. (And yes, I think $80 is way too expensive for these little guys, but what can you do?)

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2006-01-23 07:13pm

Some (wireless) routers are also capable of this, if you are looking to keep clutter to a minimum.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2006-01-23 07:52pm

If you've got an infrared port on your laptop, some of the old business-class HP Laserjets (like the 5P) had a built-in infrared port. Those old laser printers are close to bulletproof, there are many stories of them still chugging along happily after having printed hundreds of thousands of pages.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2006-01-23 08:52pm

If you can put up with a wired connection to the printer, just use a wired print server like this one connected to your wireless router.
I use last year's model of that particular PS hooked up to my Linksys WRT54G and have no problems wirelessly printing from my laptop to either the LJ1200 or the Photosmart 7960 that are connected to it via USB.

Oh, and after reading that one negative review of the PS, I've come to the conclusion that the reviewer's issue is a PEBKAC one.
What idiot expects his fucking scanner (his printer was a Brother all-in-one) to work over a LAN?

AlphaOmega · Post by **AlphaOmega** » 2006-01-23 10:39pm

I did some searching and I found a Linksys wireless print server which I think I may get. I live in an apartment so a formal desk set up in a no go. I would like to sit and watch TV while printning.

SCRawl · Post by **SCRawl** » 2006-01-23 11:00pm

Glocksman wrote:What idiot expects his fucking scanner (his printer was a Brother all-in-one) to work over a LAN?

Well, at my last job, we had a network printer/copier/scanner which worked just fine over the network. It was limited to greyscale, but I was able to scan via ethernet from my desk -- provided I walked between the two points about six times....

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2006-01-23 11:17pm

SCRawl wrote:
Glocksman wrote:What idiot expects his fucking scanner (his printer was a Brother all-in-one) to work over a LAN?
Well, at my last job, we had a network printer/copier/scanner which worked just fine over the network. It was limited to greyscale, but I was able to scan via ethernet from my desk -- provided I walked between the two points about six times....

Heh.

If it's a networked device out of the box, yeah I can see having a reasonable expectation that it'd scan over the LAN.
However, every Brother MFC I've seen isn't a networkable device out of the box (and if it was networkable out of the box, why buy a PS?), and IMHO expecting a non-ethernet all in one to be fully functional (copy and scan) over a network PS is a little unreasonable.

The instructions for the network drivers for my HP specifically state that you 'might' lose functions such as 'scanning, ink level readout in the device control panel' and so on.
Sure enough, I can't access the memory card reader on the printer and it won't give me ink level readouts on the PC, just like HP said.

I guess my beef is that the reviewer claimed to be somewhat knowledgable on networking, and yet isn't aware that it's highly dependent upon the driver provider to make things work over a LAN, not the PS maker.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2006-01-24 12:38am

AlphaOmega wrote:I did some searching and I found a Linksys wireless print server which I think I may get. I live in an apartment so a formal desk set up in a no go. I would like to sit and watch TV while printning.

So... do you want your printer on the couch with you or something? I'm not understanding how having your printer connected to your network via ethernet cable is incompatible with either living in an apartment or sitting on the couch with your wirelessly-connected laptop.