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Question

How to Connect a Printer to Network

Mar 29, 2016 11:31AM PDT

I have a USB printer that I want to connect to my network so I can print to it wirelessly. However my router is far away from the printer. I'm wondering if there is something like a wireless extender that I can plug the usb from my printer into that will communicate with the network and make the printer wireless. I don't want to use a device that creates it's own network though - I just want the printer on the home network.

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
If there's no printer model it's hard to advise.
Mar 29, 2016 11:39AM PDT

Even if this is dated, the prices run about the same as noted at http://lifehacker.com/5463608/turn-your-usb-printer-wireless-with-a-print-server so the cheap exit is to get a WiFi printer.

The current #1 at http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Computer-Printers/zgbs/electronics/172635 is the MX922 at 90 bucks. Your print server can run that much and be a nightmare to setup.

I no longer advise print servers. My neighbor and others have the MX922 and all say they've buy it again. My old MX870 is still working so when it goes, I'll get another.

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Answer
If You've Got A Desktop Computer On the Network...
Mar 29, 2016 12:16PM PDT

...why not set up the USB cabled printer to the desktop, share it out, then you can print to it from any wireless or wired computer on the network??

Or depending on the printer model, it might have an ethernet IP address setup option.. Plug an ethernet cable from the router to the printer, give the printer an IP address on the network, then you can install the printer on each computer so it's recognized by each one.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Answer
Are you sure the printer isn't wireless?
Mar 30, 2016 4:14AM PDT

If it is then you just connect it to the network in setup and it will assign an IP address. Then you go to the PC and add a printer and have it search the network and add it. You can also do ti with the setup disks that come with the printer.