Convert USB Printer to Wireless

Hello,

My computer is a Win 7 desktop without bluetooth and is not connected wirelessly. However, I do have wireless routers for phones, laptops, etc. My printer is an older USB HP that I like and have tons of cartridges for.

I just bought my wife a new laptop and would like to give her printing capability. I figured (prob. naively) that I could add some kind of bluetooth adapter that would allow the laptop to connect to it. Is that reasonable/advisable? Would it have some kind of passthrough ability to allow my desktop to remain functiona directly wired?

Thanks, Larry

 

I would not use Bluetooth due to its limited range.

It would be better to turn that printer into a network print with a print server. Act today and you can get a good deal on this Ethernet print server. Your printer connects to this via USB cable, and this print server connects to your router via Ethernet.

As seen here, wireless print servers are typically more expensive, but they do allow you greater freedom for the printer's placement.

The advantage to networking the printer are many. Everyone on your network can print to it. The printer does not need to be tethered to your computer. Therefore your "host" computer does not need to be up and running for others to print. You don't have to open up sharing on your computer which has the potential of exposing your computer to greater security threats. And as noted, you can put the printer in a central location and not have it take up valuable real estate on someone's desk.

Did you check your router to see if it has a USB port? Many do just to network a printer or an external drive. If your router does not, and its getting long in the tooth, then maybe getting a new wireless router, that supports the current 802.11ac dual band features as well as USB printer connections, would make better sense in the long run than spending money on a separate print server.

Something to chew on.

 

Just to add my thoughts - If your HP printer does NOT have wireless capability - it would be a wasted exercise.
Without knowing the HP Model of your printer we can only surmise what it can and can't do.
If you say its an old model - my thoughts again would be to renew it - or follow Bill's advice.
FWIW having tons of cartridges - BEWARE - ink can be a problem with age - hence there is usually a Best by date/Use by date applied to ink cartridges.
It pays to do the JIT (just in time) with ink cartridges. (my experience).

 

Good point. Ink does indeed have a shelf life. And that is pretty limited when still sealed in the packaging, and it goes downhill from there once opened.

If you do lots of printouts that may not be a problem. But if like me and you only print a handful per week at most, then I agree with retiredlearner and recommend you buy new cartridges only when you need them.

And if you print less than that, at least discipline yourself to print out a test page every week. Or else you could end up with greater problems than just a clogged ink cartridge.

 

I am sorry for the delay. I have stopped getting windowsbbs email notifications for some reason and, well, you know the rest!

Thanks for the input on smart maintenance of my inkjet. Much appreciated!

The printer is an DJ5550, I kid you not!! Anyway, my scope is very limited. My wife's occassional laptop use is in the same room as the desktop and the desktop is almost always on.

So, with my limited needs...
1. Is Bluetooth still an option? Don't need much range, really.
2. If I obtained a wireless router with the USB jack (802.11.ac), how would that work for both my desktop and the laptop?

Again, sorry for the delay.

 

Have you tried a wireless connection of your wife's laptop with your HP DJ5550 printer?
https://1-123hp.com/123-hp-com-setup-dj5500/
I don't see any reason why your desktop could be cable connected and your laptop should work wirelessly as this is the way mine is working.

 

Sadly, my printer is not the 5500, it is the 5550. Way different animal.

Tony, that sounds like a great option. Simple enough. Any router suggestions? Right now in my computer cabinet I am using a simple router for desktop distribution and an E2000 as an access point for wireless in that part of the house.

 

Thanks Tony. Looks like printer servers are not all that highly regarded acc to the reviews. Are they a little testy, in general? Most are 3/5 with a few 4/5. Have you experience with any of them?

 

You need to be more specific. I've been using networked printers for many years and have found that once set up, they work fine.

 

HI Bill, I am specifically speaking of the USB Print Servers on Amazon. Mostly, 2/5 or 3/5 ratings. The TP looks the most promising and a little pricey. I still have to confirm Windows 10 compatabilities.

So, just to confirm, my current set up is I am hardwired to all devices (exc the laptop) via a router, including my wireless access point. I should be able to plug that printer into the printer server and that, into the router. The printer should show on the laptop via Add Printer.

 

Right. I never go by user reviews unless there are many reporting the exact same problem. Sadly, many products are down-rated because UPS delivered the box next door, the Post Office delivered it a day late, the shipping box looked like it fell off the FedEx truck, or the product was a different color from the picture.

 

Thanks guys! I see from user guides that some IP address modifications may be part of the setup. Many state that setting up a static IP address helps printer server stability (or consistent accessibility). So... I may be back on that topic, too.

Thanks again for the help!

 

I don't see what having a static IP would have to do with print server stability, but it certainly can help with printer access.

I live in Tornado Alley. While total extended power outages here are not common, they are not rare either. And what used to happen during extended outages is all my dynamic (DHCP) IP address assignments would shift and new assignments would occur based on the order in which all my network devices connected again once power restored.

So if before the outage, my printer was assigned 192.168.1.7, for example, but after the outage the printer sneaked in before all my computers, it might get 192.168.1.3 and then none of my computers could find the printer because they were looking for it to be at 1.7. It was not hard to correct but it was a nuisance.

So to stop this IP assignment shift, I simply went into my wireless router's admin menu and "reserved" 192.168.1.25 for the printer (based on the printer's MAC address). Then I configured all my computers one last time to use 192.168.1.25 for network printing. And from then on, if the printer lost its assignment, the next time it connected the router would see its IP address and always assign 1.25 to it.

I recommend you pick an IP address that is higher than the maximum number of devices you will ever have connected to your network. I have 6 computers here, plus 6 smart TVs, cells phones, tablets, etc.

It is common for DHCP assignments to start at 192.168.1.2 and go sequentially up from there.

I picked 192.168.1.25 because I knew 25 would be way above the number of devices I would ever have connected to my network. You can pick any number up to 254.

 

Thanks Bill,

That was super helpful.

 

Excellent! Thanks again!