how do i make a network printer wireless

parkie

parkie

parkie

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21 Oct 2002
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450
Location
Lincoln
I have a brother mfc-465cn which works great on through the ethernet but i'd like to move it somewhere where it won't be able to reach my router. what do I need to buy for this to work, is it a wireless access point or a print server.

cheers

p
 
Wireless PrintServer would do the job. I've not had amazing success from the few wireless printers I've used though. Bit hit and miss.
 
Something which will wirelessly connect to your router would be plenty and wouldn't have the complexity of a second print server. As mjd said, a wireless bridge (or any wireless router that'll do bridged wireless client mode) would be enough.
 
wij said:
Or a pair of Powerline adapters.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I'm going to pick on this a touch.

Why are people so obsessed with this powerline crap. Their throughput is shoddy at best, they even FEEL flimsy, and at the end of the day this still isn't a wireless connection.

Personally I dislike wireless (from a security perspective), which means I take the time to cable the building properly, even if that building is my home.
 
paradigm said:
Sorry, but I'm going to pick on this a touch.

Why are people so obsessed with this powerline crap. Their throughput is shoddy at best, they even FEEL flimsy, and at the end of the day this still isn't a wireless connection.

Personally I dislike wireless (from a security perspective), which means I take the time to cable the building properly, even if that building is my home.
Click to expand...

Because at the end of the day it's a printer, so high-throughput probably isn't that important (and in my experience even the cheaper ones won't perform any worse than the average 11G link).

Not too sure why you think their throughput is "shoddy at best" I get fairly consistent 45Mbit/sec out of mine, double what 11G is capable of under optimal conditions. Sure nothing in comparison to the rest of my GigE wired network, but it was a nice easy way to put a hard wired connection where it was not practical / possible to run a cable into.

The wireless signal where the printer is going may not be the best, and if you're going to have to plug in a wireless bridge you could just put one of these into it.

Some of them aren't the best built, but the ones I have are perfectly solid enough, I mean you plug it in and leave it WTF are you doing to do to break it - throw it around your house a bit?

Oh, and lastly...

ITS ANOTHER OPTION TO CONSIDER.
 
You just need a wireless bridge (or access point actice as the receiver), a receiver is relatively cheap, an old router running tomato or dd-wrt is even cheaper and equally effective. Power-lines have very poor speeds, particularly at the cheap end, but printers don't need huge speeds but it is more secure. Last option is both the cheapest and my favourite, buy an ethernet cable and spend 30min shoving it under every carpet, forcing it under every door. If you decide sometime next month/year you want more devices in thar part of the house you only add a switch. Getting it there is the difficult part, once it's there your life is easier & faster :P).

Those are your 3 options, cost/effort is what you need to decide.
 
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