How Do I Make My Printer Wireless?

Many consumers today are seeing to expand their home wireless network and add added printing capability. Having the free time to use your home desktop or laptop everywhere in your house and then printing without the worry of connecting to a gismo is a reality today with the right tool and setup.

There are many ways to configure your gismo to print wirelessly. Each has its own pros and cons and the costs vary accordingly. Some scenarios are based on your existing setup (for example, if your printer has networking built-in). From my experience, there are four main methods of connecting a printer to a home-based wireless network.

Printer Usb Cables

Printer Sharing Setup - If you already have a printer related to a computer that you want to share, it's easy to setup your Windows or Mac based computer with printer sharing. Then, anyone on your wireless network can print to your shared printer. The downside to this setup is that the computer must remain on because it's acting as a print server. The upside is that it's nearly free if you already have a computer and printer setup to print locally. It can become difficult if you're using an older Windows based theory (98/Me), but it is possible.

Wireless Router Setup - There are many routers ready today that consist of a Usb port. This allows you to connect a Usb only printer to a wireless network quickly. The downside to this scenario is that most consumers already have a wireless router and don't need another one. You also need to setup the printer and router where your Internet comes into the home. This can be somewhat limiting depending on where your cable or phone comes in.

Wireless Print Server - The most popular choice in sharing a printer wirelessly is by purchasing a wireless print server. Most major electronics companies produce separate models and have varying degrees of compatibility. For example, the wireless kit provided by Hp only works with Hp printers, which can be limiting if you upgrade to a separate brand down the road. Getting a printer up and working using a wireless print server can be somewhat difficult if you are very unfamiliar with normal networking. Most industry consist of a setup program to make the process easier though.

Built-in Wireless Printer Setup - If you're in the store for a new printer, check to make sure that wireless connectivity is built-in. Most facts transmitted to printers is a relatively small amount so 802.11b and 802.11g speeds are plentifulness fast. The newer 802.11n thorough adds a lot to the price tag and isn't worth the extra money unless you print huge graphics files most of the time. There are many industry that offer wireless printers. Normally the model amount includes a "w" at the end for those printers that have wireless functionality. Be sure to duplicate check the specifications before purchasing.