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Looking for an alternate solution to printer-sharing

S

ShortCappy

Junior Member
I was looking to find an alternate solution to share my printer (HP DeskJet 6122) through a network router (Linksys WRT54G) without having to pay for a print server. My printer doesn't have an RJ-45 port in the back of it, only a USB B female and LPT ports. It also doesn't have it's own MAC address.

I browsed and ordered two adapters: Zonet ZUN2210 (USB-ethernet converter) and a USB gender changer A female/B male. I already had a spare ethernet cable ready to connect between the router and the USB-ethernet adapter. The way I wanted to set it up is: router -> ethernet cable -> ZUN2210 -> USB gender changer -> printer.

Hoping that this cheaper setup would work after receiving both of the adapters, hooked them up, and turned on the printer, the ethernet LED on the connected port to the printer and the lights on the Zonet ZUN2210 wasn't lit at all. I installed the ZUN2210 drivers on my PC, ran the diagnostics, and it didn't recognize my setup. I uninstalled and reinstalled the printer drivers so that it'll recognize the printer connected by ethernet and tried giving it the cloned external MAC address, but neither worked. My setup has failed.

Is there an actual alternate way to use my printer on a network without having to buy a print server? Or is a print server the only way to share a printer between PCs without dedicating a printer to a PC?
 
Printer that is connected to one of the network?s computers can be shared with the other computers similar to the way you share Disk Drives.

:sun:
 
I forgot to mention about the infrastructure you said, as it's exactly set up that way since last month. However, if my brother, who's on a wireless connection to the router and the Internet, wants to print stuff from his PC (the printer is directly wired to my PC), my PC has to be on for the data to go through it and onto the printer. I'm hoping if there's equipment (besides a print server) that makes the router detect a connection to my printer and that I can try to make the configurations from there.
 
The setup you tried will not work at all, sorry to say this but the money you spent on your new ethernet convertor probably could have bought you a print server. A print server is VERY easy to setup and once it's done, it's done. Other than having a dedicated machine or a router with a builtin print server, you have to have a print server. To use a usb to ethernet convertor, it requires a host, aka a computer. That device is used to attach a computer to a network but requires drivers on the computer in order to communicate thru the usb port to the network card. Just pick up a print server, it'll make your life much easier. The one I have I've had for about 4 years and is still happily sitting between my laser printer and my router.
 
The two adapters combined costed less than a print server, but you're right that I should get a print server for a printer. I'll be returning the adapters for a refund and buy a print server.
 
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