Simple network?

[lykaon78]

Can I use two of these or something similiar to create a simple network and share a printer.

I don't need it for anything other than sharing a printer. Saving things my wife needs to print to my mini-USB drive then transferring files and printing on mycomputer is getting pretty old.

Any advice or even a link to some reasonable intructions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[JackMDS]

If it is a regular printer, you need to conncect a unit like the adaptor in your link to your computer.

The printer needs a special Wireless Printer server.

Example:
D-Link DP-311P is a wireless print server.

Or this for USB: D- Link DP-311U.

:sun:

 

[ColKurtz]

Need a few more details, but your goal (your wife printing directly to a shared printer) should be pretty straightforward. Is your PC that you print from currently a desktop PC or a laptop? Do you currently have a router? I'm just going to guess that it's a desktop PC and the printer is connected directly.

I think a wireless router is a better idea than a network print server (at least in your situation). Monitor the "hot deals" forum here and look for 802.11G routers. If you're patient, you can get one for $20 or less (sometimes even with a PCMCIA wireless card).

Also, does your wife's laptop have USB2.0? If not, she won't be able to take advantage of the higher speed of G wireless (b/c USB 1.1's 12Mb/s bottlenecks the G's 54Mb/s). It won't affect her printing, nor web surfing really since your internet connection is probably 2Mb/s max, but just something to know.

 

[Kelemvor]

Lots of ways you can get a printer to be shared.

1) If your computesr are networked, you can install the printer on PC1, then Share it. THen PC2 can connect to PC1 and install the shared printer. Then PC2 can print any time it wants as long as PC1 is on.

2) Get a Print Server. This is the better solution. Linksys has a bunch of print servers: http://www.linksys.com/product...sp?grid=33&scid=37

Can get wired ones or wireless ones and do whatever you want to make it work the best for your home setup.

If you already have a network, then just get a print server for the printer. If you don't have a network at all, I'd definitely get one and you can choose whether to go wireless or wired based on the location of the computesr and the printer. If they are all in the same room, then wired might be just as easy. If they are all over and you don't want to run cables, then get a wireless router and some wireless cards or USB adaptors (like in your original post) for the computesr and a wireless router for the printer.

 

[lykaon78]

I have a self-built (with some anandtech help of course) desktop PC and my wife has a 4-5 year old IBM thinkpad laptop - I don't know if it is USB 1.1 or 2.0. The printer is a Canon i550 and it is hooked up to my desktop by USB.

The sole purpose of the wireless network will be to share the printer. Unfortunately, I don't have a high speed connection (I'm cheap) so sharing the internet is not my goal.

I'm really just looking for a simple wireless solution (and hopefully inexpensive) to let my wife use my printer.

All help is appreciated.

 

[JackMDS]

A printer can not be turned Wireless like a computer.

They can be turned Wireless with a printer server that was designed for it.

So you either use a cable or you buy one Wireless printer server, wishful thinking is not going to produce technology.

:sun:

 

[lykaon78]

The question is can I create a simple wireless network with 2 USB wireless network adapters and then share the printer over the network --- without a wireless server.

 

[lykaon78]

Has anyone had luck witth a PC-card to USB adapter network?