My HP Smart, sold to me as "too easy to set up mate" took me an hour and a half of swearing and watching YouTube videos to get it to work. The whole process assumed you would use your phone to print (!?) rather than the PC. The 'easy app' wasn't even available for the PC, only the phone.
Couldn't RTFM as there wasn't one.
Anyway, it works through a wireless connection through the computer's wi fi, although you can use a cable - but the app doesn't support it!
Geoff
Couldn't RTFM as there wasn't one.
Anyway, it works through a wireless connection through the computer's wi fi, although you can use a cable - but the app doesn't support it!
Geoff
You do have a router in the house? How else to get on the net to ask here, phone?
Anyway I prefer Brother printers. Once set to "DHCP" mode - along with your router name and password - it should automatically get connected to the router, like any laptop, phone, tablet, etc. Once connected, Windows will discover it, and you can then find it in the device manager and select it as your primary printer.
Other printer manufacturers may have their own ideas about how to accomplish this. It is possible for a device to temporarily act as a wireless network host, where it allows you to connect a PC temporarily to do setup - usually to tell it to use DHCP, the router name and password, then upon reboot it knows what to do.
Your concern would be less nebulous to us if you provided manufacturer and model. I'm pretty sure any generic "wireless" printer needs a router in the house. Although "HP-Print-F8-Officejet-Pro-8600" shows up from somewhere in my neighborhood on my network scan, so I could be totally wrong about that.
Makes me wonder what would happen if I tried to print to it
I'm sure a record of my machine's particulars would be permanently captured and logged.
Anyway I prefer Brother printers. Once set to "DHCP" mode - along with your router name and password - it should automatically get connected to the router, like any laptop, phone, tablet, etc. Once connected, Windows will discover it, and you can then find it in the device manager and select it as your primary printer.
Other printer manufacturers may have their own ideas about how to accomplish this. It is possible for a device to temporarily act as a wireless network host, where it allows you to connect a PC temporarily to do setup - usually to tell it to use DHCP, the router name and password, then upon reboot it knows what to do.
Your concern would be less nebulous to us if you provided manufacturer and model. I'm pretty sure any generic "wireless" printer needs a router in the house. Although "HP-Print-F8-Officejet-Pro-8600" shows up from somewhere in my neighborhood on my network scan, so I could be totally wrong about that.
Makes me wonder what would happen if I tried to print to it
I'm sure a record of my machine's particulars would be permanently captured and logged.
I have a router connected to 2 Raspberry Pis . ( via ethernet cables )
My printer is Xerox B210 .
When I turn on the printer , it appears on the wi fi selections on the Pis .....
( wi-fi vs wi-fi direct ? )
It would appear that if I had the 'key' I could hook up ?
The suggestion of serial number as key does not work .
I am considering another printer , but would not want a repeat experience .
My printer is Xerox B210 .
When I turn on the printer , it appears on the wi fi selections on the Pis .....
( wi-fi vs wi-fi direct ? )
It would appear that if I had the 'key' I could hook up ?
The suggestion of serial number as key does not work .
I am considering another printer , but would not want a repeat experience .
The "Brother" lasers seem to work for me. Occasional printing; I need something that can sit indefinitely, then wake up when I send it something - and just work.
Had a "Canon" previously. Liquid ink jet - horror show if you dont print something every week. Software install to be able to use it, horror show. Ended up straight to the garbage can - couldnt even donate / recycle it in good faith - after it leaked ink all over the place because it dried out and I tried working on it to get it to print again.
The Brother ones just show up on the network, native connect and print in Windows. No "driver" or "refill" BS with them; a panel light comes on, versus a pop-up on my screen with a "Buy Now!" button. I have 3 in reserve, one a color laser. Picked all from local thrift store for <$20 ea. "Lifetime supply" of printers. The USB connected Brother currently in use - a $25 Craigs List purchase - just wont die...
I bet if I ever actually needed to print in color I could -
- plug in the color one, turn it on
- wait for the router to pick it up
- select it in the Windows application I'm using
- it prints just fine.
I am very upset that printer protocols are not standardized and probably never will be. Those propriately drivers, incompatibility issues, ... I don't understand why is that, if I can print via wifi from Windows and from Linux, why I can't do it from Android. It seems Android has no built-in printer support.
Two of the many reasons I've never owned an inkjet document printer. I did have an Epson photo printer back when I did more landscape photography and that saw regular use.
The printer I had in grad school was an HP Laserjet 4 that I bought for dimes on the dollar at the University of Washington Surplus Store. I later found an ethernet card for it for $10 at Boeing Surplus. That thing just kept ticking. At one point a TRIAC fried in it, so I repaired that. It had well over a quarter-million pages on it when it finally died.
My current printer is an HP Laserjet M401dne. It has an ethernet card in it. Hooks to my router where it automatically gets an IP address and becomes discoverable on my local network. It works with Mac. It works with Windoze. It works with phones. It just works.
Oh, there are standardized protocols but some manufacturers don't follow them. HPGL and PostScript are examples.
Tom
Most use WPS protocol nowadays. "WPS is a feature designed to simplify the process of connecting devices to a WiFi network. With WPS, you can easily connect your devices to a secure wireless network without needing to enter the network password manually."
You just press on the WPS router button and press WPS button on the printer and voila.
Brother MFCs all work with this.
Cheers
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A quick look on Googl showed a YT video on how to connect a B210. BUT - you have to have the "setup" CD/DVD that came with the printer. The process involves first loading the CD into the drive and running the executable on it, connecting the printer to the PC via a USB cable, then telling the printer through the software and USB cable that you want it to use WiFi, providing the local WiFi name and password.
At least on the color Brother, you can do all that from its panel controls. I captured the how-to video and maybe I can get it to you somehow, if you have the install disc on hand. Without that disc, I'm unsure if I can help out further. Running a different OS than Windows, I'm also unsure if I can help out further. You'll probably need to obtain, or make a copy of that Xerox install disc in order to proceed successfully.
To me, such a "detail" is a super PITA, as without the little piece of plastic, the whole machine possibly goes to the junkpile. One would think they could put that executable file into the printers USB connection somehow - like any USB stick - and have their running program sail past the "drive functionality" and into the printer BIOS to program it.
Its 2024...No need for a CD
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us...atform=all&category=&language=en&attributeId=
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us...atform=all&category=&language=en&attributeId=
Most of the time, a printer will be set to get an ip from your wireless network and it would need to be configured to connect to your wireless network, using the SSID (network name) and password you would have set up. If you have a switch or router with an open port you can probably connect the printer to it and have it on your network.
The printer is just a device that wants to connect to a network, once it’s on the network you connect to it. I doubt it would have the ability to provide a network that you could connect to. I hope I didn’t mix up the question.
The printer is just a device that wants to connect to a network, once it’s on the network you connect to it. I doubt it would have the ability to provide a network that you could connect to. I hope I didn’t mix up the question.
It shows up ( on my pc ) as an address in the same manner as the router ...... But I have no key ....
