If you look at modern devices for printing, you can see that for the most part they have very broad functional capabilities. As a result, it will be much easier for an ordinary person to work with them. Connecting without the use of wires today is one of the most necessary and sought-after functions that is used in printing devices. Wi-Fi is also popular due to the fact that the work has become much more comfortable and convenient, since there is no need to use a large number of connecting wires.
The advantage of working with a printer via Wi-Fi
Is it very convenient to work with a printer? using the capabilities of wireless Internet for this. This is especially important if the work is associated with frequent business trips. At home, it is also often necessary to connect the printer via WiFi. The most important advantage is the lack of a large number of cables that are used to connect devices to each other.
When organizing their own network, many users are faced with the fact that for comfortable work it is necessary to configure shared access to the network printer used. The printer can be connected to any personal PC that is on your network.
How to connect the printer via WiFi. General instruction
- First you need to find a printer that will suit you. It must connect to the router.
- Using a network cable, you must connect the network port of the router to the printer. Next, we connect the printer to a personal PC.
- On all computers that will be on the network, you must install all the necessary drivers for the selected printer.
- You need to set a static IP for the device. It is best to use the addresses of the zone where other network devices are located. In all addresses, only the fourth segments should differ. When activation occurs, the network printer will have a fixed IP even if the router has DHCP enabled.
- To make the device search convenient and to avoid confusion, you can change the printer name.
Connection can be made using the built-in Print Server. With its help there is a connection. As a result, access is opened from any personal PC that is in the network coverage area.
How to connect a printer via WiFi in Windows XP
First you need to connect the printer to one of the computers on the network. To do this, connect it to a USB port and download all the drivers necessary for its operation. They are most often supplied with the printer on the installation disc. To verify the installation, you must print a test page. If everything is installed correctly, the next step is to install it as a network printer.
Print Server Setup
To connect the printer via Wi-Fi, you must first configure the print server. To do this, you need to connect the printer to the router. To configure, use the built-in menu of the router. To get into it, you need to write 192.168.1.1 in any browser in the search bar. If the IP address was changed during configuration, you must enter the changed address.
In devices, you can now see the printer and check its status. The most important setting here is Printer location. In this line, it will be necessary to register the network address of the device on each personal PC that is connected to the network. The printer needs to be installed on each computer. When the setup wizard starts, it will be necessary to note there that it will be a network printer.
The printer address is indicated by the one shown on the router. If the printer model is not displayed, you need to install the local device on this computer. If everything went right, on each PC it becomes installed by default. To verify that everything is done correctly, you can print a test page.
Various printer connection options
You can call another way to connect the printer via WiFi. This method will be ideal if the IP address of the personal PC and Windows OS version 7 are in the same radius as the network printer. To work, you need to turn on Wi-Fi on the printer and find it on the computer.
The above method of setting up a printer via WiFi may not work. Then you need to open the "Network Places", then, right-clicking on the icon, select the properties and open the "Network Connections". Next we find the "Local Area Network", and here we need the "General" tab. There we find the TCP / IP protocol and in its properties register the IP address, which we find in the instructions for this device.
There is another way to connect the printer via Wi-Fi. To implement it on a router, you need to create access points. To do this, you need to connect the router to the printer using Wi-Fi for this. The printer must specify the type of encoding used and the access key. If the Wi-Fi network indicator is lit, it means that everything is done correctly.
Connecting a network printer in Windows 7
How to connect the printer via WiFi if Windows 7 is used? Installation can be greatly simplified. To do this, only for the seventh version, you can use the special utility. She will be able to automate the entire installation process.
At the beginning of the installation, you need to make sure that the network printer model supports the router.
After connecting, as in the case described above, we write the following in the address bar of our browser: 192.168.1.1. Add a printer. Now you need to select a port for it. Go to the "Create port" section and select "Standart TCP / IP Ports." The next step, the installation wizard will say that you need to register an IP address. This address must be the same for the router and printer. Now you need to select the usual type of device and continue to connect the printer through a WiFi router.
You need to install all the drivers necessary for the printer. In the proposed list, find the desired model. After completing all these steps, the installation wizard will prompt you to proceed with setting up shared access to the device.
The installation wizard will inform you about the correct installation of drivers and suggest using the default printer. Click on the "Finish" button, and now it remains to configure the port properties.
We click on the installed printer with the right mouse button, and in its properties, in the TCP port settings , select the LPR protocol and give it a name.
When connecting, very many users lose sight of some of the details of the settings, as a result of which not everything works as it should.
The most common errors when connecting and configuring
- Sometimes situations may arise that everything seems to be done correctly, and the network printer via WiFi does not print or prints incorrectly. To solve this problem, you can use this solution. All well-known manufacturers, in addition to equipment, can offer free utilities that troubleshoot problems that arise in the work. To solve the problem, such a utility will be enough to run and follow the instructions.
- The router does not support the model of the printer installed in the system. In order to avoid such a mistake when buying, it is necessary to clarify all compatibility issues.
- The drivers are not installed correctly.
- Incorrect Wi-Fi setup in the operating system itself.
When installing equipment, people do not always carefully read the instructions that come with the equipment and tells how to set up the printer via WiFi.
Choosing a place to install a router
It is also necessary to choose the right place for the router. The coverage area of the router must necessarily cover all those places where access is required. With a weak signal, the router must be positioned so that its network goes slightly beyond the boundaries of the apartment or office.