Components

Connecting the printer via a network cable to the router. Connecting the Printer Wirelessly

For the 3rd method, you need your network name (SSID) and a key or password. This information can be obtained using the HP Print and Scan Doctor utility (see the video in the article).

Let's consider each of the ways to connect the printer via Wi-Fi to the router in more detail.

The function is available for some devices. HP Smart Install. In this case, you can connect the printer to a computer or laptop via USB and the setup program will automatically start. Select a Wi-Fi connection and follow the wizard's prompts. HP Smart Install will set up a wireless connection on the printer and USB cable can be disabled (at the command of the installation wizard).

You can find out if the HP Smart Install feature is available in the instructions for your device. If the printer does not support this feature, you will need software for the device.. How to download drivers from the Epson official website and from Hewlett-Packard .

Do NOT connect the device to the computer yet. Download the driver (preferably full), run and follow the prompts on the screen. During the installation process, the wizard will prompt you to select the type of connection. Choose wireless - via Wi-Fi. Follow the prompts and enter your network details (SSID and password) if necessary. This option is discussed in more detail in the article about configuring the HP LaserJet Pro P1102w via Wi-Fi.

WPS

This method is the easiest. The printer and router must support WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) for setup. You can see if your equipment works with this function in the instructions. If WPS is supported by both devices, then you need to enable this feature in one of the following ways:

programmatically (through the printer menu and through the web interface of the router);
hardware (by pressing special button on the printer and then on the router).

How to press, see the instructions. Sometimes you just need to press, and sometimes you need to press and hold for 2-3 seconds. For a more complete understanding of connecting a printing device via Wi-Fi to a router, watch the video below.

Manual setting

This method is more secure than WPS. The network name (SSID) and password will be required.

We connect the printer to your network. Go to the printer control panel in the settings wireless connection and run the setup wizard. All will be searched available networks. Choose your name (SSID). If your network is not displayed or it is hidden, you can enter a name manually. Enter the password for your network. If the information is entered correctly, the Wi-Fi light on the printer's control panel will be lit, indicating that the machine is on your network.

Start installing the driver (preferably complete) for your printing device. Follow the prompts of the wizard and select a Wi-Fi connection with manual settings. All you have to do is select a printer that is already on your network and print a test page.

Wireless technologies and connections are very popular today. It is impossible to imagine the novelty of any device without modules wireless communication. And this is not surprising: freedom from wires that are always tangled under your feet, setting up devices with one touch is only a small part of the possibilities that Wi-Fi boasts. Due to the growing number of users computer technology and electronics and the introduction of gadgets into our work and everyday life, there is a need to increase the number of mobile and stationary devices. There can be more than three or even four computers, laptops or tablets in one house. It happens that they all need a device such as a printer.

Wi-fi router allows you to combine the printer with other devices on the network

Today it is impossible to imagine the process of learning and working without printing machines. Their modifications are amazing: from ordinary black-and-white printers to huge devices with large-format color printing. 3D printers have become the new reality. But today we will talk about home or office use of the printer, namely, how you can set up and install the printer to a Wi-Fi router for its further use by all devices on the network.

If your router is pre-installed with the ability to connect external devices via USB, then there will be no problems connecting the printer through the router. You can print documents, photos from any gadget (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone) if the latter is connected to. An excellent solution for those who have several pupils or students at home, because they no longer have to queue at a computer to which a printer is connected.

First, check if there is USB input on your Wi-Fi router. If the answer is yes, you can proceed to the next steps, which will turn an ordinary typewriter into a full-fledged one. network printer.

Setting up the printer and router

Turn off the printer and router items, but they must remain plugged into the power supply.
Connect the printer via the USB port on the router and turn on the Wi-Fi device.
Literally in 1-2 minutes turn on the printer.
Now you need to enter the router control panel. If you do not know how to do this, refer to the device manual. In most cases, this panel is located at http://192.168.1.1. Enter the appropriate login details (usually found on the back of the modem).
Check that your device is displayed correctly in the network map. The model and state (enabled) should be recognized.

If everything is displayed without any questions and errors, then you can proceed to printing on a computer. Otherwise, you need to check the compatibility of the printer and router. It is possible that the modem simply does not support your printer model. You can try to flash the Wi-Fi router software.

Setting up computers on the network

The steps below will need to be repeated on all laptops or computers on which you intend to use print services. Therefore, carefully study them, and then proceed to action. Be prepared for the fact that you may need an internet connection.

Go to the "Devices and Printers" menu in the right sidebar of the Start Menu (Windows 7).
Click on "The printer I want is not listed". You will need to select the item "Add a printer by TCP / IP address or host name", then click "Next".

Select "TCP/IP Device" and write the address of the router (item 4 of the previous setting). Then the device will search for the port. Then select the "special" device type and proceed to its parameterization.
The required protocol is LRP. You can take any name.
Now let's deal with the drivers of the printing machine. They can be pre-downloaded from the Internet or installed from the CD that comes with the kit. Give your printer a name and uncheck Network Sharing. Your machine is now ready to print. You can test by printing out a sheet of text.

This completes the procedure for connecting the printer to the Wi-Fi router. If you have questions, write in the comments. Also share your experience and impressions. Perhaps you know how to simplify this process. Enjoy and productive work, friends!

You need to understand what is at stake

To make it easier to navigate the settings, you need to understand the existing printer interfaces - what they are, how they look and what they are needed for.

Wired USB port. The high-speed bus allows you to connect the printer directly to the device. By default, this is a computer, laptop and router. The interface cable is unique - on the one hand, a rectangular connector for connecting to a PC, on the other hand, a trapezoidal port for connecting to a printer. It is the owners of USB devices who are primarily interested in how to make a network printer in order to print not only from a computer, but also from other mobile devices.
Ethernet network port. It is only present in expensive devices and is designed to connect the printer to network hub. This technology satisfies the printing needs of all owners of such devices.
Wireless wifi technology. Most modern printers are equipped with such a module, but full performance is not always possible. After all, printing requires proprietary software, which does not always work well on smartphones and tablets.

Friendship with a router

You have to figure out how to make a USB printer network. Availability USB port on a network router without a built-in Print Server module will not give positive connection results. Therefore, it is recommended to first study the instructions supplied with the network equipment and make sure that the printer can be connected, up to the model. And if possible, you can safely perform the following actions:

Plug in the printer and router.
Having connected the printer to the USB connector of the router, you need to make sure that it has "made friends" with the device. To do this, open the web interface of the network device in a browser. The router address, login and password can be found in the instructions, but if the setting wireless hotspot carried out by the provider, then all issues with connecting the printer directly depend on the person who made the router settings.
After authorization, the name of the connected printer should appear in the Print Server section.

Correctly setting up a USB connection with a router

On the personal computer you need to go to the control panel and select the "Devices and Printers" tab. Further, everything is according to the algorithm: “Add a local printer” - “Create new port Standard TCP/IP".
After clicking the "Next" button, you must enter the IP address of the router (by default 192.168.1.1) and be sure to uncheck the box next to the "Select driver automatically" item.
After finding the printer, you need to select the device type "Generic Network Card" and click "Next".
The driver is installed manually from the disk using the menu of the same name.
Re-entering "Devices and Printers", you need to select "Printer Properties" by pressing the alternative mouse button on the newly installed device. Going to the "Ports" tab, you need to go to the settings, install the LPR protocol and set the name.

After studying a simple description of how to make a network printer by connecting it to a router, it will not be difficult for the user to make all the settings on their own. It will not be superfluous to open the instructions for the router and familiarize yourself with it in detail - very often the manufacturer offers its own algorithm for connecting a printer via USB.

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi

Office equipment has recently been equipped with a Wi-Fi module, offering the user to quickly and easily make the printer a network one. Windows 8, 10 and later android versions installed on smartphones and tablets may not always work correctly with the printer wireless network. The problem lies in the compatibility of the software with the operating system. Very often, users in the post-Soviet space do not have the opportunity to fully use Wi-Fi printing, the module of which is built into the printer.

In such cases, there are two solutions:

Connect the printer to the router with via USB according to the previously described instructions.
Connect printer wirelessly WPS connection. Naturally, the router must have a Print Server, support the existing printer model, and a fast WPS connection must be tied to the print server.

Wired network - a way out of a difficult situation

If you failed to connect the printer to the wireless network using the above methods due to lack of technical support equipment, don't worry. There are very easy way how to make a regular printer network software wired interface. To connect, the user needs to purchase a device called Print Server, which can be found in any computer store at a price of 200-300 rubles apiece.

In most cases, a certified print server has factory settings, which the manufacturer indicates in the instructions or on a sticker placed on the device. It is enough to connect the printer via USB to the print server, which, in turn, is connected to the router hub with an Ethernet cable.

The network address of the printer can be found in the router settings or found from a PC with special software. Next, the usual installation of the printing device is performed according to the instructions described above.

Expensive solution

Many users wondering how to make a network printer from a local one are not stopped by the price of the issue, so a wireless print server created specifically for such purposes should not be let out of sight. Only the price can confuse - it is higher than most worthy routers with great capabilities. You will have to pay for a miracle device from 4,000 to 8,000 rubles. Setting wireless device The Print Server is no different from a wired print server. All information on fine-tuning is present in the instructions for network equipment.

The main feature that attracts the buyer to such a device is the support for mobile technology from Apple. For some reason, many manufacturers of wireless printers and routers forget about this brand. Therefore, for iPhone, MacBook and iPad owners, purchasing a wireless print server will be the only solution to the problem associated with printing to a printer.

Sharing a Printer

The simplest, but no less effective way to solve the problem of how to make the printer network, is to share the local computer. The algorithm is quite simple and even a schoolboy can master it.

Going into the properties of the printer installed in the Windows system, go to the "Access" tab and check the boxes next to the "Sharing" and "Drawing jobs" fields.
Going to the system properties and going to the "Computer Name" tab, make sure that the "Workgroup" is the same for all computers in local network.
To make a printer a network printer, Windows 7, 8 and 10 require additional settings network adapter. To do this, go to the "Network Sharing Center" and change the advanced sharing settings by checking the boxes next to all the fields that begin with the word "Enable".
Encryption is recommended to be set to 128-bit, and password protection to be disabled.

Remote connection to an available printer

Having completed the first step in deciding how to make the printer a network printer, you can begin to connect the public device to the rest of the computers on the local network. There are only two options - they are different, but they have the same result. The first option is described above, because for the settings there is not much difference what type of connection is used - the main thing is to know the IP address of the printer.

But the second method is suitable for people who are looking for easy ways. In fact, this is an instruction on how to make a network printer local. Going to " Network connections”, which can be found in the control panel, you must select the item“ network". An alternative would be to launch the "Network Neighborhood" shortcut from the desktop, if the user has not previously deleted it as unnecessary. Here you need to display the computers that are included in working group- there is a corresponding button for this. Finding desired computer, go into it. The printer will also be displayed in the list of available resources. If you double click on the device name and agree to all the warnings, the printer connects easily.

Finally

Asking the question "how to make a network printer", the user can always find any solution he needs. After all, there are countless options - there would be money and desire. However, for some reason, many people forget about security when using an unsecured Wi-Fi communication channel. The printer will be visible to all users within the range of the wireless router. Judging by the numerous reviews of IT professionals, it is not recommended to provide general access to a computer via a wireless network, because the safety of personal information is always above any convenience.

Without a doubt, the printer is a very convenient and useful device in the household. But this device is rather bulky, especially in comparison with a miniature netbook or tablet. And tying a mobile PC to a heavy stationary device using a “standard” cable connection is at least irrational.

Therefore, in this article we will take a closer look at how to connect a printer to a laptop via wifi, and also what to do if the printer does not see Wi-Fi.

And first of all, let's focus on the "classics of the genre": how to make wifi out of a regular printer?

After all, you must agree that in order to set up a wireless connection between the printer and a laptop, both devices must support this function.

How to connect a regular printer to a laptop via wifi?

Unfortunately, developers of budget models rarely provide devices with a built-in wifi transmitter, so for ordinary printers, the following methods of remote connection to a computer are used:

1. Installing an optional network equipment – a print server that can be used to make the printer a wireless LAN node;

2. Cable connection printer to computer, which has access to a local Wi-Fi network: thus, any Wi-Fi device can communicate with the printer through an "intermediary".

The advantage of this method lies in its cost-effectiveness: you do not have to spend money on additional expensive equipment. However, one cannot do without a second computer, which must constantly work throughout the entire “communication session”.

To set up a printer connection via wifi in this way, you need to:

Connect the printer to the "intermediate" computer using a cable and install the necessary software (driver);

Go to "Start" -> "Control Panel" -> "Printers and Faxes" and share this printer;

Connect printer to laptop via wifi. To do this, on the local network, go to the computer "serving" the printer (see link at the end of the article) , find the shortcut for the shared printer, click it once right click mouse and select the "Set as default" menu item.

Now, at the “Print” command, your laptop will automatically print to a printer connected via Wi-Fi.

3. Usage wifi router with a built-in Print Server function and a USB connector for external network devices on the case. To set up such a connection:

Connect the printer to the router with a cable;

Connect to printer from laptop via local wifi networks (see link at the end of the article).

However, such difficulties are justified only when the Wi-Fi setup is required on a good old printer, which has long been “accustomed” and almost native. In other cases, it is more logical to immediately purchase a modern wifi printer with a built-in network module and not to suffer with setting up all sorts of additional equipment.

Among the most popular time-tested vendors here are: HP, Canon, Epson, Konica, Panasonic, Samsung, Xerox, Brother and Minolta: such a printer can be easily connected to a laptop, router, tablet, etc.

At the same time, depending on the specific situation, create wireless connection with a laptop in different ways: consider the main options for connecting a printer via wifi in more detail.

How to connect a wifi printer to a computer and laptop?

Of the "classic" ways to connect a wifi printer, we can note:

1. Using an internal LAN between the printer and laptop.

This is possible when a computer connected to a wireless network is capable of distributing wifi on its own.

Here to set up wifi connection printer, you should:

Through the built-in printer interface, connect to the local network of your laptop (see link at the end of the article) .

2. Connecting the printer via wifi router:

- in automatic mode(using WPS technology).

To do this, first, and then using the WPS (QSS) button, connect your printer to your home wifi network.

To print via Wi-Fi, it is enough to connect to your laptop from your laptop. installed printer via local network (see link at the end of the article).

- in manual mode: Through the "Setup Wizard" of your printer.

To do this, run "Search for available networks" in the printer's control panel and select the network of your router by SSID. Here you will need to enter a password for Wi-Fi and confirm the connection to the network, after which the corresponding wifi indicator should light up on the printer.

Run the driver installation and select wifi connection with manual setting settings, after which the printer is available for wireless LAN connection.

Here we will consider connecting a conventional printer, non-network and without Wi-Fi, through a router to be able to print from any computer on the network.

If you need to connect the printer to a computer and share it, see.
If your printer supports Wi-Fi, you can directly connect it to a Wi-Fi router and set up printing on all computers on the network. You can read and see how to do this using the example of HP printing technology.

This method has an advantage over using shared printer. The printing device connects directly to the router and therefore does not need to keep any computer turned on.

Connecting the Printer to a Wi-Fi Router

This moment was perfectly illuminated by my colleague in the figure on the right.

Here the question may arise - How to enter the web interface of the router? To do this, take a browser, open new tab and in the search bar we write the address located on the back cover WiFi router. Usually this 192.168.1.1 , but it may be different. If no one has changed the router settings, then you will be taken to the authorization window. You will need to enter a username and password. This data is on the back cover of the router.

If the router settings have been changed and you cannot get into the web interface, check your network details with the specialist who configured it. If you can’t find this specialist anymore, you can reset the router settings, call the provider and, together with a technical support specialist, set up the network and the Internet. The path is long, but you will know everything and in case of an emergency you will quickly figure it out.

There may be one more nuance. The router may not recognize the printer correctly. In this case, you need to look at the documentation for the router. Your printer model may not be supported. But not all is lost here either. It is possible and necessary to update the firmware of the router. The new software may have built-in support for your device. How to flash a router using the example of ASUS RT-N10E told and showed in this article.

Setting up a printer on a computer

If the device is displayed correctly in the web interface of the router, we proceed to setting up printing on the computer. I'll show you Windows example 8/8.1/10. For Windows 7, see the video at the end of the article.

We go to the address

Select device driver. Here you can:

Select the printer manufacturer and model from the list.
Press "Center windows updates”, wait until the list of available devices is loaded and select from there. There is a huge chance that the driver for your printer is in the update center.
You can download the driver from the site or from the official site and unpack. Then click "Install from disk ..." and specify the path to the unpacked folder.
If the driver is not in the system and in the update center, and you download full version, which is not clear where it is unpacked and the installer starts immediately, you can install the printer using this downloaded full driver. Then delete installed device and follow the recommendations in this article. Since we installed the printer along with the driver, and removed the device itself, but we still have the driver, then we will simply select the manufacturer and model of the printer from the list (the first item in this list).

If you installed the device before, you will be prompted -