FishProfiles.com Message Forums

	Networking a printer
sham Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004	Can I connect a printer directly to the router with ethernet and then print from my desktop(hardwired) and laptop(wireless)? I would think so but I can't get any computer to recognize it. When I go to add network printer it doesn't find anything. Do I have to connect it through the desktop first instead of only plugging it into the router?
Posted 11-Jul-2007 20:22
monkeyboy Fish Addict Posts: 521 Kudos: 375 Votes: 223 Registered: 10-Apr-2005	if it has the ethernet connection on the printer, you have to connect the printer and then log into it somehow on the network. another way you can do it, is if you leave the desktop online all the time and just hook the printer up to the desktop and then enable printer sharing on your network. then on your laptop you could add it as a network printer. Fish tanks are an expensive addiction
Posted 11-Jul-2007 23:30
poisonwaffle Mega Fish Posts: 1397 Kudos: 591 Registered: 11-Feb-2003	Your router probably has a built in DHCP server, so it'll automatically assign the printer an IP. Count the number of devices on the network (including the printer and router, but not switches or hubs) and try to connect to 192.168.1.X where X is the number of devices on the network. If that doesn't work, try 192.168.0.X. You may need to connect to \\(printer name\make and model). What kind of printer is it? That would really help me help you get it running
Posted 12-Jul-2007 04:42
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	Edited by moondog if your printer has an ethernet port and you know the IP scheme of your router (i.e. if it does 192.168.1.x etc) then these steps should work for you: 1. plug printer into router (duh right? ) 2. assign a static IP address to your printer based on your router address scheme. so if your router hands out 192.168.1.x addresses, give the printer something like 192.168.1.240 with the correct subnet mask (usually 255.255.255.0)* 3. go to your computer and add the printer as a local printer but do not have it automatically detect the printer 4. instead of using one of the pre-defined ports, choose to create a new port of type "standard tcp/ip port" 5. enter the IP address you assigned to your printer in step 2. it's ok to leave it as a generic network card for now 6. set up the driver for your printer as normal that should be it. as long as your router recognizes the IP address you set the printer to then you should be able to print to that printer from any computer connected to that router, wired or wireless. * if you are unsure of the address scheme of your router you can click start->run, then type "cmd" (no quotes) and click ok. at the prompt type "ipconfig" (no quotes) and press enter. this will tell you your computer's IP address, subnet mask and default gateway. use those same settings on the printer, but change the last number in the IP for your printer. just remember you can use any number between 0 and 255 except for 0, 1, 255 and whatever numbers your current computers already have assigned to them. i picked 240 as a nice number that you probably will never reach with your normal home setup. "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 12-Jul-2007 04:56
sham Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004	How do I find it to apply an ip to it? I know it's plugged into lan 1 and lan 1 says it has a 100Mbps connection but gives no info besides that. I also checked the log for dhcp releases and it only had named computers with no unknown addresses requesting. If the computer can't detect it to get a name and the router has no info on it then how do I tell it to assign a specific IP to something that I don't know what it's called?
Posted 12-Jul-2007 23:11
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	your printer will have to have a way to enter that info manually. is there some kind of menu you can get into from the printer front panel? "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 13-Jul-2007 03:17


	Jump to:

The views expressed on this page are the implied opinions of their respective authors.
Under no circumstances do the comments on this page represent the opinions of the staff of FishProfiles.com.

FishProfiles.com Forums, version 11.0
Mazeguy Smilies