dalenoel
Howell, Michigan
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Sorry if this has been done before, I could not find it in the search or did not understand the terminolgy.
I have two laptops with XP, mine and hers, and can link them wirelessly to the 2-Wire router at home and access the internet and a printer hooked to my desk unit.
My question is how to link them, the laptops, to the printer wirelessly while in the TT. The printer is USB and I assume I will need a wireless router that the printer will be wired to with the two laptops connecting wirelessly to the router. Being technologically challenged without a 12 year old at home is not fun.
The question is which router without spending a fortune. The ability to print without wires is just a luxury since we are not working but just lazy and want the printer setup in a closet instead of out on the counter.
I've looked for one under $30 but don't know which ones.
Looking for you guys to suggest something. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
* This post was
edited 11/02/09 05:23pm by dalenoel *
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Gene&Ginny
North Kingstown, RI
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I don't think you will find a wireless router under $30. I have a Netgear WGR614 that links a wireless laptop, a wireless desktop and a wireless printer together and connects to my cable modem. The Netgear is $39 from Staples. That is about the lowest I have seen for any model.
http://www.staples.com/Netgear-WGR614NA-........ss-G-Router/product_511397?cmArea=SEARCH
or free shipping and no sales tax from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-WGR614-Wireless-G-Router/dp/B00008SCFL
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dalenoel
Howell, Michigan
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Gene&Ginny,
Thanks for the information. I know enough to really get in trouble and the $30 was just a number to throw out. Without a starting number you never get going.
I have heard that the Netgear is better than D-Link or some of the others.
Thanks again. I'll look at that model.
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Retired andLoveIt
Charles City, Ia
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I'm not too familiar with this but I think if your printer is not network ready you will need a print server to connect to your router. Otherwise the printer will need to be connected directly to one of the laptops.You will need a RJ45 port on the printer to connect directly to the router.
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robsouth
Near Atlanta, GA
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Retired andLoveIt wrote:I'm not too familiar with this but I think if your printer is not network ready you will need a print server to connect to your router. Otherwise the printer will need to be connected directly to one of the laptops.You will need a RJ45 port on the printer to connect directly to the router.
Your description is the way mine works as my printer has to have a USB connection and the wireless router does not have a USB connection, thus I connect the printer by USB to my notebook and then "share" the printer over the network so wife can print using her notebook to acess the wireless router and then to my computer and then the printer.
Gonna have to look into a "network ready wireless printer" as soon as the current ink cartridges in current printer give out.
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dalenoel
Howell, Michigan
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I might be alright as the printer is USB and I will check if the router has a USB connection. Then I can leave both at the back end of the TT while we can roam around the site.
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Clay L
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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I use a wireless print server from HP. See it HERE.
It costs $60 on the HP site but may be cheaper at Amazon or somewhere else.
It works with a lot of printers and many are listed on the HP web site.
It plugs into the USB port on a printer.
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Gene&Ginny
North Kingstown, RI
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Clay L wrote:I use a wireless print server from HP. See it HERE....
That may be what dalenoel needs. The netgear that I use does not have a USB port, just Ethernet (RJ45 type jacks).
There is a Netgear WG111 Wireless-G USB 2.0 Adapter for $39 but I have never tried to use it as a print server. It is intended to plug in to a PC or laptop.
http://www.staples.com/Netgear-WG111-Wir........2.0-Adapter/product_573968?cmArea=SEARCH
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dalenoel
Howell, Michigan
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I'm also looking at a Linksys WPSM54G Wireless-G PrintServer because it does have USB and supports multifunction printers. I'll let you know where it ends up.
Thanks to all for the help. Not new at camping but this stuff does get confusing even for an ex-engineer.
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weissmand
Los Angeles, CA
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If you have Windows, you can use something called an "Ad Hoc" network. It's not for the faint of heart; However, the way it works is as follows:
1. Install the printer on one of the two PC's via a USB cable.
2. Share the printer on PC it's connected to.
3. Make sure both PC's are running and have Wireless (WiFi) running on them.
4. Open the "view wireless networks" (right click on the single icon in the task tray).
5. Select the machine that has the printer connected to it.
6. Now that you're connected, you should be able to browse (by clicking on the wireless network) the other machine and the printer should be visible. When you double click, the software from the machine that has the printer will install on the second computer.
At this point, you should be able to print to it.
Setting up a printer on a wireless network (either Linksys, Netgear, or Dlink) is a viable option as well; However, you are going to need to understand IP Addressing a little bit in order to make it consistent each time you turn on the router and the two printers.
Josh
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