Wireless Printer question

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:40 pm

I have a HP psc 2510 all-in-one printer. It has wired and wireless built in. I am wanting to use it in wireless mode, but the problem is , it is only capable of WEP, not WPA etc. I do not want to change my network to WEP.

Would it work if I hard wired it into a WAP, like the LINKSYS WAP54G Wireless-G 54Mbps Access Point, setting the WAP to WEP ?

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:56 pm

I assume you want to connect it to your existing network via wireless (the other way you can use a Wifi printer is to allow a laptop to connect directly to it for printing).

No you can't just connect it to an AP and use the AP to connect to your network. Most APs don't work that way. Besides that wouldn't help you - you'd still have an unsecure WEP Wifi network which would completely defeat the purpose of keeping your main wifi on WPA.

I'd just use the printer in a wired only situation. There's plenty of $100 (and sometimes less) wireless printers out there.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:03 pm

Yeah, it's mainly for my wife. She loves that printer, but does not want it in my office and where her office is there is no way to run ethernet wire to it. Her office is in the "sunroom" which was added on and does not have an attic to run the wire.

eGoCeNTRoNiX · Post by **eGoCeNTRoNiX** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:07 pm

I think you'd have to run two WAP54Gs and bridge them, put a switch in the sun room and then you'd be able to hook a Cat5 cabel up to the printer and achieve what you're looking for. Or at least you should be able to..

eGo

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:19 pm

That's way to much trouble. I think she may be sol.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:43 pm

You could also buy a Wireless Powerline Ethernet setup but they're usually $100 which you could buy a new printer for.

Okay stupid question: If the printer is going to be in her office, then why not just connect it directly via USB to her computer?

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:46 pm

FlyingPenguin wrote:You could also buy a Wireless Powerline Ethernet setup but they're usually $100 which you could buy a new printer for.

Okay stupid question: If the printer is going to be in her office, then why not just connect it directly via USB to her computer?

She has a laptop, and roams the house with it. I have guns etc in my office so the kids are not allowed in there to use my printer, so she wanted the "family" printer in her office. Her son has a laptop too.