Can an old OS9 G4-400 use airport to print to a wireless HP printer?

[copperplated]

Hello everyone, my first mac purchased online today! hope to get my 12"PB soon.

I was wondering if I could have some help redecorating my apartment to get rid of all my wires, as after researching online all today I'm not sure if my plan is going to work.

I live in a 2 room apartment with TVcable in both rooms, and I'm getting the new 12"PB. The problem is in the next room my brother is using a G4 400 OS9.2.x (?, has green plastic front) where the cable modem is directly hooked up into. He likes being connected to the internet, so if I need it, being in med school, I have to disconnect the modem, unplug it, and bring it back to my old PIII 866 warhorse to use the internet. THEN bring it back to him. But to his disadvantage, I have the old parallel PRINTER. So he's stuck having to email his papers to his web account then bring the cable modem to my computer, download, then print. Pretty archaic.

My goal is to be as lazy as possible So I also purchased with the PB an HP deskjet 5850 wireless/network ready printer just because it said wireless. As I wait for them to arrive, I realized I didn't plan out what to do, so I need help.

1) Does my brother's green G4 support the use of an airport card? (running OS 9.2.x, won't upgrade due to expensive music/video software that I can't afford to upgrade all to OSX, plus "if it ain't broke don't fix it")

2) ***If I get him airport, can he wirelessly print to this HP 5850?***Apple seems to suggest otherwise...

3) Can we both simultaneously hook up to this printer without wires?

4) What is the most logical way of me using the internet now and sharing printing? My brother sometimes turns his machine off, and I plan to take my PB out with me 3 days of the week.
a)OS9 G4 with Airport. Cable modem directly to his machine via Ethernet. I use his OS9 machine as hub/conduit via Airport to internet.
b) No Airport. I purchase a wireless router directly connected to his G4. The router will then be hooked up to the cable modem. I connect to the router via PB Airport. He keeps the printer via USB.
c) ???any other ideas? Can he print share through my computer if I keep the printer?

Perusing Apple's site, it says Airport needs OSX to "print wireless over USB." I'm scared that I can't put the printer in a common area or that he ends up with it via direct USB connection. Any ideas before I purchase an airport? Sorry for the long-windedness...

 

[varmit]

1) Yes, you can put an airport card in it. Open it up, look for the slot if you want to be sure. It should be on the part that folds down, towards the front or back on the edge of the fold down part.

2) If the pinter sticks to standards, yes. And why don't you get a router, cheap on so that you can split the internet between a couple of computers, and make it a wireless one at that.

3) Yeah, if both computers have wireless, or if you bridge the gap between you computers and have one share the pinter to the other.

4) Get a router, wireless at that so you don't need wires between the computer and the internet. So B.

 

[Horrortaxi]

Wireless printing relies on Rendezvous, which is only in OS X. At least wireless printing using Apples AirPort base station does--other hardware might be configured to work in OS 9 but I've never seen it done.

The G4 will take an AirPort card (not AirPort Extreme).

If the G4 had OS X the easiest thing to do would be to plug the cable modem into it, as you've already done, and then share the connection via AirPort. That would work as long as the G4 was turned on. Since he turns it off a lot I'd say get a wireless router and put it between the G4 and the modem. Your brother can connect to it with ethernet if he doesn't want to get an AirPort card.

If it's a network printer then I assume it has an ethernet port as well. You can also plug that into the router (or the G4) and share it. It will take some configuration but it's possible to do it.

 

[copperplated]

New info about printer..."built-in wireless"

Thanks for the feedback. I just discovered some more info about my printer HP 5850 that I found at a random boutique store; the hp guys were NOT helpful at all.

"Features:
Networking Print server - integrated Connectivity Technology Wireless, wired Data Link Protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b Compliant Standards IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.11b"

So this printer has wireless built-in! That means no print server needed. So here's my plan: his OS 9 G4 will be directly wired to a wireless router (any suggestions?). I'll plop the printer in the hallway. Big question: Does this forego the need for Rendezvous and allow him to print?