Making a wired printer wireless

[GelleCC]

Hi,

I didn't really see any topics about this so I thought I'd make a new one. I am in college and I am forced to use their internet. I have to plug my computer in through ethernet cable every time I want to access the internet. I have a wirless modem at my house (3 hours away) and I plan to bring it up here next time I go down there. That way, I'd have wireless in my room (locked) to share with just my roommates. I also have an older model Lexmark printer.

If I bring up my modem, could I essentially plug in an ethernet cable from the printer to the modem and essentially have a 'wireless' printer? As in, My computer isn't plugged into the internet but using the wireless modem and the computer isn't plugged into the printer, could I find the printer on the network and print?

Please help! I'm not interested in actually hooking up a wireless bluetooth dongle or something to make the printer wireless, I just don't want to hook up my computer the printer every time I need to print. Hopefully this wont make things more difficult, but i'm using a mac and mytwo roommtes are on pc's.

 

[robbieduncan]

Assuming your printer already has a network print server in it (to work with the ethernet port) then yes that would work.

 

[gsahli]

robbieduncan has a good point - if the printer has built-in networking, then it will have a driver that works for network printing.
But Macs are different from Windows as far as drivers go - depending on printer model, your printer may Not have a driver that will work for network printing.

What printer?

 

[GelleCC]

Unfortunately I don't have the printer with me, I was planning on bringing it up next time I go back home. So if the printer has a port for the ethernet it would be network ready, right? I hope that's what youre saying. I don't want to have to buy a network printer service pack or whatever people call it to make it a 'networkable' printer.

 

[robbieduncan]

Unfortunately I don't have the printer with me, I was planning on bringing it up next time I go back home. So if the printer has a port for the ethernet it would be network ready, right? I hope that's what youre saying. I don't want to have to buy a network printer service pack or whatever people call it to make it a 'networkable' printer.

Well if it doesn't have an Ethernet port then many routers have built-in print servers and USB ports. Depending on drivers that would work too.

 

[GelleCC]

Lol this is turning out to be harder than I expected. My printer has an ethernet port. But its back home. My roommates doesn't have an ethernet port, but his copies/scans/prints. So how would the usb on the router help - just plug a usb into the printer and into the router instead of into the computer? Also, what exactly is a print server?

Thanks for the help you guys.

 

[skorpien]

A print server is a device that serves out a printer. It allows a non-network printer to be shared by multiple computers connected to the network. Most print servers I have run across are not multifunction print servers however, meaning that scanning will not work with them. You will need either a router with a multifunction print server (have yet to come across one), or a standalone multifunction print server which you can connect to your router. Edimax creates great mfp print servers, both wired and wireless. Although, with the cost of these devices, you'd be better off buying a fully networkable printer.