Sharing a network printer--AirPort?--ideas?

[andrewm]

Hi, all,

After a surge fried my beloved HP LaserJet 1320, I purchased an HP LaserJet P2055dn. This has a built-in print server, to my understanding, with an Ethernet port that would be available for me to connect to a router. I would ideally like to share this printer between my MacBook and another computer (an HP notebook PC running Vista). What's the best idea here? Please bear in mind one thing: the HP notebook has flaky wireless, so it might have to use an Ethernet cable at some point--thus I'd like to explore all of the feasible options.

1. USB to my computer and set up printer sharing?
2. Ethernet to my computer and set up printer sharing? (Does that make any sense? Maybe not!)
3. Get a wired router and, while the computer is on my desk, connect it to the printer and to the connected computers.
4. Get an AirPort Express and connect the printer up to the USB port. Now, we're using WPA2 on our wireless network here, and I thought I read somewhere that one cannot extend a wireless network that's WPA2. Can I hook up a printer to an Express that's a client?

One idea that especially intrigued me:
5. Get an AirPort Express and connect the printer up to the Ethernet port, then set up network printing on all connected computers, rather than Bonjour printing. Again, network-extending question still applies--I'm really clueless here.

Since I *have* a network printer, would network printing (i.e., option 5) be faster/better/more efficient than Bonjour printing? Less software or drivers to install? or more?

Thanks to everybody for any and all input.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[milk242]

Do you have a router?, I'm assuming you do since you mention you have a HP notebook using wireless internet. Connect the printer to the router, find the IP of the printer (look in the manual for this or look at the DHCP table on your router) and then type in that IP address in the web browser and see if you have to configure anything on the built in print server.

After that you can just go add the printer through your system preferences on your mac and click IP to add by IP address. You might have to try different protocols before your successful.


//Edit:
Also possible HP has software to help you go setup the printer as a network printer in a more user friendly fashion.

 

[andrewm]

milk242,

Thanks for your response. I do indeed have a wireless router--an AirPort Extreme. While I don't have anything extra hooked up to it right now, it's in a location highly inconvenient for the printer--downstairs in my apartment, while my computer is upstairs. I should've stated something to that effect--sorry about that--as it is in fact probably one of the best options (and running a super-long Ethernet cable [if I could even /find/ one long enough] through rooms and upstairs would sort of defeat the purpose of wirelessness).

This is why I suggested AirPort Express. I guess what the ideal thing to do--what I would like to do--is to convert a network printer with an Ethernet port, my LaserJet P2055dn, into a wireless print server. Can I do this with a Netgear or Linksys router on my AirPort Extreme network? Will I need an AirPort Express?

 

[milk242]

I believe if you have an airport express you can set it up with WDS between the express and extreme. Essentially extending your wireless network and turning the express into a wireless ethernet bridge. So all in all, after you set up WDS, that ethernet port on the express should work like an ethernet port located on your extreme.

 

[andrewm]

milk242,

I guess, then, that I should return to my original question: are there any issues with using WDS when my AirPort Extreme has WPA2 enabled? When I first set up WPA2 on my old Extreme, I somehow thought that the WDS couldn't be used. Is that still the case on these newer models, or have things changed and should it work fine?

Thanks for your help--I appreciate it!

 

[milk242]

I'm not sure, I think I read that people had mixed results when working with WDS between two apple routers w/ WPA2. Doesn't hurt to try it out. You might also want to do some googling to see if their are any tips/tricks to get it to work if it doesn't work for you at first.

 

[andrewm]

I'll see what I can do, then. It may be time to break the ol' piggy bank... Thanks for your time!