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connect network ready printer to wireless g network

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Greetings,

I have a HP 6940 Deskjet printer which is network ready and I have used it connected to my router with ethernet until last week and it worked very well.

I moved last week and now the printer and the router are separated by a floor in the house with no cable anywhere. I know the simple answer would be to move the router or the printer, but of course I cannot do either.

What device do I need to get the ethernet cable of the printer connected to that will talk to the wireless router?

I am using a Motorola cable modem with a Linksys wrt54gs version 2 router. 1 linksys wre54g version 2 range expander. 2 Toshiba laptops (win xp sp3) using Atheros wireless g cards. One HP 6940 network ready ethernet printer (great printer). It is not wireless (Ugh, don’t ask).

If you need more info, please let me know. Also, since I am asking is there any way to network a scanner?

Thanks for the help.

Best,
Scott

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Clarifications

In reply to connect network ready printer to wireless g network

Clarifications

Can you explain …

In reply to connect network ready printer to wireless g network

“[i]..but of course I cannot do either.[/i]”

WHY ?

well. . .

In reply to Can you explain …

The modem and router are in the kitchen. The kitchen because that is where the best direct cable outlet is located in a house I am renting for 9 months.

My computer is upstairs in the office where there is only one cable outlet and it has a splitter on it so the cable guy so no go as it would degrade the broadband signal. This is where the range expander is located.

My wife’s computer is downstairs in the study near the kitchen. She does not want a printer in the kitchen. She wants it where she can get to it quickly if she is upstairs.

Hence the need to get a wireless solution to connect the printer. I do not need a wireless print server as the printer already has a server in it.

Would a wireless access point (WAP) be the solution? How would it be setup?

Thanks for the help.

Best,
Scott

Wireless Adapter

In reply to connect network ready printer to wireless g network

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/printer_networking/printer_networking//4/storefronts/J7951G%2523ABA

“Eliminate the need for a print-sharing-dedicated PC, plus, the printer doesn’t need a network cable or jack so it can be conveniently located”

connect network ready printer to wireless g network

In reply to Wireless Adapter

WOW, except for the fact that I paid less than that for he printer itself, this is exactly what I am looking for.

When I bought the printer, I chose not to pay the extra amount to get a wired/wireless printer because I had no idea I would be moving and giving up the convenience of having the router and printer next to each other. But I paid less for the printer than the server is listed for. And as the kitchen issue goes, so goes the server price. I do not think that I can get my wife to agree to the expense of a server for a printer with a server in it. I don’t think I would in her shoes either.

So thanks for the suggestion, but I need a more cost effective solution.

Am I being naive in believing that simple wireless solution exists for this application?

Thanks,
Scott

Did you ever find a low-cost solution?

In reply to connect network ready printer to wireless g network

I have spent the last week attemting in vain to connect my network-ready Brother MFP to my wireless network without having to buy an expensive adapter (my printer is too far from the existing Belkin g-router to wire-connect). Connecting to an extra D-Link g-router did not work as it would not respond to the “Bridge” function of my Belkin Wireless g-router; neither did connecting to my old Linksys WRE54G range-expander help as the LAN port on the range-expander is only for setup and not for connecting to the wireless LAN; even using my Linksys WPS54G wireless print server failed as it does not work with multi-function printers. So I am now waiting for the $20 used wireless Belkin g-router from ebay which is a clone of my current router which will supposedly accept the BRIDGE function of my existing router. If this fails to work, I guess I will have to duplicate costs by paying for a newer, more-expensive print server which works with MFP’s and use the MFP USB port, resulting in the MFP’s existing server becoming useless. If anyone has a lower-cost solution to connecting a network-ready (wired only) printer or MFP to an existing wireless network without the printer being in proximity to the existing wireless router, I sure would like to know. Thank You in advance. Richard

wire printer to wireless network

In reply to Did you ever find a low-cost solution?

greetings,

i have a linksys system because i have found that different brands do not play well together.

I have a wrt54gs attached to my cable modem, a linksys dmp-100 wireless N music extender, two toshiba laptops and a hp6940 wired network printer.

i had the same problem you are having and I am using a linksys wap54g to connect to the printer and that talks wirelessly to the wrt54gs. i put extended range antennas on all equipment with external antennas for range and when a laptop is near the wap54g it acts as a range expander for the laptop as well as a link to the wireless network for the printer.

this has been working for me since november with no problems.

best,
scott

Wireless Bridging

In reply to wire printer to wireless network

Thank you very much for your reply, Scott. Apparently you found the same solution I also intend to implement: wireless bridging utilizing same-brand equipment.

This is the first time I have actually experienced a problem using different brands of wireless-g equipment to speak to each other, which accounts for my motley assortment of wireless “spares”. It is interesting to note that while the manual for my Belkin router claims it can be used as a “wireless bridge” to other wireless-g routers (using the same channel and security settings), the tech information on the Belkin website indicates otherwise; yet another lesson learned.

Also noteworthy before signing off, there are now a few “lower-cost” Wireless G Print Servers for USB printers available (also for multifunction printers) such as the Linksys WPSM54G and if for some reason my wireless bridge idea also flops, I will have to save my pennies to try one of them. Of course, in order to use one of these, one must abandon the server embedded in their printer and instead use the printer’s USB port to connect to this “other” server” just to make their network-ready printer wireless, as wireless-g print adapters for network-ready printers apparently exist only in bluetooth format (or a wireless bridge, as mentioned above)!

One would think that there are enough network-ready printers currently in use that an after-market exists for a simple, compact wireless-g adapter which would connect to the printer’s LAN port (I have found 802.11b versions)?? This would be less expensive to manufacture as it would not be necessary to re-invent the wheel by adding another server in-line with the printer’s existing server; it would simply be a radio, connecting much like a wireless bridge.

Anybody have any other low-cost ideas for converting a network ready printer to wireless-g (or -n)?

Blessings to all,
Richard

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