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February 21st, 2005 00:00

Do I need a"wireless" printer to run my wireless laptop on my home network?

I have Canon860i connected to my desktop.... I just bought a laptop that has wireless capabilities and I am connected to the internet via my router.... I wanted to share my printer and thought I had done everything right to set up a network but it does not work.... is that because my printer is not wireless capable?

28K Posts

February 21st, 2005 02:00

Is your router a wireless router?  The printer does not need to have wireless capabilities so long as it is connected to a computer on the network.  But, you have to be able to connect to the network, and if you going to do that wirelessly, it requires a wireless router.  If you have a wireless router, does files sharing work over the network?  Have you designated the printer as a shared printer?

Steve

18 Posts

February 21st, 2005 11:00

Hi Steve... thanks for responding...I have done all that. The printer is indicated as for sharing.... the network has been set up and I have downloaded the printer drivers on to the wireless laptop....it is a wireless router and I get the internet fine from anywhere in the house. I went to the firewall to make sure that it was not prohibitting me...so I can't think of what else. I do know that when I set up the network the program on the laptop said that the cables were not connected to the router but I ignored that part since the wireless part worked fine with the internet........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28K Posts

February 21st, 2005 13:00

So, are you saying that the printer shows up in the Laptop's printer folder, but you cannot print to the printer? 
 
When you say that file sharing does not appear to work, please explain how you determined that?
 
Steve

18 Posts

February 21st, 2005 13:00

no. it does not....or not appear to.....it is a linksys befw11s4 wireless....

As I said the laptop is picking up the internet perfectly....but perhaps I need to program something into the laptop other than the xp network setup.... When I try to print it says the printer is "off-line"......

28K Posts

February 21st, 2005 13:00

Does files sharing work over the network?  What make and model router do you have? 

Steve

18 Posts

February 21st, 2005 14:00

Update.... I am connected on the network....I can access files from the laptop on my desktop.....BUT... when I go to print off the laptop I get a message saying printer "offline".......

18 Posts

February 21st, 2005 14:00

Just coming to update again...got it! Thanks for your time....I was able to get everything working.....

18 Posts

February 21st, 2005 14:00

You are really kind to take the time to help me...thanks.

I downloaded the printer drivers to the laptop...so regardless...it will show up in the printer file...maybe that was a mistake.

I went to the shared files on my desktop and put a picture in there... when I go to the laptop and open the same ( computer-shared files-picture) the picture i put on the desktop is not in the laptop similar file.....so I assume they are not communicating.....

28K Posts

February 21st, 2005 14:00

If the laptop is running Windows XP, the printer on the network should eventually show up in the printers folder on the laptop.  If you installed the printer on the laptop, you have to go into the printers folder and make sure the printer is set to print to the network port.  If necessary, you can add the port as \\computername\printername, where computername is the network name of the computer to which the printer is attached, and printername is the name you gave the printer when you designated it as a shared printer on the desktop.

Steve

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