Help required networking a LAN printer

[davidjpowell]

disconnect network wire. Restart router and printer. Check router to see what IP has been allocated.

Then run add printer and install.

I'd expect the wireless card to have a different IP, but I'm not entirely sure how this will work with the static IP.

ETA - presumably you have set your wireless settings onto that page?

 

[Red C220]

;1498418.

ETA - presumably you have set your wireless settings onto that page?

Bit of a problem there.

It's that bit I'm lost with.

I understand how to log into the router and pull these settings but I'm running WPA2 - Personal security not WEP.

Do I need to change my router settings to run WEP security so I can use the wireless part of the printer?

If not what setting do I actually change (on the screenshot above?).

 

[davidjpowell]

Unless Operation mode changes security, I think you are stuck with WEP. Online reviews all say wireless setup is a pig for this printer.

Now I remember why I stick with wires!

 

[Red C220]

Online reviews all say wireless setup is a pig for this printer.

Now I remember why I stick with wires!

I can normally muddle through by doing lots of Google searches but I also came across the same issues about it being a pig. I just think it's a little old.

Networked is a good start anyway. I can at least put a long net cable on it and hide it away somewhere. I think that may be the best compromise.

Thanks for all the help getting me this far.

 

[davidjpowell]

No probs. I've only ever used wireless for laptops etc. Devices just seem to prefer wires.

 

[allegoricus]

I don't know where you are on the path to success, but this is pretty much how I would approach this:

Page references are to pages in the manual you downloaded.

To configure printer to connect to wireless LAN.
Go to printer's Network Menu (p3.19)
Configure Network = yes
Configure TCP = yes
IP Get Method = DHCP (see page E.9) No need to worry about the network mask.
Gateway = skipped (set by DHCP server)
Appletalk = off
Netware = off
Config Netware = skipped
IPX Frame Type = skipped
Reset Network (reboots the network card, at which it should be assigned an IP address

At this point, print the printer configuration page (from the Information Menu - see page E.6), on which will be the IP address assigned to the printer (likely to be something like 192.168.n.n).

I don't know about your router [1], but when mine assigns an address to a device, it (the address) is then reserved for that device.
I'm assuming that this will apply in your case. If not, the approach needs to be altered, but it's just detail.

Now you know the printer's IP address, you can ping it from your laptop/desktop computer. This will verify that your computer can communicate with the printer over the network.

I don't see anything in this manual about selecting the wireless encryption protocol, so presumably it is auto-sensed at the time the printer boots up.

Anyway, next thing to do is, on your PC, to set up a printer port.

From Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Devices and Printers
Click on "Add a Printer"

From "What kind of printer do you want to install? dialog box,
Click on "Add a local printer"

From "Choose a printer port" select "Create a new port" and "Standard TCP/IP Port", then click "Next"

Against "Hostname or IP address" enter the IP address of the printer (the port name will be filled in with the same info)

Verify that the check box "Query the printer ..." is selected, then click "Next"

The computer will go off by itself for a while - long enough for you to think the process has failed to complete - before returning with steps to install the printer driver (or to select it if already installed going from memory here as I don't want to install a non-existent printer on my own system).

Assuming that the printer actually is using the correct wireless encryption protocol, you should be in business. This can be verified by printing a test page.


[1] A typical consumer router incorporates a router, an Ethernet hub, wireless network, DHCP server, DNS server along with other services that in larger scenarios may each run on a separate box. This means references to the "router" can be ambiguous.

 

[neilz]

My take, how I did my elderly HP LaserJet 4550 (still going strong at 130,000 pages!):

Set IP address of printer - must not be the same as the default gateway - that is the IP address of your wireless router, must have every number up to the last dot being the same as the router's IP
Plug printer into router
Using computer connected to router, go to the control panel
Click on 'printers and faxes' or 'devices and printers'
Click 'add a printer'
Click 'local printer' (I know, it isn't, but that's what you click')
Choose 'create a new port'
Select 'standard TCP/IP'
Enter the IP address you set the printer to
Pick a name for the port (e.g. Wireless Printer)
Click on next
Follow the on-screen instructions

Edit: allegoricus above wrote something almost identical, should have read his post first!

Anyway, next thing to do is, on your PC, to set up a printer port.

From Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Devices and Printers
Click on "Add a Printer"

From "What kind of printer do you want to install? dialog box,
Click on "Add a local printer"

From "Choose a printer port" select "Create a new port" and "Standard TCP/IP Port", then click "Next"

Against "Hostname or IP address" enter the IP address of the printer (the port name will be filled in with the same info)

Verify that the check box "Query the printer ..." is selected, then click "Next"

The computer will go off by itself for a while - long enough for you to think the process has failed to complete - before returning with steps to install the printer driver (or to select it if already installed going from memory here as I don't want to install a non-existent printer on my own system).

Assuming that the printer actually is using the correct wireless encryption protocol, you should be in business. This can be verified by printing a test page.