Networking Printer : Airport Extreme Base Station : Laptops

sphragis · sphragis #1 (**permalink**)

08-23-2009, 12:14 PM

Hi Everybody,

Apologies if this has been answered before, but I tried searching to no avail. Apologies also for the long intro, but I want to make myself and my "problem" as clear as possible.

I have a home network using an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. We have three laptops floating around the house. Connectivity with them is fine, no problems at all, etc. However, I'd like to be able to print remotely rather than having to hook and unhook an individual laptop to our one printer each and every time.

Now, I know that I can hook the printer directly to the Base Station to do this. The problem is that the Base Station has to be located in an upstairs "loft" area. That is where the cable modem had to be placed, and where the BS also provides the best coverage for our property. The printer, however, should ideally be located between my and my wife's home offices, downstairs. Putting the printer upstairs would be a bigger pain than the current system of swapping out USB cables; access to that area is via a sort of ship's ladder, not regular stairs...

So, is there some way to purchase a wireless print server that would act as a relay between the Base Station and the printer such that any laptop could print to the shared printer over the wi-fi network? Such a beast would have to connect to the printer via a USB cable (printer is an HP 1300). Our laptops are two G4 powerbooks and a new MacBook.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice, and apologies once again for my verbosity!

Rob

wmprice1240 · wmprice1240 #2 (**permalink**)

08-23-2009, 12:42 PM

Some printers come with WIFI built in. I have the Brother MFC-685CW and it has this feature. Also, you may want to check if your printer has a USB port and if your printer manufacturer provides a USB wireless adapter or at the very least supports using one.

I did a quick check for the 1300 and it may support some form of connectivity:

HP LaserJet 1300 Printer series*-* HP LaserJet 1150 and 1300 Series Printers - Ordering Supplies and Accessories - bpl13128 - HP Business Support Center

wmprice1240 · wmprice1240 #3 (**permalink**)

08-23-2009, 12:45 PM

Oh...and welcome to the forums! :-)

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sphragis #1 (permalink)
Member Since: Aug 23, 2009 Posts: 1	08-23-2009, 12:14 PM Hi Everybody, Apologies if this has been answered before, but I tried searching to no avail. Apologies also for the long intro, but I want to make myself and my "problem" as clear as possible. I have a home network using an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. We have three laptops floating around the house. Connectivity with them is fine, no problems at all, etc. However, I'd like to be able to print remotely rather than having to hook and unhook an individual laptop to our one printer each and every time. Now, I know that I can hook the printer directly to the Base Station to do this. The problem is that the Base Station has to be located in an upstairs "loft" area. That is where the cable modem had to be placed, and where the BS also provides the best coverage for our property. The printer, however, should ideally be located between my and my wife's home offices, downstairs. Putting the printer upstairs would be a bigger pain than the current system of swapping out USB cables; access to that area is via a sort of ship's ladder, not regular stairs... So, is there some way to purchase a wireless print server that would act as a relay between the Base Station and the printer such that any laptop could print to the shared printer over the wi-fi network? Such a beast would have to connect to the printer via a USB cable (printer is an HP 1300). Our laptops are two G4 powerbooks and a new MacBook. Thanks in advance for any and all advice, and apologies once again for my verbosity! Rob
	QUOTE Thanks

wmprice1240 #2 (permalink)
Member Since: May 02, 2009 Posts: 480 Mac Specs: MBP 2.33 4GB: MacPro 8 Core 2.8, 16GB: MacMini 2.26 4GB: MacMin 2.53 4GB: iPhone3GS 32GB	08-23-2009, 12:42 PM Some printers come with WIFI built in. I have the Brother MFC-685CW and it has this feature. Also, you may want to check if your printer has a USB port and if your printer manufacturer provides a USB wireless adapter or at the very least supports using one. I did a quick check for the 1300 and it may support some form of connectivity: HP LaserJet 1300 Printer series- HP LaserJet 1150 and 1300 Series Printers - Ordering Supplies and Accessories - bpl13128 - HP Business Support Center
	QUOTE Thanks

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