How can I make my 1720dn printer wireless?

I noticed Dell sells some sort of wireless adapter but can't I just plug a ethernet cable into the back of the printer, and the other end on one of the 4 available ports on my Lynksys wireless router?

Any help would be appreciated. This is one area of computing I am very unfamiliar with.

Thx,
Snes

 

Only if your printer is what is called "network ready." If it is, yes, you can do that; if not, then you'll need to get a network printer server (or attach it to a computer that's on the network and then share that printer).

 

Yup. That's what I did with my Brother network printer. Just plugged it into the switch attached to my Linksys access point. Works great!

 

It says its "network ready." So do I just plug in the cable and ready to go?

Thx,
Snes

 

Cool, when I get a cable tonight I'll give it a shot.

Thanks guys!

Snes

 

You'll probably have to configure the IP address and whatnot on the printer; check the owner's manual (which can be viewed in html from _Dell here or downloaded in html format here. Specifically, as it seems to state in this section of the manual, it looks like you'll have to set up the IP address by hand.

 

You're gonna have to set up the networking in the printer's configuration, and set up your computers to print to the printer over the network. Took me about 30 minutes to do this on my 5 computers, including setting up the printer.

 

Ok that looks easy enough.

+1 and +1

Thanks again,

Snes

 

Glad to help out Snes.

Report back if everything was successful.

 

No worries; let us know how it goes, and if you've got any more questions.

 

I have my printer connected to a wireless printer hub, and the hub is also connected to the router so I can access the printer through ethernet and the airways

 

Which wireless printer hub are you using? I've got the netgear WGPS606 - works fairly decently, unless I leave it turned on and the printer turned off for a long time without using it, in which case it just needs a power off/power on to reconnect to the network.

 

Is the D-Link one, I'm currently away from home but I have posted my hub's name in other threads. This hub can connect up to 4 pritners using USB adapters.

I don't have that problem, but I do lose connections if I'm fouling around with the network, you understand what I mean, in that case I do the same than you I just do a hard reset.

 

I tried the D-Link several years ago, and got nothing but grief out of it; however, it may just have been a bum unit.

 

TBH with you I got it because it was free when I got vista busniness, I also got the 3 in 1 (AP, router and client) portable D-Link unit plus a 2GB flash drive, all three for free, why not

 

Good point! How's the D-Link router? I'm ready to drop-kick this fool Belkin router and am trying to decide what brand to go with. I discovered that the two D-Link n-routers provide the ability to reserve IPs (a function I want), so their on my list for consideration, unless I find out that they stink as well when used. The only other consideration I have is that, as I mentioned, I have the netgear wireless print server, so I have to give some consideration to the netgear routers, too, unless they stink.

 

I use the D-Liink portable router when I travel only as I can use it as wireless router, instead of connecting the laptop to the ethernet jack (in case the hotel doesn't have WiFi) so I can work with laptop from the bed.

At home I have an Actiontec from verizon, but I'm a Netgear person, I have nothing against D-Link though. these are my 3 choice order;

1. Netgear
2. D-Link
3. Linksys

 

Well that's good to know. Linksys I won't even consider unless someone demonstrates that they've improved substantially in the last three years - the first two routers I tried when I first went wireless were linksys routers (I think I picked 'em 'cause the school I'd been at used them - maybe that explains why I always had trouble with the school's wireless ), and each worked for about a week before descending into a nightmare of unworkability and ridiculous customer service - not a good scenario when you're trying to convince the wifey that you should go wireless in the first place - just FYI - I'm not being sexist in this instance (you'll have to judge for yourself in other cases ), my wife, whom I love dearly, has inherited from her dad, who's a nice guy in every other respect, the awful habit of hanging onto something forever, not replacing it until it blows up, and nursing it constantly until then. Want proof? When I met her in 2002, she still had a 1986 Ford Tempo:

that her dad nursed along, with baling wire holding the accelerator linkage together (until I suggested we could buy a replacement part, cheaply - penny wise, pound foolish is the (wo)man who thinks good parts only come from the dealer ), and white thumb-tacks holding up the sagging headliner, and .... It took me three years (2005), and inumerable rides from LIRR station to home with her and her mom scrunched into the back-seat with the baby-seat between them, and the brakes (drum, of course) seizing up on the LIE one night about 10pm driving back to the city, and ..., before I was finally able to convince her that we needed a "new" car. And, what, you ask, became of the white-wonder? Her dad paid us $50 more than the dealer, in his infinite kindness, was willing to give in trade, and kept that thing until this year, when it just quietly faded away - in the middle of 40 mph traffic! I think the wake is finally over.

Ok, now that I've vented publicly on that one (whew, she still doesn't know what name I post under here ), I don't trust Linksys, and I no longer trust Belkin. So, other than the I've-never-heard-of-thems, by my count that leaves Netgear and D-Link.

As your opinion seems to favor Netgear over D-Link, I think that I will put the Netgear at the top of the consideration list, given that I already have a Netgear print server, and would like to have as much consistency as possible among my wireless gear.

Of course, if anyone else has been fool enough to make it this far - what, get too bored with sorting your sock-drawer for the umpteen millionth time? - I'd love to hear anyone else's (considered) opinion regarding home wireless routers. In case you really need to know, I don't need too much coverage - about 100 feet radius'll do; I have some adjoining wireless networks, but not too many, and only one that comes in full strength; I connect two (soon to be three ) notebooks wirelessly, one has a/b only, one has b/g, and the soon-to-be-third will, in all probability, have a/b/g/n. I also need to be able to set a reserved IP for one home server that is wired into the router.

 

Hahahaha, LOL, your story is pure family background, nothing to do with it, it will follow you for the rest of your life so you better ignore it and go with the flow.

I like routers that are solid, not of those you have to reset every now and then, my past experience with Netgear is just good, but you can see all these posts in this thread abourt Belkin, Linksys and D-Link, many issues. If I need to give the boot to Actiontec, which I will do as soon as I figure out how to copy the current configuration, then I will surely get a Netgear.

My Actiontec also has two coax jack's for the setup boxes, I don't know any router today with such configuration.

 

Don't I know it! As a very wise, still-married man once told me, "the wise husband always has the last word...'yes, dear.'" Not only does it make you seem wise, it's the wisest way to keep the peace.

Thanks. I'm going to do a little more poking around, but that's the way I'm gravitating right now - I've had a netgear wireless router at the in-laws for about a year now and haven't had a peep out of it, even though I connect the same vaio to it from one floor down, instead of the 15 foot distance I have with the (*&$$$ Belkin.

 

I think you are done with Belkin, you can donate it to the school so the next generation learn to hack it

I tried the WNR3500 and it worked incredibly well, but if you don't need a gigabit netowrk, then I suggest you go with the dual band WNDR3300, which will satisfy most of your need.

 

My luck with print servers are very poor. The only ones that have worked has the been the HP servers for their printers. The best option is have a printer that has a network card and plug it directly into to the router. These work 100% of the time. The problem comes when you need use the scanner part. Unless the mfg has written a driver for network it does not work.

I use Netgear routers (wired FVS338 VPN) then use other routers for AP's. The netgear is solid, the only time it gets re-booted is during firmware upgrades.

As far as Actiontec (FIOS), I have it connected to my netgear on it's own subnet. Then I set up the Netgear for multilan, this way I have complete isolation. To do a completely away with it you need a NIM100 (Motorola) to handle the coax interface to ethernet. Then you need to setup a couple of rule to handle the traffic. The rules killed my VPN Endpoint so I don't use them. It's easier to just put the Actiontec in a DMZ and let it go. I do not use VOD due to the cost, so I can not say if it works going through my router. Since it's in it's own subnet (same as dmz) it should work, all other features work.

 

Ok, so I picked up a Netgear WNDR3300 - the WNR3500 was $10 cheaper, but (i) in general, I don't need gigabyte wired ethernet right now, and (ii) I'm hoping (without having done the proper research beforehand - st*p*d me ) that the dual-band capacity of the WNDR3300 will facilitate wireless use when I've got either my old vaio (a/b wireless) or my soon-to-be new laptop (a/b/g/n) and my wife's _HP (b/g) running at the same time - at the very least, I don't want the vaio downclocking the network (it tops out at 11Mbps, whoo-hoo) and making everyone else suffer.

I've had pretty decent luck with the Netgear wireless print-server so far, other than the fact that if it sits without being used for a long time it "forgets" where the network is and needs a quick power down/power up. The printer - a Brother MFC420CN - is actually network-ready, so I would just hardwire it in ... if it wasn't sitting across the room from the router and the headless desktop I'm retrofitting as a home server. Wires running along the kickboards are, unfortunately, verboten; however, I found some flat ethernet cable a few weeks ago that I might try running under the carpet (out of sight, out of mind ) - even if it means having to cut a shallow groove in the carpet padding underneath the carpet to prevent there being a lump in the cable. Unfortunately, that would also end up giving me another piece of prematurely superannuated equipment to add to my growing collection. I haven't tried scanning with it yet (I have serious doubts about that being an easy task), but we don't scan much with it, so I'll leave that bridge to be crossed another day.

 

That's a good decision, the 3300 has much more channels than the 3500 (24 against 3 I think), the 3500 is more for multimedia sharing within the network type of things, and if I'm not mistaken the 3300 also has a better coverage.

 

Yup; 23 channels as opposed to 3.

 

That's right, and I hope you can re-use the flat cable under the carpet, ethernet is safer than WiFi.

 

Shyster1,

Along the base molding there should be a gap between the tack strip and the wall, underneath the carpet. Normally the tack strip is not against the wall, and the base molding is not on the floor. So you should have a 1/2" - 1" space to run the cat5 cable, and or have the space under the base molding (<1/2"). If the carpet is not stretched real tight, you can lift the carpet from the tack strip and place the cable in. I have even pushed the cable through a small section and run it all the way down the wall to a corner, then pull the carpet back to retrieve the cable. Be careful around the tack strips those claws are real sharp and can cut the cable and you. A kick stretcher is a nice tool to stretch the carpet back down along with a putty knife or wide screwdriver to tuck in back down.

I have done this many times and have always found this gap.

 

Aahh, would that that were possible; unfortunately, the building we live in is an old one built industrial-style in the late '40s, with some sort of ersatz plaster made with cement over rebar mesh for the walls, which go right down to the concrete slab sub-flooring, on top of which is a layer of wood parquet, and finished off with a 1-1/2 inch high angled moulding nailed into the joint between the floor and the wall. In short, there's no room in the walls - when they upgraded the electrical from the 40s stuff (which was probably shoddy even when original), they slapped conduits and socket boxes onto the surface of the wall. So, the only realistic alternatives are - staple it to the surface of the wall, or give it some sort of hard protective sheathe, cut a tunnel through the carpet padding (which is about 3/32nds to 1/8th inch thick, and not overly spongy), and run it the 12 feet across the room under the carpet. And no, to forestall the obvious question - my wife spent weeks agonizing over where the cabinet that hides the printer would go, and she'd sooner send me on my way than move it across the room.

 

They also sell those flat tubes that you can install on the wall surface, then you can fish the cables through.

Anyway, I like those type of buildings, they are 10' hight ceilings, big doors and windows...... I will buy one house like that and I will renovate it, one thing for sure is to make a studio with wall to wall built-ins library and a telecommunication room, and a few computers An very important a door with a lock, so no body come to bother me when I'm working

 

Exactly! I remember when I was young we took a tour of Thos. Edison's compound in Fla, and I recall the guide saying that he used to go out to the end of the dock on his property and cast out a fishing line with no hook on it - a fact only he knew - so that everyone would think he was fishing and leave him alone; which is precisely what he wanted so he could think.

 

Great real life ilustration. I love his job as a guide, fishing all day