Are all computer printers now wireless?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
User avatar
Topic Author
tc101
Posts: 3810
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:18 pm
Location: Atlanta - Retired in 2004 at age 54

Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by tc101 »

I ordered a new laser printer from amazon assuming I could just plug it into my computer, but it is a wireless. I was going to return it but then I noticed all the printers on amazon are wireless. Is this the way printers are now? Do I need to learn how to set this thing up on my network, or do people still just plug printers into their computers?
. | The most important thing you should know about me is that I am not an expert.
coldplay221
Posts: 177
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:14 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by coldplay221 »

You might want to check on the printer ports before returning it. I have a wireless printer because I can place it anywhere in the house. But that printer also has a ethernet port and a port to connect it directly to your computer via USB.
DSInvestor
Posts: 11647
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:42 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by DSInvestor »

My new printer Brother HL-L2360DW ($99) has USB, ethernet and Wifi capability and duplex printing. I used an ethernet cable to connect my printer to my router and my Macs and IOS devices were able to see it automatically and print with little or now work. Does your printer have USB or ethernet ports?

What is the make and model of your printer?
Wiki
Digital Dave
Posts: 79
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:47 pm
Location: Western New York

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Digital Dave »

I just bought a Brother MFC-L2740DW all in one monochrome laser style printer. It has a wireless connection which I am using, but it also has a USB connection. I bought it from NewEgg and they described the connection possibilities. My guess is that the USB connection is still common.

(BTW, I like this printer)

Dave
Investing in Mutual Funds, ETF's, Forever Stamps and Bittulips.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52211
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by nisiprius »

Bought a Brother HL-3170 CDW early in 2013 and we are very happy with it. Yes, it is wireless. Rather to my surprise, doing a wireless installation on my Mac was a breeze--took five minutes and worked right off the bat.

My wife has a Windows 8 computer which has never worked right with her HP ink-jet printer over a cabled connection--HP and Microsoft have dueling printer drivers and it always seemed to have two conflicting drivers installed at the same time. The printer developed a terminal mechanical problem, which is one reason we bought the Brother.

Just as I was praising Apple, we got around to turning on my wife's computer and to my amazement, Windows 8 had automagically installed a wireless connection to the printer. Apparently it just looks around to see if there are any printers in the neighborhood and if it sees one installs a driver and connects to it. I can't say I'm happy about the security aspects of that, but it certainly was as convenient as it could be. Works fine.

And we've had some spontaneous power outages and a trip that was long enough that we powered down everything--computers, wireless router, cable modem, and printer--and when we came back we turned everything on and it all just worked again.

I don't know who deserves credit for all this--Brother or Apple or Microsoft or Cisco--but really it was one of the better peripheral-installation experiences I've EVERY had.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
User avatar
Steelersfan
Posts: 4129
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:47 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Steelersfan »

I got an HP Envy 450 that has a wired connection about 6 months ago because I hadn't figured how easy wireless was to set up. It's been working fine. I especially like that it not only prints paper output but scans documents that I can email. In a pinch I can make copes too.

When it comes time to replace it (in a suitable Boglehead time frame) I won't bother with the wired connection.
masteraleph
Posts: 821
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 8:45 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by masteraleph »

I pretty much haven't seen something that's exclusively wireless (i.e. will not take a USB connection), and we just got one that doesn't do wifi, but can network by plugging into the router (which is what we've done with it).

The utility of wireless printing is the ability to print from all devices hooked up to your network. If the only computing you do is on a sole computer, then there's not utility in hooking it up to the network. If you use multiple computers, smartphones, tablets, etc., then no longer having to print from the computer hooked up to the printer is a significant benefit.
User avatar
Topic Author
tc101
Posts: 3810
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:18 pm
Location: Atlanta - Retired in 2004 at age 54

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by tc101 »

Mine is a brother HL-L2340DW. It says in the specs on amazon that it has a USB port, but I don't see it, only an ethernet port.
. | The most important thing you should know about me is that I am not an expert.
mhalley
Posts: 10432
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by mhalley »

The specs at the brother website def say it has a usb port, not an ethernet port. Perhaps it needs this kind of usb cable?
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB- ... =usb+cable

Its annoying when products don't include a cable in order to shave a dollar off the cost.
Mike
Last edited by mhalley on Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
killjoy2012
Posts: 1329
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:30 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by killjoy2012 »

tc101 wrote:Mine is a brother HL-L2340DW. It says in the specs on amazon that it has a USB port, but I don't see it, only an ethernet port.
What you probably think is the "Ethernet port" is actually the USB 2.0 "type B" port. The USB plug that goes into the printer side is not the same as the computer side - it looks more like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4109I2PdxCL.jpg
User avatar
22twain
Posts: 4030
Joined: Thu May 10, 2012 5:42 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by 22twain »

tc101 wrote:Mine is a brother HL-L2340DW. It says in the specs on amazon that it has a USB port, but I don't see it, only an ethernet port.
What does the instruction manual say?
Meet my pet, Peeve, who loves to convert non-acronyms into acronyms: FED, ROTH, CASH, IVY, ...
ccieemeritus
Posts: 714
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:43 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by ccieemeritus »

The USB port for the HL-L2340DW is on the back left of the printer, 2/3rds of the way near the top.
DSInvestor
Posts: 11647
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:42 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by DSInvestor »

tc101 wrote:Mine is a brother HL-L2340DW. It says in the specs on amazon that it has a USB port, but I don't see it, only an ethernet port.
Here's a link to a brother page showing the location of the USB port on the HL-L2340DW printer:
http://support.brother.com/g/s/id/htmld ... 0A29C50C_8
Wiki
User avatar
archbish99
Posts: 1649
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:02 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by archbish99 »

Because wireless is more in vogue these days, some manufacturers hide the USB port. On my Brother printer, I have to open the cover, plug in the USB cable, then run it out an opening in the back. Once installed, it just looks like it has an integrated USB cable.
I'm not a financial advisor, I just play one on the Internet.
User avatar
Topic Author
tc101
Posts: 3810
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:18 pm
Location: Atlanta - Retired in 2004 at age 54

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by tc101 »

Thanks everyone. I now see that what I thought was the ethernet port is really the USB port. This model only has USB port, not ethernet, and I was confused because it is square. The big problem is that they don't send an instruction manual any more, and I could not find the online manual. I feel kind of dumb. I appreciate your help.
. | The most important thing you should know about me is that I am not an expert.
User avatar
cheese_breath
Posts: 11786
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:08 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by cheese_breath »

tc101 wrote:Thanks everyone. I now see that what I thought was the ethernet port is really the USB port. This model only has USB port, not ethernet, and I was confused because it is square. The big problem is that they don't send an instruction manual any more, and I could not find the online manual. I feel kind of dumb. I appreciate your help.
Did your printer come with an installation disk? There's usually an instruction manual on the disk.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52211
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by nisiprius »

cheese_breath wrote:
tc101 wrote:Thanks everyone. I now see that what I thought was the ethernet port is really the USB port. This model only has USB port, not ethernet, and I was confused because it is square. The big problem is that they don't send an instruction manual any more, and I could not find the online manual. I feel kind of dumb. I appreciate your help.
Did your printer come with an installation disk? There's usually an instruction manual on the disk.
Not so much any more. I have received a number of products that only included a slip of paper giving a URL from which you can download a PDF of the instruction manual.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
lululu
Posts: 1378
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:23 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by lululu »

I actually prefer to download a manual, saves the space paper takes up and is there if I need it five years from now. I'm on my way out the door, or I'd look online for an instruction manual. Surely it must be out there somewhere. No clue on the manufacturer's website?
crg11
Posts: 535
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:16 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by crg11 »

I love having a wireless printer. Both of mine (color inkjet and a monocrome laser) support AirPrint so I can print to it from any iPad or iPhone natively.
User avatar
Ice-9
Posts: 1579
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:40 pm
Location: MD

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Ice-9 »

User avatar
Epsilon Delta
Posts: 8090
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:00 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

nisiprius wrote:Apparently it just looks around to see if there are any printers in the neighborhood and if it sees one installs a driver and connects to it. I can't say I'm happy about the security aspects of that, but it certainly was as convenient as it could be. Works fine.
If set up does not involve entering at least a 16 random character WiFi password it's a security hole. Usually this means transferring a file on a USB drive, since the user interface for password entry on a printer is usually painful.

If the printer and/or computer connects without entering a password there is a reasonable chance that it will also connect seamlessly with your neighbors device. Whether this risks just having your neighbor consume your paper and read your print jobs or something worse is the question. IMNSHO somebody who designed such a system would letterspace blackletter.
User avatar
Toons
Posts: 14467
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:20 am
Location: Hills of Tennessee

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Toons »

Although I have a Canon MP495 wireless printer ,I have found that for quite a while I am printing to "PDF"and saving to Google drive.
If I need a copy I can always access it on phone,email it if someone needs a copy.I am trying to recall when I last printed a piece of paper,,,,it has been a very long time. :happy
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
Calm Man
Posts: 2917
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:35 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Calm Man »

This question is going to appear to be so dumb that I am embarrassed. But here goes. I assume that setting up a wireless printer involves utilizing the existing wireless router, right? I am somebody who turns off my modem and router and computer every night. Is that OK or does the ability of the router and printer to communicate wirelessly require continued contact?
User avatar
Toons
Posts: 14467
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:20 am
Location: Hills of Tennessee

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Toons »

Calm Man wrote:This question is going to appear to be so dumb that I am embarrassed. But here goes. I assume that setting up a wireless printer involves utilizing the existing wireless router, right? I am somebody who turns off my modem and router and computer every night. Is that OK or does the ability of the router and printer to communicate wirelessly require continued contact?
NO question is "dumb" asking questions is how we All learn :happy .
1.Yes your printer utilizes the wireless router to print wirelessly.
2.Your printer cannot print wirelessly if the router and modem are turned off.There is no wireless signal traveling from the modem to the router :happy
Last edited by Toons on Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
lululu
Posts: 1378
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:23 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by lululu »

"The only dumb question is the one that isn't asked." - A professor of mine.
Calm Man
Posts: 2917
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:35 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Calm Man »

Toons wrote:
Calm Man wrote:This question is going to appear to be so dumb that I am embarrassed. But here goes. I assume that setting up a wireless printer involves utilizing the existing wireless router, right? I am somebody who turns off my modem and router and computer every night. Is that OK or does the ability of the router and printer to communicate wirelessly require continued contact?
NO question is "dumb" asking questions is how we All learn :happy .
1.Yes your printer utilizes the wireless router to print wirelessly.
2.Your printer cannot print wirelessly if the router and modem are turned off.There is no wireless signal going from traveling from the modem to the router :happy
Thank you Toons. Indeed I do not feel quite THAT dumb that my question would appear that way. If the printer does use the router (as you confirm) I recognize that the router would have to be on for me to print. I am asking whether things need to be set up again each time I turn the router on? Or will the printer always recognize the router (or vice versa) even if the power has been interrupted in between?
User avatar
Toons
Posts: 14467
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:20 am
Location: Hills of Tennessee

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Toons »

Oh,,I see what you were asking now,,,,,No you do not have to go through the "set-up" again after you turn on the modem and router,once the wireless printer is initially set-up to the network,for lack of a better word it "remembers"the network. :happy
Just curious ,if you don't mind ,why do you turn off the modem and router every day.
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
Calm Man
Posts: 2917
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:35 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Calm Man »

Toons wrote:Oh,,I see what you were asking now,,,,,No you do not have to go through the "set-up" again after you turn on the modem and router,once the wireless printer is initially set-up to the network,for lack of a better word it "remembers"the network. :happy
Just curious ,if you don't mind ,why do you turn off the modem and router every day.
Good question. I turn off a few things every night.
One power strip has the computer, modem and router on it. I have always figured - why keep it on? When I turn the power strip on in the morning, it takes about 2 minutes for everything to get going, which is fine.
A second power strip has the TV and Cable box attached. It takes about 30 seconds for the TV to work and about a minute for the cable box to set itself up. Indeed, some functionalities take about 20 minutes to get going like On Demand but I rarely use that. Interestingly, the Comcast people on the phone who were once helping me with something said that I should NEVER turn off the cable box because blah, blah, blah. I asked whether it could be a big problem. Yes they said. I asked then what about when we lose power or I have service interruptions from Comcast as we did today - and the first thing you did was to tell me to turn off the cable box? That generated a Ralph Cramden response, basically ummmmmmmmmmm

Now that I think about it, we all lose power periodically so my initial question becomes even dumber than I thought.
User avatar
Toons
Posts: 14467
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:20 am
Location: Hills of Tennessee

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Toons »

I understand now. :happy
In our household we connect with other wireless devices,phone,tablet,streaming,so we never turn off the modem or router.
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
DSInvestor
Posts: 11647
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:42 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by DSInvestor »

Calm Man wrote:I am asking whether things need to be set up again each time I turn the router on? Or will the printer always recognize the router (or vice versa) even if the power has been interrupted in between?
One of the risks of powering everything down is that the IP address assigned to the printer may change on power up. Some computers and apps may not handle a change in printer IP address too well. I have had problems in WinXP when the printer was configured to talk to a printer at a specific IP address rather than by name. My printer at the time was not Airprint compatible and had to use a Brother Print and Scan app to print from an iPad. That version of the brother app didn't not handle a change in printer address. Modern operating systems may handle this better these days.

On our cable system, shutting down a cable box kills the guide and it could take hours to for the guide to download to the box. Our box has a DVR which may be recording stuff overnight so we never shut it down.
Wiki
User avatar
Doom&Gloom
Posts: 5417
Joined: Thu May 08, 2014 3:36 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Doom&Gloom »

Calm Man wrote:This question is going to appear to be so dumb that I am embarrassed. But here goes. I assume that setting up a wireless printer involves utilizing the existing wireless router, right? I am somebody who turns off my modem and router and computer every night. Is that OK or does the ability of the router and printer to communicate wirelessly require continued contact?
Just leave your modem and router on all the time. When my wireless printer "loses" the wireless signal, as when the modem or router are turned off, it often (always?) needs to be turned off/on again to re-connect to the network.

BTW, I initially hated having a wireless printer, but now I love it. It can be placed anywhere our wireless signal can reach it, so it can be located where the noise of someone printing, re-loading paper, or replacing ink cartridges does not bother anyone in the house.
Calm Man
Posts: 2917
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:35 am

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by Calm Man »

DSInvestor wrote:
Calm Man wrote:I am asking whether things need to be set up again each time I turn the router on? Or will the printer always recognize the router (or vice versa) even if the power has been interrupted in between?
One of the risks of powering everything down is that the IP address assigned to the printer may change on power up. Some computers and apps may not handle a change in printer IP address too well. I have had problems in WinXP when the printer was configured to talk to a printer at a specific IP address rather than by name. My printer at the time was not Airprint compatible and had to use a Brother Print and Scan app to print from an iPad. That version of the brother app didn't not handle a change in printer address. Modern operating systems may handle this better these days.

On our cable system, shutting down a cable box kills the guide and it could take hours to for the guide to download to the box. Our box has a DVR which may be recording stuff overnight so we never shut it down.
Indeed this is true. With my cable system, it takes about 1/2 hour for the guide to appear. But I don't use it as I use the listings from the computer. My "objection" to your point, which is well taken, is that power is lost occasionally beyond our control. And I was inquiring whether that would cause an IP address issue. If it does not when you lose power because of a storm, why would it if it is a voluntary turning off of the switch by me or you?
User avatar
archbish99
Posts: 1649
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:02 pm

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by archbish99 »

DHCP leases, for things on your network. If it's off briefly, say for a reboot, it can come back up and acquire a new lease for the same address it had. If it's down long enough, or if the server (e.g. the router) is also rebooted, it may give the old address out to another device first. Consider static IPs or DHCP reservations for the printer and other "fixed" hardware if you do this.

For the cable box, because it's doing updates of the guide and its own software while idle (also true of your PC). If there is no idle time, it either doesn't get updated or has to do it while in use, hopefully not disruptively.
I'm not a financial advisor, I just play one on the Internet.
User avatar
DonCamillo
Posts: 1050
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 9:27 pm
Location: Northern New Jersey

Re: Are all computer printers now wireless?

Post by DonCamillo »

I think one reason for momentum in wireless printers is devices like iPads and iPhones that do not have USB Ports or other connectors, but do have a valid need for a printer. I find it a lot easier to print directly than it is to transfer to a computer and print from there. Many people may not even buy computers in the future, since multipurpose devices like smart phones already meet their needs.
Les vieillards aiment à donner de bons préceptes, pour se consoler de n'être plus en état de donner de mauvais exemples. | (François, duc de La Rochefoucauld, maxim 93)
Post Reply