How to Connect a Printer to a Wireless Router

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

If you want to have two or more computers on a wireless network sharing a single printer, or you simply just want to get rid of the tangled printer cables in your home or office, connecting your printer to a wireless router is a good option. As with modern computer network connections, it is also possible for a printer to go wireless by attaching it to a router. This tutorial will help you connect a modern printer to a wireless router via a USB connection.

Materials Needed:
- Printer
- wireless router
- length of USB cable
- printer driver
- software installation disc
Step 1
First, install the necessary printer drivers and software to the computers that you want to have access to the printer.
Step 2
Connect the printer to the wireless network router via a USB cable. Once it has been connected, turn the printer on.
Step 3
On one of the computers, click on the 'Start Menu' and open up the 'Control Panel' window. Click on 'Printer' and right-click on the 'Printer' icon, and then click on 'Properties' to open up the Printer Properties window.
Step 4
Click on the 'Ports' tab and remove the tick from the box with the label 'Enable bidirectional support'. Click on the 'Add Port', select and highlight the 'Standard TCP/IP Port' and click on 'New Port'.
Step 5
At this point, the 'Add Standard TCP/IP Port' should appear. Click on the 'Next' button until you are prompted to enter the printer name/IP address and port name. On the 'Printer Name/IP Address' entry, type in the IP address of the router you will be using. The port name will be filled automatically once the IP address has been entered.
Step 6
Once the entries have been completed, click on the 'Next' button. The computer will automatically attempt to find the printer. Wait for the program to fail and click on 'Custom' in the new window, and then click on 'Settings'. The 'Configure Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor' window should appear.
Step 7
On the new window, check the Raw on the Protocol settings and enter 9100 on the Port Number. If the window already shows the following settings, leave it as it is and click the 'OK' button.
Step 8
Follow the instructions shown on the screen and close any other remaining windows once the configuration settings have been completed.
Step 9
Repeat steps 3 to 8 on all the computers that are to use the printer on the wireless router. Afterwards, print a test page on each of the computers. If the printer prints out the page correctly, it is now ready for use.


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