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wireless networking and wifi printer help

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Target:
As incentives go, this is a pretty good one ... Because printer controlled wireless networks as a rule tend to be roughly half as stable as a acrophobic on an electrified tightrope.

One of the main questions that should also be asked, is does the printer itself really need to be wireless? According to the specs the device has an RJ45 Ethernet port, so get a cheap wireless router, wire the thing to it, and you should be ok. The router will handle the IP scheme, and you won't be left twisting in the wind hoping that some flakey "Cutting Edge" technology will decide to be kind enough to actually work on any given day.
-Stoic Joker (January 19, 2015, 11:51 AM)
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As you've already pointed out the printer doesn't need to be wireless, but there's there's a counterpoint to that in that we don't actually need a network, we only need to be able to connect to the printer.

That said I have been wondering about buying a wireless router so there would at least be some form of network - anyone want to make a recommendation?  Ideally any candidates should be able to act as a wireless access point (ie I want to able to use a wireless dongle with it) 

Start by disabling any and all sleep functions first. Then if it starts behaving you can look into how best to allow the thing to take a light nap
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good tip, but I need to get it to connect in the first place before this should be a factor :mad:

Stoic Joker:
but there's a counterpoint to that in that we don't actually need a network, we only need to be able to connect to the printer.-Target (January 19, 2015, 06:26 PM)
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Using wireless to achieve IP connectivity...is a network. Size isn't the issue here, neither is the number or volume of services offered, it is the assigning of IPs and networking - by way of creating connections - of the devices that makes it a network. The Ad-Hoc nature of trying to make/keep it point to point (to point) really just complicate things.

That said I have been wondering about buying a wireless router so there would at least be some form of network

...

I need to get it to connect in the first place before this should be a factor :mad:
-Target (January 19, 2015, 06:26 PM)
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A (getting router - to handle addressing etc.) will solve B (getting connections to work/behave) for you.



I have to ask, how are the computers currently accessing the internet??

Target:
ur mobiles
I have to ask, how are the computers currently accessing the internet??-Stoic Joker (January 20, 2015, 12:02 PM)
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by tethering our mobiles

FWIW I'm not averse to having a network per se, I just don't need any sort of network connectivity for anything other than the printer.  Plus it irritates me to have to buy another wireless device so I can connect it to my wireless device

And given that that functionality is explicitly available in all the existing devices it seems reasonable to expect that it would actually. well, function.  It's not like wifi is new or bleeding edge, quite the opposite in fact (I know this is a generalisation and that there are a lot of factors to consider)

40hz:
And given that that functionality is explicitly available in all the existing devices it seems reasonable to expect that it would actually. well, function.  It's not like wifi is new or bleeding edge, quite the opposite in fact (I know this is a generalisation and that there are a lot of factors to consider)
-Target (January 20, 2015, 03:42 PM)
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It's not so much wifi as it is per-to-peer networking. In an ad hoc network environment there’s no persistence. So it tends to be flaky.

Besides...a wifi router does a lot more than just provide wifi connectivity. It also handles DHCP, provides a unified gateway, allows for QoS tuning, gives you a basic SPI firewall and related security services, plus a host of other benefits. It's not just a dumb radio box. It's a computer - complete with CPU and software. With a router, all you need to do is connect with a very basic TCP/IP connection. All the heavy lifting and dithering in the background that's needed to make your network stable and pleasant to work with is handled by the router. Less of a load on your PC as a result.

Routers are good things to have no matter what size the network.

Stoic Joker:
Plus it irritates me to have to buy another wireless device-Target (January 20, 2015, 03:42 PM)
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This I can understand - Complexity sucks. :)


All the heavy lifting and dithering in the background that's needed to make your network stable and pleasant to work with is handled by the router.-40hz (January 20, 2015, 03:56 PM)
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Agreed absolutely, But the answer to how they connect to the internet:

by tethering our mobiles-Target (January 20, 2015, 03:42 PM)
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Makes for an Interesting wrinkle, once a 2nd (inactive) gateway gets introduced (IT hits the fan). Because it will either need a gateway-less static IP scheme, or a really low priority for the wireless adapters gateway to be sure they can get out to the web. Both of which either of us could probably do blindfolded...but neither is a great time for a novice. Not to mention if it ever required them to do any troubleshooting ... Zoiks!

I think a safer way out would be to get one of the cellular broadband routers that will furnish its own centralized connection and built in wireless router that will share data with their existing plan ... Assuming their provider offers this option (many do these days). That way the objective can be achieved with less complexity than the existing system. Because then you're really just moving the modem to a central location instead of dangling it off the end of a cable.

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