Ad-Hoc WiFi printing.

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Ad-Hoc WiFi printing.

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Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 11:34 am Post subject: Ad-Hoc WiFi printing.

I bought a wireless printer this week, naively expecting to be able to connect to it with the wireless on the computer, but the instructions say that you can't: you connect the printer to the wifi router and do it that way.

But I am not convinced that that is entirely correct. Surely wireless data is wireless data, what has a router got that a PC hasn't?
Can the PC not be persuaded to pretend to be a router and convince the printer to connect to it?

welsh veg grower

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 2030
Location: here today but tomorrow...

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 11:49 am Post subject:
Mine has to be connected to the network, does mean everyone with a wireless pc, laptop etc can send things to print. If the router is playing up I have to use an old fashioned cable to print

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 1:51 pm Post subject:
Yup, wireless printer = printer or internet, you need a network printer, connected to your router by Ethernet cable, to do both.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 2:00 pm Post subject:
A wifi network is a whole radio infrastructure of signalling and security. The wifi router creates this infrastructure. All a PC (or printer, or smart phone) does is join and participate in this infrastructure. None of them can create it themselves, and you need the wifi router for that. A.

lettucewoman

Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 7834
Location: Tiptoe in the Forest!!

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 2:29 pm Post subject:

12Bore wrote:

Yup, wireless printer = printer or internet, you need a network printer, connected to your router by Ethernet cable, to do both.

I dont...I connected my printer to my laptop via the disc and the wireless setup instructions...no cables at all...

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 2:40 pm Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

A wifi network is a whole radio infrastructure of signalling and security. The wifi router creates this infrastructure. All a PC (or printer, or smart phone) does is join and participate in this infrastructure. None of them can create it themselves, and you need the wifi router for that.
A.

If that were true, then you would not be able to connect two PCs directly by WiFi.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 12 2:46 pm Post subject:
That's called ad-hoc wifi. I don't think ad-hoc and conventional wifi can co-exist, but might be wrong. If not, then you still need to connect your printer to your wifi router so the PC can see it and the outside world. A. ETA Participating ad-hoc devices need to support ad-hoc wifi - maybe your printer can't.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 12 9:43 am Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

That's called ad-hoc wifi.

But you knew that already. Must pay more attention to the thread title

Fixed it?
A.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 12 9:46 am Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

ETA Participating ad-hoc devices need to support ad-hoc wifi - maybe your printer can't.

The instructions say it can't. No mention of that fact outside of the box though.

If I hadn't chosen the printer for the fact that it was the cheapest one that ticked the relevant boxes, I might be a bit annoyed about that.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 12 9:59 am Post subject:
Sympathies. IMHO you're best connecting to your router anyway - ad-hoc wifi isn't proper wifi and isn't nearly as secure as proper wifi. A.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 12 10:08 am Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

Sympathies.

I've not given up yet. Just put the thought on a back burner.

Quote:

IMHO you're best connecting to your router anyway - ad-hoc wifi isn't proper wifi and isn't nearly as secure as proper wifi.

For most of what I am printing I am not too worried about security.
Is anyone anywhere interested in my amended application to the Court of Appeal?
Even I am not.

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