How to Connect Printer to Wi-Fi Router

How to Connect Printer to Wi-Fi Router – Getting Started

Many printers these days have added a handy feature – wireless printing. Wireless printing allows you to print for either a computer or wireless device connected to your wireless router.

This enables offices and institutions to print without using wires from your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Connecting your printer to Wi-Fi router allows you to print your work without leaving the room.

You don’t have to be in the same room or same building to print from a wireless printer. With this built-in feature, you can work wirelessly by simply connecting to a router.

However, to start printing, you need first to connect your printer to your Wi-Fi network.

A wired printer is easy to connect since all you need to do is pick the cable and plug one end into the printer and the other to your network or computer.

With a wireless printer, though the process appears smooth, it can still be more complicated than simply plugging a cable.

There is more than one type of wireless printing. A printer that offers Infrared connections and Bluetooth-enabled printers are also wireless printers.

In this case, however, we are talking about Wi-Fi printers.

Before connecting your printer to a wireless router, you must ensure that your wireless printer supports WPS push button mode, and the router also has a button.

When connecting the printer to the router using WPS, you won’t need a computer.

Setting Up a Wireless Printer

The very first step is connecting your printer to your Wi-Fi network. This allows any device on your wireless network to print to the printer, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Start by placing your printer within the range of your wireless router.

Switch on the printer to enable connection to the Wi-Fi from the printer rather than connecting the printer to a desktop or laptop.

The next step requires you to connect your printer to the Wi-Fi router.

Though this process may vary depending on your printer’s model and make, you should know the Wi-Fi network name and password for methods that follow after.

This will make the printer available for use as a wireless printer. All you need to make sure is that the printer is connected to any devices that would need to use the printer wirelessly.

To make sure you have set up the wireless printer connection correctly, test by opening a document or file on your laptop or mobile device the select “Print.”

Then select the printer un the printer list.

You should restart the printer if the name doesn’t appear on the list. Select “print” or “ok,” and the file or document should include the printer after a short delay.

For printers featuring the wireless button, press and hold the button for about 3 seconds until the light starts blinking.

When the connection process begins, press and hold the WPS button on the Wi-Fi router or modem, and the WPS will also begin to blinking.

After 2-3 minutes, the printer should be connected to the router.

For printers that lack a wireless button but has a control panel, go to ‘Wireless Setting’ or ‘Network setting’ on the menu and open the ‘Wi-Fi Protected Setup’ and use the pin option if you know the Wi-Fi password or tap on the ‘Push Button’ then press ‘Start.’

This will start the connection process, after which you should press and hold the WPS button on the router to connect the printer to the Wi-Fi router.

When you connect your printer to the Wi-Fi router, you should install the software on your laptop, computer, or mobile device to start wireless printing.

How to Print Wirelessly from Your Mobile Devices

With the printer connected to the router, you set up the devices you prefer to print from.

When printing wirelessly from your laptop or computer, add the printer on the device printer list and add it to Windows or Mac.

When printing from Android mobile devices, go to the Default Printing Service Settings page to successfully add the printer and print files or documents from any app on your android device that supports printing, like Google Chrome.

When using iOS mobile devices, if the printer supports AirPrint, use it or use a printing app if it doesn’t.

Apps like Printopia and HandyPrint will come in handy in helping the computer receive data from AirPrint and send it to the wireless printer.

In Conclusion

Once you connect your printer to your wireless router, you can print from your mobile devices without connecting any cables between your devices and your printer.