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Wireless or USB connect, new printer
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Feb 11, 2019 08:53:17   #
CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida
 
We have an Epson All-IN-One and it has not been turned off for over a year. No problems, it's running wireless and the slight delay before it starts printing is no problem. No signal wires to worry about. The speed of the WiFi vs hardwired to the router is a non issue really. Once the print starts even the slowest WiFi signal can convey the entire document/picture in the time it takes the print head to traverse one line.
Send a picture to the printer and when it starts turn off the PC - the file is in the printer buffer in a second.

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Feb 11, 2019 08:54:14   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Better or easier? : )

I have two wireless printers, but they're connected with wires - not air. I tried once and gave up.

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Feb 11, 2019 09:41:26   #
Paulco2 Loc: Gettysburg PA
 
I have had connect problems using wireless with my printer because of interference from wireless phones and bluetooth devices, therefore I use the USB connection. Before I got tired of the interference, I saw no difference in quality between the two modes.

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Feb 11, 2019 10:30:52   #
bobchapman Loc: I currently reside in Texas
 
One printer, one PC and three laptops. The printer is with both WIFI and USB to either one PC or one laptop. The printer is also web connected so I can print from almost anywhere.

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Feb 11, 2019 11:51:48   #
BebuLamar
 
GoldwingerTX wrote:
All hard wired items works faster than with WiFi.
Check you camera, printer, laptop, desktop are anything else.
Using a RJ45 cable will improve the speed on all.


But the communication speed is not what determines printer speed.

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Feb 11, 2019 12:07:23   #
nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY
 
I second the comment about losing connection to wireless printers, and having to reboot the printer to restore its access.
I bought a used real nice wireless printer for a great price...too good to pass up. But I would much rather have had a wired port connection. Unless your printer is on a network with multiple computers needing to use it, use USB (limited only by 15-foot cable distance).

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Feb 11, 2019 12:30:02   #
RichJ207 Loc: Sammamish, WA
 
A couple times a year my computer cannot find my wirelessly-connected printer. What I discovered is that the printer was choosing to connect to a second router/modem (with its own address) that is used to boost signal in another part of the house. I check to see what address the computer and printer are each hooking up to and make the address the same. Mystery solved.

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Feb 11, 2019 12:34:23   #
via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP
 
GoldwingerTX wrote:
All hard wired items works faster than with WiFi.
Check you camera, printer, laptop, desktop are anything else.
Using a RJ45 cable will improve the speed on all.


How much faster? My printer is fairly slow although I am only printing one image at a time so it really is not a big deal. But if what you are saying would make it a lot faster, I might connect via wire.

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Feb 11, 2019 13:17:28   #
N9PVW Loc: Louisiana
 
Also remember if your on fixed data, the wireless will consume some of your data. USB will not.

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Feb 11, 2019 13:44:01   #
nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY
 
RichJ207 wrote:
A couple times a year my computer cannot find my wirelessly-connected printer. What I discovered is that the printer was choosing to connect to a second router/modem (with its own address) that is used to boost signal in another part of the house. I check to see what address the computer and printer are each hooking up to and make the address the same. Mystery solved.


A printer should not be choosing another device to connect to on its own. I have two other networked printers (wired, not wireless), and multiple computers using all the printers. The only trouble I have is the one wireless printer. Don't know if this is common. It is a Canon Pixma MG5420 inkjet.

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Feb 11, 2019 13:50:04   #
BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan
 
I love my new wireless printer! In our small house there is limited space, and my photo printer is sitting in the dining room corner while my laptop is in my living room 15 feet away. Too bad I can't load my paper wirelessly! Occasionally I have to reconnect but that is OK. I'm contemplating getting a smaller wireless to take care of the occasional document prints so I can free up some living room space.

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Feb 11, 2019 14:09:45   #
blackest Loc: Ireland
 
N9PVW wrote:
Also remember if your on fixed data, the wireless will consume some of your data. USB will not.


That's not true, as long as the computer and printer are on the same LAN (local area network) there are no data charges. The only time that might not be true is if you use google cloud print and use cellular data to transfer the print job to google and then that is forwarded to your lan.

If you are at home provided you are connecting via wifi, it doesn't add to your data usage.



The router acts as a dhcp server and you should get a fixed / reserved address for your printer and then the printer should stay at the same address. If you don't set a fixed address then if it is set to say 192.168.1.10 and then the printer is turned off, that ip address is freed up and can be taken by another device. When your printer gets turned on again it can be allocated a different address and this is why problems occur, your computer is expecting the printer at the old address.

Macs have a system called bonjour , which works pretty well and even if the printer has changed address it can still find the printer.

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Feb 11, 2019 14:41:04   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
kenArchi wrote:
Is there less of print quality wireless? Or is it better to connect USB cable?

If you have a good wireless signal in your house/office, go with it. Allows you to print from anywhere in wireless range.

There is no difference in print quality.

bwa

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Feb 11, 2019 16:01:57   #
nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY
 
blackest wrote:
That's not true, as long as the computer and printer are on the same LAN (local area network) there are no data charges. The only time that might not be true is if you use google cloud print and use cellular data to transfer the print job to google and then that is forwarded to your lan.

If you are at home provided you are connecting via wifi, it doesn't add to your data usage.



The router acts as a dhcp server and you should get a fixed / reserved address for your printer and then the printer should stay at the same address. If you don't set a fixed address then if it is set to say 192.168.1.10 and then the printer is turned off, that ip address is freed up and can be taken by another device. When your printer gets turned on again it can be allocated a different address and this is why problems occur, your computer is expecting the printer at the old address.

Macs have a system called bonjour , which works pretty well and even if the printer has changed address it can still find the printer.
That's not true, as long as the computer and print... (show quote)


A home router's DHCP server does not GIVE fixed/reserved/static IP addresses, period.
What it will do, after you configure it in the router setup, is set aside a range of IP addresses to reserve for printers (or computers). Then you give the printer an address from that range in PRINTER'S network configuration utility..
That's the only way to ensure a printer's IP address doesn't ever change

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Feb 11, 2019 16:22:16   #
kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA
 
Ok, lots of good advice.
Problem solved. My 10 year old Epson P1900 quit working. Discovered the black ink nozzle was clogged. After a few cleanings, all clear.
I am returning the new printer still in the box.
Thank you all.

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