Going wireless means you can enjoy the reason you bought your notebook to begin with—to be free and connected at
the same time.
Wireless printing is convenient for many reasons:
Mobility
You bought your notebook for a reason: to be unencumbered. A wireless home network gives you
that freedom with 300 feet of coverage. Print from anywhere in the house (or from the backyard,
for that matter). Take out the extra step of having to e-mail documents or photos from one computer
to another just to print them.
Print anywhere with your wireless-capable laptop and a home wireless network.
No wires
Free yourself. No need to bother with a tangled mess of cords trying to connect your computer
and printer.
Going wireless means you can enjoy the reason you bought your notebook to begin with—to
be free and connected at the same time.
Shared printing
No need for the whole family to fight over the same computer anymore. Every computer on your
wireless network can connect to the same printer (instead of having to be physically connected
to the printer).
With a home wireless network, several people can print to the same printer from anywhere in the house.
Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are wireless solutions, but there are two primary reasons these technologies are
different.
Range
Wi-Fi has a range of around 300 feet, so you can position your printer in a central location for
everyone to use.
Commonly, Bluetooth printing works best at a distance less than 30 feet. So, you'll want to
position your printer relatively close to your Bluetooth-enabled device.
Transmission rate
Wi-Fi sends data at a brisk 55 Mbps, so you can print quickly and send larger files, like
photos, to the printer without bogging down the network.
Bluetooth is a bit slower, but more common in portable devices, such as cell phones and
some digital cameras.
Connect your existing printer to a wireless home network
Add Wi-Fi capabilities to your printer with an easy-to-install kit.
Your wireless receiver plugs into your printer's rear USB port, while the transmitter plugs into
one of your computer's USB ports.
For printers without built-in wireless, the
HP wireless printing upgrade kit
is the ideal solution. It works with nearly all HP printers and PCs—even many non-HP printers.
And setting up this kit couldn't be easier. Step 1: Turn off the HP printer. Step 2: Use the USB cable to attach the printer adapter to the USB port on the back of your HP printer (pictured at right). Step 3: Plug in the power cord to the printer adapter. Step 4: Turn the printer on. Step 5: Insert the HP Wireless Printing Upgrade Kit software CD into your computer's drive. Step 6: Click Install and follow the onscreen instructions.
In a few easy steps, you're ready to print wirelessly!
NOTE: Currently, this product is not Mac compatible.
Add Bluetooth to your printer with a simple plug-in device like this one from HP.
With Bluetooth available on many cell phones, PDAs, laptops, and digital cameras, adding it to your
printer is the perfect printing solution for photos stored on these devices.
Setting up an HP Bluetooth adapter on the printer side is easy: simply remove the cover and plug it
into a USB port on the front of your printer.
The next step is to pair your device with your printer. Follow your device's manual for this process
(usually a couple of simple steps in itself).
The list of wireless devices is growing everyday: digital cameras, phones, PDA's, and more. Future-proof your
next purchase and be free of the mess and frustration of cords forever. Buy an HP Photosmart All-in-One with Wi-Fi
built in (some models even have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on board). Setup is simple and everyone in the house can print
wirelessly to the same printer.
Explore our Wireless All-in-One comparison chart
to find the model that's perfect for you. Here are a few of our favorites:
Make sure you understand these commonly used terms. Wireless Router: Device that connects all your network devices (Desktops, Notebooks, Printers)
and also connects them to the internet via your broadband access point. SSID: Wireless network name. Wireless routers have a default SSID which may be the same for
every router made by the manufacturer. This should be changed to something unique and meaningful to the user to
distinguish from other wireless routers in the area. Encryption: A way to protect the user's wireless network from unwelcome users. Only devices
that know the name of your wireless network can find and decode network communications. The most common types of
encryption are WEP and WPA. WEP Key: Easily cracked and not recommended unless using an older device that only supports
WEP key. WPA Passphrase: More secure and should be used whenever possible. The longer the passphrase,
the more secure the wireless network. Mac Address Filtering: It is assumed these measures will increase security, but this isn't true.
Enabling Mac address filtering and disabling broadcasting of the network name will make the setup and use of the wireless
network more difficult.
Also, did you know you can print without even using your computer? It's true, and we show you how in our
Printing photos with a memory card
article. You can also print straight from your camera phone. Check out our
Camera phone printing demo.
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
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