# Which printers can be accessed over AirPort? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150 "2010-01-23T19:29:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/1 "2010-01-23T19:29:59Z")
I have an HP C4150 printer. Unfortunately it is not compatible with AirPort. The only way I can connect to it is with a cable. I cannot print wirelessly. Which printers are available that will allow me to print wirelessly? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/2 "2010-01-23T20:32:51Z")
I use a cheap print server (A US Robotics 7500) to turn my Brother Laser printer into a networked printer - maybe you should try something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/3 "2010-01-24T05:27:51Z")
Not to make light of your problems, but I’m glad to hear that - we have never been able to get our HP printers to work over our AirPort, either. I thought it was just us not being able to figure it out properly. We always get a printer that is compatible with Macs, so we assumed it would work with AirPort, but it doesn’t. Doing a quick search, [this site](http://tech.ifelix.net/1013.html) looks like they might have the information you need. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/4 "2010-01-24T15:05:18Z")
I am not familiar with the HP C4150 printer, but Airport is a WiFi hub. As such, it doesn’t care what devices receive packets. I’m confused. A packet goes from your computer to the hub and it forwarded to the address specified in the packet. If that device is a printer and the packet contains the appropriate information, it prints. Airport doesn’t print or do anything except forward packets. Perhaps there is more to the story here than I understand? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/5 "2010-01-24T15:08:05Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > I am not familiar with the HP C4150 printer, but Airport is a WiFi hub. As such, it doesn’t care what devices receive packets. I’m confused. A packet goes from your computer to the hub and it forwarded to the address specified in the packet. If that device is a printer and the packet contains the appropriate information, it prints. Airport doesn’t print or do anything except forward packets. Perhaps there is more to the story here than I understand? Yes. The newer Airports have a USB print server built-in. Not all devices work with it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/6 "2010-01-24T15:53:27Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > I’m confused. A packet goes from your computer to the hub and it forwarded to the address specified in the packet. If that device is a printer and the packet contains the appropriate information, it prints. This is what I assumed. If it works on the computer, it should work over WiFi, right? Apparently not. **beowulff** seems to know what’s going on, but I’m not clear on why it doesn’t work the way you say (and I thought) it should. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/7 "2010-01-24T16:07:47Z")
To clarify, are you trying to use the base station’s built-in print server or share the printer using a different computer on the network? Many print server devices, including the Airport, have issues with consumer-level multifunction devices or entry level printers because the drivers expect to directly communicate with the device. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/8 "2010-01-24T16:38:51Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > To clarify, are you trying to use the base station’s built-in print server…? I was trying to print without having a cable between the computer and the printer. I know that sounds dumb, but I’m not a network person. From my end, if I connect a printer to a computer, then signals between the two will pass over the cable and data can be sent and received. If I send a signal to the AirPort, then the Airport should send the signal to the printer (and vice versa) just as if there’s a physical connection. But some printers (such as the one I have) won’t work like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/9 "2010-01-24T16:44:33Z")
Are you saying there’s no physical connection between the printer and any other device besides the power cord? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/10 "2010-01-24T16:52:38Z")
Not now. When I want to print, I take the PowerBook over to it and connect it with a USB cable. When I got the printer (a few years ago, now) I connected it via the USB to the AirPort; the idea being that the computer will talk to the AirPort, and the AirPort will talk to the printer. It didn’t work. I checked a help forum, and found out that this particular printer cannot be used over an AirPort wireless connection. (i.e., the printer is connected to the AirPort with a USB cable, and the computer is connected to the AirPort wirelessly.) I don’t print often, but sometimes it would be handy not to have to go over and connect a cable. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/11 "2010-01-24T17:23:55Z")
You can try sharing the printer on a separate computer if you have one available. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/12 "2010-01-24T17:26:56Z")
There’s an idea. I have an old iMac G3 in the smallest bedroom in case guests want to use it. But I’d have to go and start it up every time I wanted to print. Better to just buy a compatible printer. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/13 "2010-01-24T17:34:26Z")
This can get somewhat complicated. You can start here: [Macworld - News, Tips & Reviews from the Apple Experts](http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20030915050404405) And here: [http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2029719&tstart=-1](http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2029719&tstart=-1) The bottom line is: it’s probably possible to get this printer to print through the Airport print server, but it will never scan. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-printers-can-be-accessed-over-airport/526150/14 "2010-01-25T02:28:00Z")
I infer that the HP C4150 is not a network printer. The OP wants to plug the printer in to the Airport router? In that case, I certainly agree that not all printers will work. Sorry, I haven’t dealt with non-network printers in a long time. Perhaps you can plug the printer into a computer and share the printer that way?