# Wireless Printer?  Brother HL-5240

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 6, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469 "2008-11-06T16:43:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469/1 "2008-11-06T16:43:17Z")

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Is it capable of wireless-ness? If so, how do I do it? I can’t seem to dig up a straight answer online one way or the other.

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**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469/2 "2008-11-06T16:49:59Z")

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Built-in wireless capabilities? [Doesn’t look like it](http://www.brother-usa.com/Printer/modeldetail.aspx?PRODUCTID=HL5240&tab=spec). Most printers don’t have it, but it seems to becoming a more and more common feature. Still, it’s uncommon enough that if a printer can be used as a wireless print server, the manufacturer is going to make sure it’s a prominently listed feature.

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**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469/3 "2008-11-07T18:56:36Z")

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That’s what I figured as well. Is there an attachment that I can get onto it that’ll get wireless capabilities to the printer?

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**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469/4 "2008-11-07T19:00:39Z")

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Wireless Print Servers allow you to add most any printer to a wireless network. Most of the big networking manufacturers such as Netgear make them.

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**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469/5 "2008-11-08T16:23:16Z")

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> [@ticker](#):
>
> Wireless Print Servers allow you to add most any printer to a wireless network. Most of the big networking manufacturers such as Netgear make them.

Interesting. I had never heard of those. So, I just get the wireless server (they appear pretty damned cheap, too) and plug it in and I can print whatever I want to it. Hm. I think I may definitely have to explore this.

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-printer-brother-hl-5240/471469/6 "2008-11-08T16:59:57Z")

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I’ve installed some of their 2170 wireless printers.