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Can Wireless Printers be Hard Wired?

can wireless printers be hard wired

Wireless printers are cutting-edge technology these days. In this article, we will talk about wireless printers, wired printers, the advantages of a wireless printer, and the answer to the question, can wireless printers be hard wired?

Wireless printer

can wireless printers be hard wired

Wireless printers are a unique type of printer that works with zero requirements of wire linkage between the device you are using and your printer. You can use any device with your wireless printer, such as a tablet, smartphone, computer, etc. People also address wireless printers as wi-fi printers as they function using a wireless network to accept transmission. Wireless printers are said to be wireless, but they are not 100% wireless as their main switch still needs to be plugged in.

Wired printer

A wired printer is the opposite of a wireless printer. Usually, wired printers use a USB or Ethernet connection with cables and wires that allows the computer and printer to communicate at high speeds for data transfer. Other than USB, the users can use Bluetooth, NFC (Near-field communication), PAN (Personal area network), etc. Thus, a wired printer is a machine that does not work without a wire or cable connection. 

Can wireless printers be hard wired

Technology keeps changing, and learning how wireless printers work is one of the most complex things to understand. Can wireless printers be hard-wired? 

Yes, a wireless printer can be hard-wired. Before connecting a wireless printer to wires, you need to check if your printer provides a USB (Universal serial bus) connection port or wired Ethernet secondary connection for the computer. 

If you want to turn your wireless printer into a hard-wired printer, a wireless router is required, such as wi-fi or any other wireless network within the range for the printer to connect. The second requirement for this is the Ethernet with which the computer is connected should be part of the same LAN as the wireless network. This way that traffic can flow between the wireless and wired devices. This case is used for most typical home routers. 

Steps to convert a wireless printer to a wired one using USB cables:

can wireless printers be hard wired
  • Step 1: The first step is disconnecting the computer or whatever device you are using. 
  • Step 2: The second step is going to your computer control panel option. Select the devices and printers option. Now, simply right-click the wireless all-in-one function and press delete. 
  • Step 3: You need to plug your USB cable into your device’s USB port. To fulfill the connection between printer and device, plug the other part into the printer’s USB port. Switch on the printer when done.
  • Step 4: Some cables do not require installing the software, but some do. Without the software, the computer will not recognize your printer and print any documents sent from your device. Before installing the software, there are some conditions that your computer needs to meet. These requirements are available in your printer instructions manual.
  • Step 5: Install the software on your device only if there was no earlier installation on the device. If someone owns a canon wireless printer, the user can use the canon instruction manual to install the printer drivers onto your device. The users can easily download the printer drivers directly from the Internet.
  • Step 6: Select the USB of the device you are using and select the Next option for complete installation.
  • Step 7: After installing the printer drivers, your computer receives a pop-up text that says the printer drivers have successfully been installed. Close the window after clicking on the Done option. 
  • Step 8: You have now successfully added your printer to the devices and printers list. You can now easily send documents to your printer from your computer. Happy Printing!

Thus, USB plays a major role in converting a wireless printer into a wired one.

FAQs

1. Can wireless printers be plugged in?

Except for a power source, wireless printers do not need to be plugged into anything. Most wireless printers have this feature to be connected with cable and wires. This means you can convert wireless printers into wired ones easily.