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When I set my network up, I am wondering if a wireless connection to my single printer is faster or slower (or better or worse) than a hardwired connection to one of my three computers?? My printer has built-in wireless-g, but is already cabled (USB) to one of the desktops. Suggestions?
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I would go wireless. Each computer then can print without having to have the one computer that it 's plugged into up and running. It also will not slow down the hosting computer when you print. In my experience it also prints faster and if one of the computers is a VISTA computer the VISTA computer will print more reliably wireless than through another computer. As a last reason, if you have a smart phone with WiFi you may be able to print to the wireless printer too.
Bill
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Y'all better start buying your sandbags for when this rain gets to you.... -
If it's got the wireless networking built in, I'd go ahead and use it. It may be able to use both connections, but even if it can't I don't think you'd really notice an issue between the communication speed.Comment
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As far as speed goes, if the machine you are printing from is also wireless, having the printer be wireless too won't matter all that much. I also very highly doubt the printer can print faster than the network can send data, so again, speeds probably are not relevant.
If you can get to the printer directly via the network then:
1. Don't need the desktop to be turned on when you want to print
2. Don't necessarily need an OS that supports the printer on said desktop.
Our Lexmark all-in-one requires it to be attached to a Windows PC, won't work hung off my router/print server. But for that I'd have the home desktop running Linux with a Windows VM for the few Windows things I do.David
The chief cause of failure in this life is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment.Comment
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at the physical level, your printer is probably much slower than either the streaming rates for wireless-g connection (up to 54 Mb/sec) or USB-2.0 (100 Mb/sec); using either one will keep the buffers in the printer full for larger print jobs.
Most modern ink jet and laser printers are really raster printers and have to receive the entire page of data and rasterize it (into rows of dots and spaces) before it can start to move the paper. In that case, for short jobs less than a page, the USB might be slightly faster in loading the first page down (part of the initial delay before the paper moves), after that the print speed becomes the bottleneck.Last edited by LCHIEN; 06-02-2010, 03:47 PM.
Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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Another reason to go wireless to the printer; I have a small HP portable printer here in the shop but when my SWMBO decided she wanted to be able to print from her laptop I was also able to print from the shop as well.
Now it just sets in a drawer under the spindle sander and I don't have to worry about keeping ink and paper in the shop.
I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.Comment
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According to LOML, our network is set up wireless. She said a wireless connection would likely be undetectably slower than wired. IOW, we don't notice a difference.
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I can send jobs to the wired print server and my laser printer, from my wireless netbook (what I am on now). However (at least the one experience I have had), when there is a problem (printer runs out of paper), only the wired network connection, gets the ready info and will print again. (I have to plug in the netbook to the network to clear it)
This shouldn't be an issue if your printer is already wireless.She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.Comment
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Wireless is as wireless does
Go wireless. Assuming you use 802.11g or n, it's extremely unlikely any consumer-grade printer would outrun the wireless. Also, cabling (for example via USB) to a PC requires that the PC and the printer be on-line. When I buy a new printer (not soon, my 10+ year old Canon is still going strong), I'll be doing that as well.
Also, the PS3 supports wireless natively, and the Wii has wireless adapters available (hey, it's not just my kids who play), so whole-house wireless is useful in other ways.
My house also has wired gigabit ethernet throughout, but it's not for printing -- I R an IT guy, and it was done before the "g" protocol was even popular. If 802.11n had been popular, I would probably have skipped the wiring almost entirely.Comment
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