Printer cable to computer or USB to modem?

Markg2 · Nov 27, 2022

Win 11 Home, Version 21H2, OS build 22000.97800

Brother printer replacing HP. Wireless with 4 computers. CenturyLink DSL modem & Google MESH base all in the same room.

Persistent wireless problems with the HP 8740 (the HP 8710 just fine).

I want to protect against the Brother losing wireless connection at the worst moment so I'm going to connect the Brother with cable just to be sure.

I've got a choice. Run a printer cable from the Brother to the primary, desktop computer or connect the Brother with a USB ethernet to the modem.

Is there an obvious preference, aside from the Brother then being device on the home network, between the two wired (in addition to wireless) connections?

Mark

Berton · Nov 27, 2022

Using a USB to Ethernet adapter? Haven't tried it except for a Notebook with a failed wireless adapter. I have an HP LaserJet Pro and an HP OfficeJet Pro connected directly to my Wireless Router via Ethernet cable. Any computer I install the printers on can use them whether Wired or Wireless/Wi-Fi. Most times Win10, Win11 and Linux pick them up automatically for the basics, even Windows Fax and Scan. There are printers that have Wireless Direct and I've only had to set up one client with 2 computers to use it.

jimbo45 · Nov 27, 2022

Markg2 said:
Win 11 Home, Version 21H2, OS build 22000.97800

Brother printer replacing HP. Wireless with 4 computers. CenturyLink DSL modem & Google MESH base all in the same room.

Persistent wireless problems with the HP 8740 (the HP 8710 just fine).

I want to protect against the Brother losing wireless connection at the worst moment so I'm going to connect the Brother with cable just to be sure.

I've got a choice. Run a printer cable from the Brother to the primary, desktop computer or connect the Brother with a USB ethernet to the modem.

Is there an obvious preference, aside from the Brother then being device on the home network, between the two wired (in addition to wireless) connections?

Mark

Hi there

another solution - but it means at least 1 machine needs to be on while printer is attached is to connect the printer to 1 machine and then share the printer. That will normally work -- but the disadvantage again is that if the computer hosting the printer is disconnected the printer will become unavailable to the rest of the network.

Change names etc to reflect current OS's.

Here's basically an OLD (really old) OLD post I made with XP and W7 on sharing a printer across a network when printer attached to a physical computer

(Networking from Printer attached to Win XP PC to Win 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums)

still works today.

....Old Old post from me on W7 Forums ---- as above link.

I've posted on this before but to share Printers attached to XP computers with either X-64 or X-32 versions of W7 is SIMPLE. These instructions are for the Printer attached to the XP machine (but works in reverse as well).

("Stand alone" Network printers can be done slightly similarly BTW).

assume the computers are call XPMACHINE and W7MACHINE.

1) Ensure Printer on XP machine is shared - assume it's called SHAREDPRINTER.

2) On the Network Browsing on your W7 machine ensure you can "See" the Printer share.

Now on the W7 machine do the following (doesn't matter if it's X-86 or x-64).

3) Control Panel==> add LOCAL (Yes LOCAL) printer. I know it's on a Network but hold your horses -- what we are actually doing is "Poodlefaking" the W7 machine into thinking it's running the printer.

4) Create NEW port==>Local port

5) Portname is \\XPMACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER

6) Now W7 will load a driver and you'll be able to print on the XP machine.

Simple

(For a "Network stand alone printer") at 4) chose TCPIP port
and at 5) enter the IP address.

If the printer is on the W7 machine and you want to print on the XP machine then do the same instructions on the XP machine --
port name in this case will be \\W7MACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER

Cheers
jimbo

Markg2 · Nov 27, 2022

Thanks but needing the one computer on is a deal killer - Mr. Murphy vs. my wife.

Just to be certain, I run the Ethernet cable from the computer to one of the open, yellow Ethernet ports in the image?

Mark

Berton · Nov 27, 2022

bobkn · Nov 27, 2022

I have a couple of Brother laser printers connected via Ethernet to my gateway, which is Motorola MT8733. (That serves as a modem, wireless router, and VoIP device.) The Ethernet connections aren't via USB adapters. You Brother printer has no Ethernet port? What model is it?

I can access the printers from devices on the wireless network. No PC need to remain active.

MisterEd · Nov 27, 2022

I used to connect my printers using a USB cable to my main desktop computer. I am glad I am now using a wireless connection for the printer because sometime I would forget to turn that computer on. Note that even this does not work sometimes because I still have to remember to turn the printer on.

BTW, my printer can also be hooked up with either a USB or Ethernet cable but wireless works so well I figure why bother.

johnlgalt · Nov 28, 2022

As @bobkn states, It's not USB - it is Ethernet.

The good thing about this method is that all computers (and other devices, frankly, that have access to your network) can print at any time to the printer. I've used this method with an older HP LaserJet as well as 3 Brother Laser printers, 2 of which are AIO type devices.

Go with the wired network, skip the wireless. You'll be much happier in the long run.

Some advice:

Make sure to use a static IP address (either directly on the device, or else statically assigned from your Google Mesh via the app on your mobile device).
Remove all instances of the drivers for the printer that you're taking out of the equation
Remove any instances of the drivers for the replacement printer and start the installation from scratch after using the wired Ethernet connection. With Windows 11 trying to auto-manage your devices, if there ever comes a time that it cannot find the wired printer, it may decide to do something stupid and try to use an older printer that is no longer there, and will gum up the print queue something fierce sometimes.
With the new drivers for the Brother printer, you can use either the driver only package, or else the full driver package, both available from Brother's website. Be sure to follow the instructions during the installation to get a good setup.

HTH

SlicEnDicE · Nov 28, 2022

If all these printers are network capable and close to each other, I would assume they all have a LAN port.
If this is the case, I would connect all the printers over LAN to a small network switch. and then connect the switch to your router. And then completely disable Wireless for the printers. All printing traffic would go through the router, and you would decrease WiFi interference by a huge factor at your home.

SlicEnDicE · Nov 28, 2022

Also another note: Since you have a DSL Router and a Google Mesh in same room. Make sure each of the wireless Access Point devices are locked to separate WiFi channels. If all the APs are on same or parallel channels, they will all interfere with each other, and you get a lot of dropouts. Same happens if you let the APs automatically adjust the channels. The channels will eventually overlap and you get dropouts.

Markg2 · Dec 1, 2022

Bobkn--

It's a Model: MFCJ5855DW. It has an Ethernet port. I connected a cable from the printer port to the CL modem. No matter what I tried during setup, it could not find the printer. That's when I threw the towel in and connected each computer separately using WiFi.

johnlgalt--

All your suggestions 1-4 were in effect.

End of Story--

I've used HP printers for at least 30 years. This Brother printer prints, copies and scans quicker than even the 8740.

More importantly, setting up with WiFi was simple and straightforward. Everything that the instructions said to do worked.

And then there's scanning. Oh boy what a relief. Whereas, as far as I'm concerned, HP engineers must sit up at night trying to out do each other making the scan install a 'process'. The Brother's scan app doesn't try and sell you ink or supplies, isn't cluttered with useless garbage and makes scanning a straight forward process. Just like HP's ScanEtended used to be but is not (for Win11) wrapped up in HP Smart.

Mark

MisterEd · Dec 1, 2022

Markg2 said:
I've used HP printers for at least 30 years. This Brother printer prints, copies and scans quicker than even the 8740.

More importantly, setting up with WiFi was simple and straightforward. Everything that the instructions said to do worked.

And then there's scanning. Oh boy what a relief. Whereas, as far as I'm concerned, HP engineers must sit up at night trying to out do each other making the scan install a 'process'. The Brother's scan app doesn't try and sell you ink or supplies, isn't cluttered with useless garbage and makes scanning a straight forward process. Just like HP's ScanEtended used to be but is not (for Win11) wrapped up in HP Smart.

Mark

I agree that HP tried hard to get you to sign up for an ink subscription. I don't have that problem anymore because I simply don't install the HP Smart app like they want me to. Instead, I install the Basic Driver. They label it for "Professional Use only". That is an insult because it really means it is only for people that are smart enough to ignore their BS. BTW, at the end of the basic driver installation HP tries one last time to get you to install the HP Smart app. You are then forced to abort the process to avoid that. That is OK because the driver installation has already finished.

I just checked and see that the HP Smart app has somehow been installed. That is OK because I never use it anyways.

HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 All-in-One Printer Software.jpg

Markg2 · Dec 1, 2022

Interesting. But... as they say, I have so had it with the company. I'm delighted to have now donated the machine to others and now have a Brother that is indeed brotherly

.

stormy13 · Dec 1, 2022

Another nice thing about Brother printers is you can access a maintenance/settings page from any browser by entering the printers local IP address into any browser,

Printer cable to computer or USB to modem?

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