Finidng the IP Address of MY Networked Printer

[Dale]

I have sucessfully installed a home network where my Win2K computer
(which is connected by a cable to a wireless router) can communicate
with a Win98 computer (connected by a wireless card) by using the same
Workgroup Name. I am using the Win98 machine as a print server to
drive a large printer that cannot fit in the same room as the Win2K
computer. I have just purchased a program called ImagePrint that
allows the use of either local or networked printers, but it requires
the IP address of the networked device. How do I find the IP address
of the networked printer? Does my type of network even assign IP
addresses to periperal devices (as I recall, I now address the printer
as: \\machinename\printername)? Would I be better off buying a
dedicated wireless print servicer (such as the ones that Belkin,
Netgear, or others sell)? Sorry for all of the questions, but I
cannot seem to work this out by myself. TIA.

Dale

 

[Ron Lowe]

I have sucessfully installed a home network where my Win2K computer
(which is connected by a cable to a wireless router) can communicate
with a Win98 computer (connected by a wireless card) by using the same
Workgroup Name. I am using the Win98 machine as a print server to
drive a large printer that cannot fit in the same room as the Win2K
computer. I have just purchased a program called ImagePrint that
allows the use of either local or networked printers, but it requires
the IP address of the networked device. How do I find the IP address
of the networked printer? Does my type of network even assign IP
addresses to periperal devices (as I recall, I now address the printer
as: \\machinename\printername)? Would I be better off buying a
dedicated wireless print servicer (such as the ones that Belkin,
Netgear, or others sell)? Sorry for all of the questions, but I
cannot seem to work this out by myself. TIA.

Dale

When a program is asking for the IP address of a network printer, it is
refering to a type of printer that is directly connected to the network
using a LAN cable. You print to these directly as an IP address, not via a
PC. These are sometimes called 'JetDirect' type printers.

From your description, that's not what you have.

You have a printer that's connected to a win98 box, which is shared across
the network.
This is sometimes called 'windows network printing' or 'SMB printing'.

Is there an option to select a 'shared printe'r or SMB printer from the app?

I presume you have set up the shared printer on the win2k box already.
In otherwords, if you go into the printers folder, the remote printer is
present?

So can you not select this within the application?

 

[Chuck]

I have sucessfully installed a home network where my Win2K computer
(which is connected by a cable to a wireless router) can communicate
with a Win98 computer (connected by a wireless card) by using the same
Workgroup Name. I am using the Win98 machine as a print server to
drive a large printer that cannot fit in the same room as the Win2K
computer. I have just purchased a program called ImagePrint that
allows the use of either local or networked printers, but it requires
the IP address of the networked device. How do I find the IP address
of the networked printer? Does my type of network even assign IP
addresses to periperal devices (as I recall, I now address the printer
as: \\machinename\printername)? Would I be better off buying a
dedicated wireless print servicer (such as the ones that Belkin,
Netgear, or others sell)? Sorry for all of the questions, but I
cannot seem to work this out by myself. TIA.

Dale

Dale,

Is the printer directly attached to the Win98 computer (print server)? If so,
then the ip address of the printer will be the ip address of the Win98 computer.
You will then address the printer as \\Win98IPAddress\printername.

If ImagePrint allows you to identify the printer as
\\Win98IPAddress\printername, then you're OK. If ImagePrint requires a straight
IP address, such as PrinterIPAddress, then you will indeed need to purchase a
print server to allow you to connect the printer directly to the network.

When connecting a printer to a wireless LAN, you will get the best performance
if you can use a wired printer server. A two way wireless connection (computer
to router, and printer to router), does not work well for print jobs.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.