Advice needed on making HP LaserJet 5P Wireless

[John]

I would like to move my HP LaserJet 5P printer about 15-20 feet away
from my home PC and cannot use cable. I have no networking setup now.
It looks like I could put a parallel to USB cable on the printer and
connect to Linksys WPS Printer Server, with a Linksys router on my PC
running Windows XP Pro. Any thoughts on how well this would work?
The printer is used for only 5-10 printed pages during a work day.
Please answer in group only.

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

I would like to move my HP LaserJet 5P printer about 15-20 feet away
from my home PC and cannot use cable. I have no networking setup now.
It looks like I could put a parallel to USB cable on the printer and
connect to Linksys WPS Printer Server, with a Linksys router on my PC
running Windows XP Pro. Any thoughts on how well this would work?
The printer is used for only 5-10 printed pages during a work day.
Please answer in group only.

A parallel to USB converter requires that the printer be hooked up
directly to Windows, as the converter 'gives Windows a parallel port'
through software emulation, it does not 'change the printer to USB',
and will not work the way you've mentioned.

When you say you cannot use cable, does that mean that you flat out
cannot use it due to walls, etc, or simply that you don't have a
router/switch/etc and don't think that you could use a standard print
server? If it's the second reason, I believe you can directly connect
the printer to a print server (I believe Office Depot still carries a
D-Link print server that has two parallel and one USB connection)
without the need for a router, using a crossover cable. If not, you
would need to find a wireless print server that has a parallel port. I
think HP might even carry something specifically designed to make
older printers wireless. Or you could get a wireless router and a
wired print server with a parallel port, and put them both by the
printer, but you would also need a wireless card for your desktop.

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[John]

A parallel to USB converter requires that the printer be hooked up
directly to Windows, as the converter 'gives Windows a parallel port'
through software emulation, it does not 'change the printer to USB',
and will not work the way you've mentioned.

When you say you cannot use cable, does that mean that you flat out
cannot use it due to walls, etc, or simply that you don't have a
router/switch/etc and don't think that you could use a standard print
server?

The cabling is very undesirable.

If it's the second reason, I believe you can directly connect
the printer to a print server (I believe Office Depot still carries a
D-Link print server that has two parallel and one USB connection)
without the need for a router, using a crossover cable. If not, you
would need to find a wireless print server that has a parallel port. I
think HP might even carry something specifically designed to make
older printers wireless. Or you could get a wireless router and a
wired print server with a parallel port, and put them both by the
printer, but you would also need a wireless card for your desktop.

I think I will just get a print server with a parallel connector and a
router for the PC, seems the simplist way.
thanks.