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+--- Thread: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question (/showthread.php?tid=142525)
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - GGD - 10-07-2012
graylocks wrote:
[quote=testcase]
I have inadvertently printed wirelessly to someone else's printer. I can only imagine the possibility for abuse in a dorm setting. Can the model you're considering be locked down by printing to only approved MAC addresses?
on advice of the forumistas, i'm pulling the trigger on the Brother Wireless model.
Did you really mean Wireless, or the $59 model you mentioned that is NOT Wireless?
Is his computer a laptop? Printing is infrequent enough that they can easily be moved closer to the printer to connect via USB when needed. You can also get fairly long USB cables (and I think that printer does not include a USB cable).
Our first two kids had Epson ink jets and were buying ink frequently. The last kid got a refurb Brother HL-2040 that I paid $59. The toner lasted through graduation. I think the refurbs came with a slightly used full cartridge rather than a brand new Starter cartridge.
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - graylocks - 10-07-2012
GGD wrote:
Did you really mean Wireless, or the $59 model you mentioned that is NOT Wireless?
Is his computer a laptop? Printing is infrequent enough that they can easily be moved closer to the printer to connect via USB when needed. You can also get fairly long USB cables (and I think that printer does not include a USB cable).
Our first two kids had Epson ink jets and were buying ink frequently. The last kid got a refurb Brother HL-2040 that I paid $59. The toner lasted through graduation. I think the refurbs came with a slightly used full cartridge rather than a brand new Starter cartridge.
oops, i meant the Brother NOT wired is what i just bought. trying to do too much this morning. yes, he does have a laptop so he can move the computer to where ever the printer is. although he's printing more than he thought i wouldn't be surprised if the starter cart lasted a couple of years.
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - GGD - 10-07-2012
graylocks wrote:
oops, i meant the Brother NOT wired is what i just bought. trying to do too much this morning.
NOT wired = Wireless, still doing too much this morning
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - Mike Sellers - 10-07-2012
I got my girls wireless HP printers but their schools forbid wireless printer connections so they just connect via USB.
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - graylocks - 10-07-2012
GGD wrote:
[quote=graylocks]
oops, i meant the Brother NOT wired is what i just bought. trying to do too much this morning.
NOT wired = Wireless, still doing too much this morning
duh. ok. i purchased the Brother printer that requires a USB cable connection to a computer. now excuse me, i think a third cup of coffee is required for me at this point...
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - wolfcry911 - 10-07-2012
I just went through the same for my daughter; only to find out, as Mike Sellers stated, that the school forbids connecting wireless printers to their network.
I was wondering if one could use an Apple Airport Express to set up a mini network to use to print to the printer wirelessly (for use by multiple people in the vicinity).
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - JoeH - 10-07-2012
space-time wrote:
does he really need a printer in his room?
I don't know how things are these days, but when I was a grad student about 15 years ago, all students (grads and undergrads) had a printing quota of several thousands pages and there were hundreds of printers throughout the campus, I never had to worry about finding a printer to print my homework.
You had a generous school. The college at the university where I used to work tried the large limit approach for a couple years, after the cost of printing over a million pages a years was totaled up they imposed limits. Undergrads got a couple hundred pages a semester as part of their computing fee, grads twice that. Additional pages were purchasable at $5 per hundred.
That was just the one college, the limit for accounts through the campus wide IT is 100 pages by adding a $5 credit to the debit card function of student ID cards. After that it is 5 cents a page. Where I work I can see the lineup at the printers every day, especially just before the next class period is scheduled.
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - JoeH - 10-07-2012
wolfcry911 wrote:
I just went through the same for my daughter; only to find out, as Mike Sellers stated, that the school forbids connecting wireless printers to their network.
I was wondering if one could use an Apple Airport Express to set up a mini network to use to print to the printer wirelessly (for use by multiple people in the vicinity).
The school probably also has restrictions on setting up your own wireless network. I know we do here to keep from interfering with the campus wireless. That is important as that is the only type of connection available in most dorms.
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - GGD - 10-07-2012
wolfcry911 wrote:
I just went through the same for my daughter; only to find out, as Mike Sellers stated, that the school forbids connecting wireless printers to their network.
I've never experimented with this, but at least Brother wireless printers also support Ad-Hoc mode, where the WiFi connection is directly from the computer to the printer, and the printer is not on LAN, so one would think the school IT people would be OK with that.
I don't know how this complicated things from the computer side, if it requires switching WiFi networks whenever you want to print.
Re: Wireless Printer in a dorm room question - onthedownlow - 10-07-2012
I seriously doubt the institution will allow the printer to function on its wireless network. You might ask, but I would be almost certain they will say 'no', per policy.
It is very beneficial to have a printer (especially a laser) in your dorm room. If he is anything like I was (and I would assume most), he'll be doing his assignments/projects at all hours of the day/night and the ability to print out that large report in the wee late (or early) hours of the morning before it is due, would be advantageous.
Also, as said, many schools now charge per printing (or have a printing quota that is free and then charge after that - I've seen them at like 100-200 pages/week and then $0.10/page after that).