In the past, when most homes only had one computer, a unmarried wired printer would suffice for each household. However, equally engineering science evolved, almost anybody now has a estimator in their pocket.



If y’all want to print a document from your laptop or smartphone, you have to physically connect your wired printer to your device. This is inconvenient and pretty difficult if you’re only using a smartphone.

But what if you can upgrade your electric current wired printer into a wireless one? Here, we’ll discuss a few ways you can practise it.

1. Connect Your Printer to Your Router via USB

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Rear of a router with a USB port

Image Source: Synthesis Studios/Flickr

This is the get-go matter you should consider if you want to convert your wired printer. That’s because many routers today have a USB port at the dorsum, allowing information technology to act equally a server for your dwelling house network. If your router has a USB port, it most probably acts equally a USB host, allowing all computers connected to information technology admission to the device.

For example, if you plug a USB bulldoze into the USB port, y’all can apply that as network-attached storage. So anyone connected to your Wi-Fi or LAN would be able to copy and paste files into that storage. The aforementioned goes if you attach a printer to your router. However, if you practise that, you should showtime bank check the router’southward settings to ensure that information technology’due south set to printer server mode and not equally a NAS.

If your router only has 1 USB port, that means you have to choice between using it as a impress server or storage. You can’t attach a USB hub to the port and go far utilize both every bit it volition confuse the organization.

2. Does It Have a Built-In Ethernet Port?


back of a printer with an ethernet connection

Even if your router does not have a USB port or a NAS system occupies it, you can convert your wired printer into a wireless i if information technology has a built-in Ethernet port. Y’all’ll typically detect this feature in business printer models, where many users are expected to print documents from different computers.

By using your printer’s Ethernet port and attaching it to one of the vacant LAN slots at the back of your router, yous’re effectively connecting the printer to your local network. If your router has congenital-in Wi-Fi, that means all wireless devices connected to it can observe and print from the attached network printer.


Information technology does not strictly turn your wired printer into a wireless model considering information technology still connects via a LAN cable to your router. However, the fact that you can access it wirelessly from any device connected to your Wi-Fi ways y’all can start printing on information technology without needing your smartphone or laptop to be physically continued to it.

Alternatively, you lot tin become an Ethernet to Wi-Fi adapter for your compatible printer. This adapter sends and receives information wirelessly and then pushes information technology out via the Ethernet port. You tin can utilize a brusk Ethernet cable to connect it to your printer. This effectively lets y’all place the printer anywhere you want, equally long as your home’s Wi-Fi signal covers information technology.

3. Go a Wireless Adapter From Your Printer’s Manufacturer


an old printer that needs a wireless adapter

While this is uncommon nowadays, some manufacturers used to make wireless adapters for their wired printers. This is a plug-and-play solution, where all y’all need to do is attach the dongle made for your specific printer model. This is i sure-fire solution for USB printers with no Ethernet ports.

However, since these adapters were typically for older models, you probably would accept difficulty finding make-new adapters for your printer. Before going down this route, you should check with your manufacturer to see if it’south uniform with the printer you have.

Furthermore, these products are typically much more expensive. Information technology might even be more than cost-efficient for you to purchase a brand new wireless printer instead. So before committing to this option, you should canvass around a piffling first to encounter if you lot can get a cheaper alternative.

4. Get a Defended Print Server


Samsung printer connected via print server

If you can’t find a wireless adapter specifically fabricated for your printer or observe it also expensive, you tin can opt for this selection instead. This is especially useful if your router doesn’t take a USB port or your printer doesn’t accept an Ethernet plug.

The dedicated print server attaches to your router via Ethernet and acts as a computer. Its sole purpose is to take and procedure print jobs and ship them out via USB to your printer. This is similar to the in a higher place solution but is compatible with nigh all models. Furthermore, they’re typically more affordable and fabricated by networking companies.


sharing printers in an office

If you need a wireless printer occasionally and don’t want to spend physical effort setting information technology upwards, you can share your printer using the computer it’due south connected to right now. As long as your PC and the device that wants to print are on the aforementioned network, yous can use your computer as the bridge to let the wireless device print.

The main downside with this method is that the host estimator needs to be turned on and connected. Furthermore, if you’re non familiar with the steps of setting this upwardly, or if you’re connecting unlike systems, like a Windows PC and an iPhone, you might see some complications.

Even so, this is still the best solution for those who only print rarely. And with Windows 10 and 11, setting upward this system is easier than ever earlier.

Start Press Wirelessly

Wireless printing is indeed a user-friendly feature to accept. That’s because the number of wireless gadgets that nosotros accept ways nosotros’re no longer stuck working on our computers.

For example, the latest flagship Android smartphones, iPhones, and iPads are powerful plenty to get work done. Nonetheless, yous might find it difficult to attach a USB-A printer to your USB-C mobile device.

With a wireless printer, you no longer take this upshot of port compatibility. If you already accept a wired printer, yous don’t demand to upgrade to a wireless model—pick any of the methods to a higher place and enjoy the benefits of wireless printing without replacing your device.