What do I do with my laptop to make it home network wireless capable?

montecarlo87 · 06 Sep 2016

Hello everyone! I have a serious dilemma with my home networking scheme. I am stuck right now. I am rather new to the world of networking now as my devices are slowly expanding with more capabilities and the need for networking has finally arrived for me. I need your help. I just upgraded my multi-function printer to a new Brother MFC-L2700DW printer. I have a desktop computer (Windows 7) hardwired via Ethernet cable to one of my Netgear WNDR3700 router ports. I also decided to lose the USB printer cable from my old printer and go hardwired to one of the other router ports as well from this new printer to myrouter. In order for my desktop computer to use the wired networking capability, I used Brother’s DVD software to install the wired network connection (Peer-to-Peer). It worked well adding some nice additional utilities that comeswith the software as well. Now, the question: What do I use or what do I do to my Lenovo T510 laptop (Windows 7) to connect WIRELESSLY to the router so I canprint with this new printer? All Brother documentation shows either total wireless or total wired networking! I mean the setup type is total wireless between the laptop and the router and then form the router and the printer. Yes, I could do that and be totally wireless since the Brother is wired and wireless capable as with my laptop and router, but I chose not to. I could also opt for the ad-hoc option or have a connection be wireless directly between the laptop and the printer bypassing the router, but with a network in place now; it is not recommended as I have read and it can cause issues. The other option Brother indicates is to setup the networking type as TOTALLY wired – do not want to do that! I want the freedom to walk around with my laptop. So I am looking to do both setups – wirelessly between the laptop and the router and wired between the router and the new Brother printer. Brother’s DVD software offers the following connection type installations: local USB connection (not applicable to me now), wired Ethernet network connection, and wireless network connection. For me to connect wirelessly from my laptop to my router, do I use this Brother software setup again similarly like I did with my desktop… …or not now and have to do something much different in terms of printer setup on my laptop? If I am to use the Brother’s software again, what software I install on my laptop – the wired or wireless installation? Again, what do I use or what do I do to my Lenovo T510 laptop to wirelessly connect to the router so I can print with this new printer that is wired to the router? I am confused. I would need detailed steps to accomplish please since I am a novice. Please reply. Thank you!

AddRAM · 06 Sep 2016

Is the printer shared ?

Do you see it from the laptop ?

Personally, I would avoid going wireless with the new printer, I would hard wire it to the router.

But if you want to go wireless then just install the wireless software on your laptop.

All the instructions should be in the manual that came with the new printer.

montecarlo87 · 06 Sep 2016

Hello. Nice to meet you. No, my printer is not shared on my laptop right now. I only have a direct wireless connection for the internet at the moment between the laptop and the router. I am using Lenovo's Access Connections software to connect to the Internet. That is it. As I said, I need detailed steps to get this to work correctly. I am a new to networking.

To add, at the moment, the Brother printer is hardwired to the router. That is what I want too. Not go wireless between the router and the Brother printer.

***

Okay, I will give the Brother's software a try and see what happens on my laptop through a wireless connection setup. See, I thought I was out to connect to the router as the access point now and not with the printer as this is wired behind the router? As you can see I am new to networking. I will let you know after I am done what happened. Lets hope it works!

AddRAM · 06 Sep 2016

Go here and click Add a printer, let it search, and see if the new printer shows up.

When it asks you to add a usb or network printer, choose a networked printer, it might ask you for the printers ip address.

montecarlo87 · 06 Sep 2016

Hello again. Found the solution to my problem. I cannot have BOTH wireless and wired network connection at the same time from the device like my laptop to the Brother printer. Brother does not support this. It has to be one or the other (wired or wireless and if you have a wired connection setup first with a device, you cannot create a wireless network connection in your network. It has to be one or the other. You can however have a wired local USB connection with one device to the Brother printer and either a wired or wireless network connection for other devices to the Brother printer. But again, wired OR wireless in terms of networks. That is about it that one can do with this Brother printer. So I thought I would share this information with you. So the bottom line is that I am limited in networking options with this printer. So thank you all for your help! Take care!