Print Device Connectivity

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USB Print Device Connectivity

• To install a printer with USB connectivity
  • connect the device plug (Type B connector) to the printer’s USB port and the Type A host plug to computer
  • OS will detect the printer using Plug and Play and install the driver automatically
  • confirm that the printer is successfully installed and print a test page using the driver or OS utility

Ethernet Print Device Connectivity

• Most printers are fitted with an Ethernet network adapter and RJ45 port
• can be configured to obtain an IP configuration from a DHCP server or be manually configured
  • print device’s IP can be registered as a host record on a DNS server
    • facilitate client connections via a FQDN
• Most printers can locally configure the printer’s network settings
  • suitable for small office environments with few printers
  • useful in troubleshooting when printer is offline
• vendor will usually supply a web-based utility to discover and manage its printers
• printer communicates with computers over one or more TCP or UDP network ports
  • If cannot connect, verify that ports aren’t blocked by firewall

Wireless Print Device Connectivity

• Two wireless interfaces: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
  • to connect from Windows client via Bluetooth:
    • use printer control panel to make discoverable
    • add device from Windows’ Bluetooth page
  • connect via Wi-Fi in 2 ways:
    • infrastructure mode
      • Connect the print device to an access point to make it available to clients on the network via an IP address or FQDN
      • printer’s wireless adapter must support an 802.11 standard available on the access point
    • Wi-Fi Direct
      • Configure a software-implemented access point on the print device to facilitate connections to client devices