Why go wireless? That’s simple: there’s less clutter and easier to move around. Plus, you can print photos from any room in the house.
Wireless also has these key advantages:
Range: Wi-Fi has a range of around 300 feet, so you can position your printer in a central location for everyone to use. Print recipes, homework, or driving directions from any computer in the house.
Transmission rate: Wi-Fi sends data at a brisk 55 Mbps, so you can print quickly, and also send larger files, like photos, to the printer without bogging down the network.
To add a printer to your home Wi-Fi network, your printer needs to be enabled to print wirelessly (see Get connected section). Some newer printers have wireless technology built right in, so all you do is add them to the network following your computer’s prompts.
For other printers, the HP Wireless Printing Upgrade Kit, pictured here, is a quick and easy way to add wireless capabilities to your printer.
Bluetooth is a wireless standard common in many different devices—cell phones, PDAs, laptops, digital cameras, and printers. It’s the easiest way to get all your gadgets working together.
If both your computer and your printer have Bluetooth, then you simply turn them on. Typically, a window will appear on the computer and ask you to link the two devices. Once this done, you’re ready to print! You can also install a Bluetooth card to your printer to add it to a network.
Bluetooth devices work within a range of about 30 feet, so you’ll want to position your printer close to your computer for best results. Check your manual to see if your printer has Bluetooth.
Printable version
