Subject: How to connect wireless printer/dongle?
Posted by: satguru
Date: Jun 09 11
My new Kodak printer has built in wireless but my PC has not, so the shop sold me a Belkin share dongle so my PC had something to pick up the signal with and send back the data to the printer.
Unfortunately all it has is a cartoon showing you where to shove it (literally) although the icon once the DVD installed it automatically did offer a small amount of added information when clicked.
Short version, I have to both ask the printer to add a new network (possibly unnecessary as when asked it detects all the neighbour's ones with no effort as does the dongle on the PC), and set up a new network as requested on the PC with name and gave me a security key, but all both currently do is find the same protected internet networks and are blind to the machine sitting next to them in the same room. No online instructions have been able to help, someone must have set up a wireless printer already so await a saviour.
Posted by: satguru
Date: Jun 09 11
My new Kodak printer has built in wireless but my PC has not, so the shop sold me a Belkin share dongle so my PC had something to pick up the signal with and send back the data to the printer.
Unfortunately all it has is a cartoon showing you where to shove it (literally) although the icon once the DVD installed it automatically did offer a small amount of added information when clicked.
Short version, I have to both ask the printer to add a new network (possibly unnecessary as when asked it detects all the neighbour's ones with no effort as does the dongle on the PC), and set up a new network as requested on the PC with name and gave me a security key, but all both currently do is find the same protected internet networks and are blind to the machine sitting next to them in the same room. No online instructions have been able to help, someone must have set up a wireless printer already so await a saviour.
17 replies. On page 1 of 1 pages. 1
Sizzileen 
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http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Wireless-Printer-Connection Reply #1. Jun 09 11, 6:14 PM |
trojan11
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Not got 'bluetooth, Sat? Why not try just printing of a page and seeing if your PC recognizes the printer. With the dongle connected, your PC will search for a printer and display the results. I'm no expert, but hope this helps. Reply #2. Jun 09 11, 7:09 PM |
| mhenson400
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Hi Sat, do you have a wireless router? The two devices will not talk to each other without one. Reply #3. Jun 09 11, 8:48 PM |
| mhenson400
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"it detects all the neighbour's ones with no effort as does the dongle on the PC" Your devices are working properly and are detecting your neighbor's wireless routers. So, it sounds like all you need to do is pick up a wireless router. Here in the US they cost about $40. Reply #4. Jun 09 11, 9:01 PM |
romeomikegolf
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David, how do you connect to the internet? Is your computer connected to your router via a cable? If so you need to disconnect the cable and set up a wireless network. It will ask you for a Network Key. You can find this on a label on the router. You will probably get a message saying 'a network cable is unplugged'. Just ignore it. Reply #5. Jun 10 11, 1:12 AM |
| Sizzileen
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A CD probably came with the printer did you install the printing program on your computer? If you did bring it up and see instructions Reply #6. Jun 10 11, 6:34 AM |
satguru
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I asked a lot of questions before I trusted the assistant to invest in the equipment, and as I'd bought the printer from them and asked what I needed to allow it to hook up to a non-wireless enabled computer as the printer is, he showed me a selection of three dongles, the most expensive costing double the one I bought. I'm on cable, ethernet connected, and only had to use the wireless printer as I should have a) got a photo printer (the shop didn't have them so didn't know they existed) as there's no need or room for another one in this room and b) despite selling something without the need for a computer as you plug your photo memory in directly, most memory devices hold 3000 photos, the printers only read 1000 so that function wasn't possible. I am guessing from the clues here that without a router the dongle won't do a thing, in which case I should have been sold a router instead, unless of course you actually need one of each which they ought to have known. I hope that information narrows it down. Reply #7. Jun 10 11, 4:44 PM |
| satguru
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The CD installed the dongle successfully, and the instructions finally appeared when I right clicked the dongle's on screen icon. But I'll put it back in but suspect all it can do is setup.exe as does my Kodak CD I tried already. You never know though. Reply #8. Jun 10 11, 4:45 PM |
| romeomikegolf
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David, a silly question possibly, but you do have the wireless dongle connected to the printer don't you? Reply #9. Jun 11 11, 12:30 AM |
| satguru
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Oops, just remembered to return here with more updates: 1) The answer is the printer has its own dongle according to the instructions and the little light which flashes when looking for a network, and the screen tells me it can see a few so appears to be functioning. 2) My own activity seems to have stalled at the stage when Windows asks you to either transfer the data from the PC to the printer/other device on a flash drive, and although I plugged it in once the data had been put on by the PC, the printer can only read photo formats and has no facility to pick specific other data from the plug in drive. 3) The alternative given if stuck is to type the data in manually- the name and the SSID security string, which I did with no results. 4) Windows help site appears to imply the USB dongle is part of a two piece set, despite the shop telling me it was all I needed to buy to transmit my photo data etc to the printer, while Windows show a dongle plugged in the PC like mine and then relayed to the 300m range via a probably quite a lot more expensive router which no one in the shop told me I needed. Also if the dongle is plugged into the USB hole then where would the router go considering if you put two similar devices in one PC they'll simply be feeding back the same information in a circle until it explodes. I have now given up and emailed Kodak, as both the shop, Windows and most of all their own instructions both contradict each other and are woefully inadequate. I may be up for a new job as a result as if I know how to do something myself I have no trouble communicating it clearly, which is why I became a teacher. Reply #10. Jun 16 11, 11:54 AM |
| satguru
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Oh boy, the Kodak reply was worse than useless, do we all speak the same language I wonder as I thought I'd answered all their questions in the form. All they said was connect the PC to the wireless router via the ethernet cable. I'm connected via a cable modem. I had to send a reply and say if I had one of those I wouldn't have had this problem, what do I do if I'm using a dongle? I assume he'll give up after this one and tell me to pay a professional. The staff who sold me this in the first place (despite a poster saying they can instal anything) told me to call the company and more or less showed me the exit. It's not like this shop as they've always been very helpful, but I dealt with the same guy both times who got me in this mess, plus the twit who got me the wrong ink cartridges and made me go and wait half an hour to swap them. I feel I probably need a router as well as/instead of this dongle (I don't want to hack into my neighbour's connections or carry my PC around with a generator to use it in the park) and suspect it is for laptops and PCs need routers. I can see this dragging on for months as I sense refund requests ahead... Have they really sold me a pup? Reply #11. Jun 16 11, 12:11 PM |
| romeomikegolf
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David, when you say you are connected via a cable modem I assume you mean Virgin Media? If so, why not give them a call. It's their equipment afterall. Or are you still using dial up? Reply #12. Jun 16 11, 12:51 PM |
| satguru
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No, broadband. The trouble is that there seems to be a communication gap between myself and Kodak as despite no mention from me they jumped straight in and assumed I have a wireless router I can use to talk to the printer. My cable modem is years old, works perfectly well, and as it's only needed to use the PC in this room have no requirement to invest in a different one if that is the only way I can use the printer in another room- if that's the case then I'll have to return the dongle as sold in error and carry the thing in and out of the conservatory every time I need to use it which is what's happening at the moment anyway once I've finished this batch of prints. Do you think they sold me the dongle in error as it appears to be to connect laptops to the internet by wi-fi which would clearly be redundant on a PC which I did tell him I was using? Reply #13. Jun 16 11, 7:03 PM |
| satguru
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I've been sent a tutorial by Kodak (why isn't it in the instructions website list then?) and the last (not first) thing it says is in the setup check the wireless network tick box. Of course it was set up by USB, and when you go back it says 'The printer is already set up'. So far there's no apparent way to change it (there must be, people do change) but means although I appear to have been sold the wrong equipment it's going to be god's own job to change the setup when I get the right stuff. I just want to return the whole thing now, it's really not what I wanted at all. Reply #14. Jun 18 11, 9:41 AM |
| romeomikegolf
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David, why not contact your broadband supplier and get them to update the router? Tell them it's not wireless compatible and hopefully they'll send you a free one. USB wireless adaptors will work in any machine with a USB port. Most laptops have wireless built in so don't need one. I don't think you were mis-sold. The problem seems to be your router. Reply #15. Jun 18 11, 12:23 PM |
| satguru
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I can imagine Virgin offering something for nothing- the modem's about 7 years old and still working as day one, and the only router I could put in probably doesn't yet exist (maybe if not I will invent one) which connects the internet to the PC by the same ethernet cable but can still have wireless peripherals. I did have a wireless mouse once which had a dongle you put in the USB port and worked automatically without any key pressing or prayers, but as there was a large lump broken off the matching keyboard had to return the lot and they didn't have any more and gave me a refund. But it did work without anything more than a dongle which tells me something, but as a matching one was designed to fit already. I'll call Virgin though as anything could work, but if I can't get an ethernet router that'll also speak to peripherals wirelessly let me know and I won't embarrass myself... Reply #16. Jun 18 11, 7:39 PM |
| satguru
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Yep, we were all right. I was told the assistant 'Assumed I had a router already'. Like asking for a wireless setup from scratch because you don't have one implies that. I'm going for a return now as the equipment advertised simply doesn't work. Thanks for all the help, it did confirm they had sold me the wrong stuff as I worked out after about five minutes of connecting it up. Reply #17. Jun 21 11, 6:01 PM |
17 replies. On page 1 of 1 pages. 1
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