Installing a USB Printer in a Windows Vista Environment

A USB printer can be connected to the router and used as a network printer if you are using an operating system that supports printing to an Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)-based printer. Windows Vista, XP and 2000 have built-in support for this function.

Step One: Local Printer Installation

Note: If the printer has already been installed on every computer that will use it once it is on the network, skip to Step Two: Get Your Print Server Information.

Before connecting your printer to the print server, it is important to install the drivers provided by the printer manufacturer on each computer that will use the printer.

  1. Plug your USB printer into one of the USB ports on your computer.

  2. Install the printer by following the installation instructions included with your printer.

  3. Print a test page to ensure that the printer is working properly.

  4. Power off your printer.

Step Two: Get Your Print Server Information

  1. Disconnect the printer from your computer and plug the thin rectangular end of the USB cable into the USB port on the router.

  1. Connect the power supply to your printer and turn your printer on.

  2. Start a Web browser. In the location or address line type 192.168.2.1 and press ENTER.

Note: If you have modified your router's IP address, enter the new IP address instead of 192.168.2.1.

  1. When the user name and password window appears, type in the user name and the password you created. Click OK to load the router's setup page.

    Note: You are not prompted to log in the first time you connect to the router configuration pages. During the Setup Wizard procedure, you created a user name and password to log on to the router. You will need to use these whenever you log on to the router. The user name and password are case-sensitive.

  2. In the Device section of the Status page, look for the Printer status and Printer location information.

    Write down the Printer location address. You need the address to set up the printer on computers that are connected to your network that you want to have access to the printer.

Step Three: Connect Clients to the Wireless USB Print Server

Note: You must perform this procedure on each computer on your network to allow printing using the print server on the router.

  1. Click Windows Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Printers.

  2. Click Add a Printer.

  3. Choose the radio button labeled Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer. Click Next.

  4. Click The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed.

  5. Choose Select a shared printer by name, and in the URL field, enter the printer location address recorded during Step Two. Click Next.

    Note: The URL information is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as it is listed on the Printer Location section on the router's Status page. If you have modified the IP address of your router, then use your router's IP address in place of 192.168.2.1.

  6. If prompted, select the manufacturer and model of your printer and follow the on-screen instructions.

  7. Enter a name for the printer and click Next. You can choose to print a test page to verify the printer's connectivity.

  8. Click Finish to complete the setup process.

Note: If the test page fails to print, refer to I cannot print to a network printer attached to my router in Windows Vista, XP or 2000 in the Troubleshooting section of this guide for additional information.