Verizon USB modem and wireless printing

We purchased an HP Photosmart D110a. After trying to make it work wirelessly with our Sony Vaio laptop with Windows 7 64 bit, we called HP and were told no current HP printer will work wirelessly because we are using the USB 720 modem rather than a router. The technician said the printer needs an IP address which it cannot find with the USB modem. This confuses me as there must be an IP address with the modem or otherwise it would not function to connect us to the Internet, right? Also, our previous printer was an HP Photosmart C4500 series (4582 driver), and it did print wirelessly with the modem! I told the tech that, but it made no impression. MY QUESTION IS: there must be many of you out there who also use the Verizon aircard, what are you using for wireless printers????

We have a Brother 490cw printer - it's what we had before we started full-timing and we didn't change it...it's WAY big. It works perfect with our Verizon aircard.

Your USB720 only connects to the Verizon network. Your printer wants to connect to a private WiFi network. The two do not speak natively to one another. Here's how you remedy the issue:

Ensure you have a wireless access point (Linksys, Cradlepoint router, etc). Connect your laptop via WiFi to the access point, configure your printer to access the same access point. Once that happens, both devices are on the same network and you can print wireless.

Or, configure your laptop as a wireless access point and point your printer to your laptop.

You can't do anything between those two if you're just using the USB720 to the Verizon network.

I have a router for the printer connection and hard wire it, but its same as the WIFI printer connection, then if I am on a WIFI internet connecton I save the print as a PDF and after disconnecting from the internet connect on the printer WIFI and print the PDF File. Lately I usually print everything as a PDF and do paper print rarely.

The technician said the printer needs an IP address which it cannot find with the USB modem.

Click to expand...

The tech should have said that the printer needs to be assigned an IP address by something on the network that manages IP addresses. Your USB Modem contacts the Verizon network server to get the IP address that it needs. Within your local network environment, a router would typically do the same for your network devices. Wireless Access Point devices usually have a router function built into them. If you've ever heard the acronym "DHCP", that's what's missing in your local network.

Some newer printers have bluetooth, as do many newer laptops, allowing them to print across a bluetooth connection. Unfortunately, I don't think the D110a has bluetooth.

Griffhas,

Take a look at the HP manual for the printer in question, it provides details on how this can be done. Although it is much easier to make the connection with a wireless router as suggested in other posts ( you could also plug your Verizon USB into a Cradlepoint router )

the manual is http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02106007.pdf and you want to look at Chapter 7 pages 26-28

Kevin

I don't know about your plan but when my USB modem died yesterday, I went to verizon and got the 4G MiFi. Twenty some bucks after rebate and ten bucks a month less on my monthly bill than my old 3G USB modem. My wireless printer should be able to connect to it no problem DW and I can surf at the same time now.

Thanks everyone. Guess we need a wireless router. The old HPC4500 operated on an Ad Hoc sharing network set up especially for it. The new printer did not have any instructions about how to set up a new network or adapt the old one to it. Maybe it is not configured to work that way. The HP tech did say no current HP printers would work without a router.

We have a Kodak wireless printer and using a Verizon USB modem.. No problem.. and Ink Cartridges are a lot cheaper than HP's..