I have an old Brother laser printer that’s been doing fine and doesn’t need to be replaced, but it only supports USB. Is there a device besides an old computer/laptop that would make it a shared wireless printer that supports windows machines well? I’m pretty sure i could come up with something myself, but i would prefer an off-the-shelf solution that handles updates and bugs without needing any attention from me.
Edit: Raspberry Pi 5 ordered!
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A lot of wifi routers have a USB port on them, connect the printer straight to the router, enjoy your wireless printer.
OpenWRT FTW.
Look for a USB print server.
Yeah I’m asking for recommendations.
Is connecting it to the router via USB an option?
No.
It’s hard to change an old brother.
Rpi 5 is overkill. You can probably do this with a Rpi zero W
I’ve never used a Pi before so I may end up using it for other things. The cost isn’t really the issue, it’s the idea of throwing out a perfectly working printer just to get network support.
My thoughts too
I used the cheapest sbc I could find at the time which was an orange pi zero to run a CUPS server
Many modern routers have this exact capability - to take a USB-only printer and serve it up over the network. Even some ISP modem/router combo units are set up to do this. Check to see if your router has any USB ports on the back.
Router and printer are in different locations.
You or someone may have an old router with usb in a closet somewhere. Many routers have repeater capability.
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I’d pick the Raspberry Pi if you can do the install. Furthermore maybe your internet router can do it. I think it’s possible with some Fritzbox models or ones that run OpenWRT. Or you pay the price for one of those dedicated adapters. I don’t know if the drivers for those are more or less haste than using a Raspberry Pi.
As others have already mentioned the better method of connecting to a router, I’ll also mention if it’s located by a Windows machine you can share the printer from the printer properties window. One other option is buying a wireless adapter for the printer itself. I have fixed old printers which used the wireless adapters and I assume they worked for a long time but were a massive pain to troubleshoot as the user manuals/drivers/documentation could no longer be found online.
