Setting up my Photosmart c4780

[m_longo91]

I'm going away to college this fall for the first time. I bought an HP Photosmart c4780 for my laptop. I was wondering how to create a secure Ad Hoc network for the printer so that my roommate and I can use it without having to buy a wireless router (the University is still on a wired network). I tried to set it up at home first just to see how to do it, but I was unsuccessful. Any suggestions would be useful.

[PrintDoc · Accepted solution]

To set up a peer-to-peer wireless network between your computer and your printer:

1. Reset your printer’s network settings to their factory default. (Scan > Network > Reset Network Defaults)

2. Make sure the printer’s wireless is on (blue light illuminated on the front).  (Scan > Network > Wireless)

3. Search for a local wireless network with a name “hpsetup".

4. Connect to the wireless network.  

The peer-to-peer network will not require a wireless password.

You can now install the software for your printer.  

5. When asked during the software install, select Through the Network, Network, or Wireless. 

The wording will depend on the version of software you are installing.  The software will automatically detect your printer over the network.

The printer should support up to 5 computers connected at once.

Now, you wanted a secure wireless network.  WEP is the only level of security available and, well, WEP is not at all secure.  It can be broken in about 10 minutes with freeware.

Still interested?  Are you sure you don't want to buy a cheap router and use that?  it will have the most modern security and it will not have to be connected to the Internet to work as a wireless print server.