How to Connect Your Laptop's Wireless Card to a Wireless Printer
By Ruri Ranbe
Computers need a wireless card to communicate with other devices using Wi-Fi. Without the appropriate hardware, the PC will fail to connect to a hotspot or see other wireless devices within range. Business professionals can connect a laptop to a wireless printer using the Add a Printer wizard in Windows. The operating system will use the wireless card to pick up radio signals sent from the printer.
Confirm that Wi-Fi on the laptop is turned on. Select the Wireless Network Connection icon from the notification area, or system tray.
Choose your network from the list. Click "Connect." Confirm the wireless printer is on and connected to the network as well.
Click the Windows "Start" button and select "Devices and Printers."
Right-click inside the window and select "Add a Printer" from the context menu.
Select "Add a Network, Wireless or Bluetooth Printer." Choose the device from the list of available printers and click "Next."
Select "Install Driver," if prompted. Enter a new name for the printer, if preferred. Click "Next."
Click "Finish" to install the wireless printer to the laptop.
Tips
The steps to connect your wireless printer to the network vary depending on the make and model of the device. Newer printers can use Wi-Fi Protected Setup, for example, but older models might not support the feature.
The steps to turn on the Wi-Fi function on a laptop vary. Some models have a switch or button on the side or front to turn on or off Wi-Fi, while other PCs instead use a keyboard combination.
If the wireless printer doesn't appear, click "The Printer That I Want Isn't Listed." Select "Add a Printer Using a TCP/IP Address or Hostname" and follow the on-screen directions to install the network printer.
References
Writer Bio
Ruri Ranbe has been working as a writer since 2008. She received an A.A. in English literature from Valencia College and is completing a B.S. in computer science at the University of Central Florida. Ranbe also has more than six years of professional information-technology experience, specializing in computer architecture, operating systems, networking, server administration, virtualization and Web design.