The printer's been acting up again. When we first installed the printer, it connected wirelessly to our router, and thus to the rest of the house. Unfortunately, this was a remarkably slow, unreliable connection. In the original instructions for installation, it gave us three choices: 1) connect via USB to the computer, 2) connect via Ethernet to the computer, and 3) connect wirelessly.
The manual was incredibly poorly written (and the hardware was incredibly poorly made).
Our intent was to install this printer (the HP Photosmart C309a described earlier) in the kitchen and put it on our wireless network, and thus have everyone in the house connected to it. With this in mind, we looked at our three options.
Option 1 was unacceptable because it meant only my mom's computer would be connected to the printer. Option 2 was described as only working in a 1:1 connection (one printer connected to one computer). This was unacceptable for the same reason. Option 3 was described as the only one that could work for our situation.
The wireless connection was so slow that when any of us tried to print, we would stare blankly at the printer for 4-5 minutes, waiting for any signs of life. After this inordinate wait, the "Now Printing" alert would pop up, and it would take about a minute of actual printing to get the finished product. My mom was so dissatisfied with this performance that she wanted to commandeer the printer solely for herself, being that it would print faster over a wired connection.
To solve the problem, I plugged the printer in via Ethernet to the router, which kept it broadcasting.
This caused the printer to change IP addresses, so after re-finding it on all of our computers, printing resumed. Print speed picked up by about 200%, and happiness returned to the Eddy household.
The wireless connection was so slow that when any of us tried to print, we would stare blankly at the printer for 4-5 minutes, waiting for any signs of life. After this inordinate wait, the "Now Printing" alert would pop up, and it would take about a minute of actual printing to get the finished product. My mom was so dissatisfied with this performance that she wanted to commandeer the printer solely for herself, being that it would print faster over a wired connection.
To solve the problem, I plugged the printer in via Ethernet to the router, which kept it broadcasting.
This caused the printer to change IP addresses, so after re-finding it on all of our computers, printing resumed. Print speed picked up by about 200%, and happiness returned to the Eddy household.
I am very pleased that you have learned so much about hardware and software. Your knowledge and skills have come in very handy during some difficult and trying times. Good work, Josh!
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