Is there a direct WiFi adapter to print from a mobile phone or laptop without involving a router ?
Ideally, connecting a WiFi dongle to a printer USB input like

I would guess there is confict for a USB-B jack. Any workaround ?

 

Recent printers have a standalone WIFI.

Also, your phone can be it’s own router if it supports a mobile hot spot and the printer should be able to connect to that.

Just ideas, have not tried either of these.

 

If the cell phone has the option to act as a WiFi hot-spot, then you should be able to print from the laptop.
Not sure if you can print from the phone though.

Why do you think there would be a USB conflict?

 

Why do you think there would be a USB conflict?

Hi. I believe USB-B jacks do not provide 5V for a RF unit to work powered by it. Once I hook it to 5V internal rail in a printer to do some experiment.


I have 6 like this. Never seen it for USB-B

 

Recent printers have a standalone WIFI.

Also, your phone can be it’s own router if it supports a mobile hot spot and the printer should be able to connect to that.

Thanks.
Well, the intention is to add to an older printer the feature of printing direct from a cell phone, not to buy a modern new printer.
No more complications please, no routers, no hotspots, no access points, no bridges, no quick modes, adhocs, peer to peer, blueteeth and what else is out there... It is sickening. Just a plain 'walkie-talkie' link for data !

 

You can connect two devices using WiFi using an ad hoc network. However this presumes that the WiFi network adapter supports that mode. This is a disadvantage of a WiFi ad hoc network. Per the article I linked to, “One major drawback of wireless ad hoc networking is that some Wi-Fi-enabled technology, including certain Android devices, wireless printers and custom IoT sensors, don't support ad hoc mode because of its limitations and will only connect to networks in infrastructure mode by default. In some cases, third-party software can be installed on endpoint devices to enable ad hoc communications.”

Ad hoc networks do not require a router, hotspot, or wireless access point. (That’s considered “infrastructure mode”) But they do require software configuration. It’s unlikely that there is the necessary software for a wireless printer.

 

Hi. I believe USB-B jacks do not provide 5V for a RF unit to work powered by it. Once I hook it to 5V internal rail in a printer to do some experiment.

View attachment 293836
I have 6 like this. Never seen it for USB-B

According the the USB spec a slave device can not power the bus. Power must be at the host end only. If your printer has OTG capabilities then it will act as a host and will be allowed to power devices connected to it. Normally (actually probably never) a printer has no use for the OTG capability and therefore will only work in slave mode... as in it needs to be connected to a computer.

 

Thanks.
In relation to the printer (slave) device conflictive jack not supplying 5V; what if internally to the printer I hook its 5V rail to the USB-B jack unused power pins and plug the Wifi antenna adapter to it ? Then its transceiver becomes energized to work, does it ?

What is the next hurdle ?
The wifi adapter is powered, the USB connection to the printer guts is made; the working host is unaltered capable of doing its WiFi linking.
In other words, creating a USB radio link jump.
What is the next hurdle ?
The radio link is presenting the host USB WiFi to the printer USB as if it was hard-wired.... or not ?

Host.internal.WiFi----------------------------radio.link--------------------------------->WiFi.to.USB.adapter----------->printer.USB.in.slave

 

I'll confess I am not up on the current printer capabilities as I only use a basic black and white printer that I have had for the last 15 years.

My instincts tell me no matter how you hack your printer it simply won't work. The printer internals would have absolutely no reason to be USB host and there is nothing you can do to make it one. It's just not possible to connect two slave devices together and have anything useful happen.

Unless your printer's manual specifies this can be done and shows the appropriate set up information it simply won't work. A host is a host and a slave is a slave and no matter what you try you won't change that.

 

What you need is a wireless print server, like this one, for example. If you don’t want to use a router, you will have to use an ad hoc network and connect the server to that. Then, when you want to print you have to make sure the network is up (on, on the phone or computer), and wait until the printer connects to it, which it should based on retries.

Alternatively, you can get a cheap wireless router that includes a print server. I know you said “no router” but this isn’t the same as having a general WiFi network. What I have in mind is to set up a network just for the printer. If you want to print, you would connect to it.

Many of the guest networks on these routers can be configured to hide clients from each other, so it could be just a way to connect to the printer with no other use possible. On the other hand, if you are going to to that, it seems allowing transfers between the phone and computer makes some sense.

I guess I don’t know the reason you are set against a router, it might help if you explain that.

 

It's my understanding that the Wi-fi Direct service is designed to offer peer-to-peer wifi connection without a supporting network.

My HP printers offer it in the setup menu.

 

It's my understanding that the Wi-fi Direct service is designed to offer peer-to-peer wifi connection without a supporting network.

My HP printers offer it in the setup menu.

Wi-fi direct is a standard and is supported by many printers that have a native WiFi interface. The odd thing is, so far as I can tell, there is no WIFi/USB print server offering it. It seems a no-brainer, but I can’t find one.

 

Thanks.
Well, the intention is to add to an older printer the feature of printing direct from a cell phone, not to buy a modern new printer.
No more complications please, no routers, no hotspots, no access points, no bridges, no quick modes, adhocs, peer to peer, blueteeth and what else is out there... It is sickening. Just a plain 'walkie-talkie' link for data !

Then you are asking for the wrong thing. Why would WIFI be used to connect to a USB interface on the printer? What you need is an OTG adapter for the phone. I use one to connect my phone to a MIDI synth. It provides USB host capability to the phone.

 

Then you are asking for the wrong thing. Why would WIFI be used to connect to a USB interface on the printer? What you need is an OTG adapter for the phone. I use one to connect my phone to a MIDI synth. It provides USB host capability to the phone.

If he want’s wireless, then that is only half the solution. He’ll also need a wireless USB extender.

 

Then a bluetooth route would be better.

 

Search for “USB over WiFi adapter” and see if any of those devices satisfy your requirements.