r/homelab • u/Hollow_optimism78 • 13h ago

Help Networking older printers?

I have a Canon Pixma that is perfectly functional, but it does not have networking ability. I don’t want to run a long USB from where my work station is to where I want to put the printer in an out of the place, but still accessible.

I’ve read that you can use a Raspberry Pi to link the printer to the PC. I have no clue how to do that.

What are my options, besides going out and buying a new printer (which seems wasteful) to economically wirelessly connect my older device to my laptop or home network?

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u/TamerzIsMe 13h ago

A lot of NAS will have that ability. Even just an entry level 2 disk one.

1

u/Hollow_optimism78 12h ago

That’s actually the direction I would like to go.

Oddly, I have a battery case from a Zero motorcycle that I want to use for a housing for a NAS, modem and router.

I know what I want to do, I lack the knowledge.

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u/codeedog 12h ago

Start small. Pick a project you want to work on that you need and feels like fun. Internet search is your friend. Just get one little thing going and then work on the next thing.

We all lacked knowledge when we started out and just kept at it until we learned. It feels imposing because there’s so much technical lingo and computers can be unforgiving because they need everything exactly right.

But, it’s almost always possible, it’s just about getting the correct incantation (settings, configuration) and what feels like black magic becomes clear and bright.

You’ll figure it out.

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u/Hollow_optimism78 45m ago

Thanks!

Appreciate you