Networked Printers and Speakers with AirPort WiFi
Home networks continue to become easier to set up and more powerful once running. Last spring I wrote about using a Drobo Robotic Disk Array and AirPort Extreme for archiving files over a WiFi network. I've also documented my network printing setup in my studio. Since then, I've relocated my photography studio to a two-story townhouse, and basically had to start all over again. But that's OK, because in this latest installment of WiFi wonderfulness, I've incorporated audio into the equation.
The Goal: To Have Printing and Music Throughout the Premises
I have one work area downstairs, and a recording studio upstairs. I get lots of exercise jogging up and down the steps between the two work areas. I wanted printing capability and access to my iTunes library in both spaces. Plus, since my printers are so big (all print up to 13"x19"), I needed to spread them around the studio so I didn't end up with a wall of printers in one room.
I was also tired of having one type of music system in one room, and another in the next. I have my entire iTunes library on an external hard drive connected to my main computer. So why not just pipe the tunes where I need them?
Required Equipment
My equipment list looks fairly extensive, but remember, I rarely get rid of something that still works. Instead, I just find a way to incorporate it into my workflow. Much of this older equipment is now serving me in this network configuration.
- HP B8350 document printer downstairs networked via and AirPort Extreme 802.11g access point. I use this for plain paper printing and color layout comps. (Sunleaf2)
- Epson R2400 photo printer upstairs networked via an AirPort Express 802.11n access point. I also have a compact Sony SRS-T77 4 watt speaker system plugged into the Express for piped in music. (Sunleaf 3)
- HP Photosmart A626 compact printer plugged into my main WiFi access point, an AirPort Extreme 802.11n. The cable modem is plugged into this AirPort. (Sunleaf1)
- HP B8850 Fine Art printer plugged directly into the main computer via USB 2.0
- Various hard drives and a Drobo connected to MacBook Pro 17" with 4 GBs Ram and a Cinema Display.
When I open up my AirPort Utility, I see this (the top illustration).
Sunleaf1 is connected to the cable modem and creates the WiFi network. Sunleaf2 and Sunleaf 3 are set in "Join a wireless network" mode and serve as printing and music nodes. The network is encrypted with WPA/WPA2 Personal security. I administer the network (including initial set up) with the AirPort Utility included with Mac OS X 10.5.6.
Setting Up the Printers
Once the network was up and running, I added the printers by plugging them into the USB port on each of the AirPort access points, turning them on, then configuring via the Print & Fax pane in System Preferences. Each printer was added by clicking on the "+" button and choosing it from the list of Bonjour devices. Keep in mind that you have to have the printer driver software loaded on your computer for proper configuration. I also like to create a descriptive title, such as "HP A620 WiFi" so I can tell the networked printers from those plugged directly into a USB port on the computer.
Once all the printers are connected and configured, I can send a print job to any one of them from any computer that has access to the network.
Adding Music to the Environment
iTunes makes this next step very easy. My entire music library is on an external drive connected to the main computer. I have speakers connected to Sunleaf 3 upstairs (the Sony SRS-T77), and directly to the Mac downstairs (Logitech Z-10). I open iTunes, choose Multiple Speakers from the speakers popup menu, and hit the play button. Music is streamed to every connected set of speakers.
If I'm upstairs working and I want to adjust the volume or change the track, I use the free "Remote" application for my iPhone. Plus, the iPhone displays the album cover and metadata for the song in case I forget who the artist is or the album it's from. The iPhone Remote was really the missing piece of the equation. Without it, I did have music streaming throughout the studio, but no way to control it unless I went back to the main computer.
Final Thoughts
Once the WiFi network is set up, you can do just about anything you want with it. If I want to play music from another Mac or the Apple TV, I can do so with just a few menu changes. By the same token, I can easily add or remove printers from any of the networked nodes.
I had kept my AirPort Extreme base station 802.11g when I upgraded to the more powerful 802.11n version. I was happy to have it stashed neatly in a box in the closet when it came time to set up this network. It works great for the document printer node that mainly handles text documents.
Categories
Audio , Mac , Photography
Read More Entries by Derrick Story.
Become an O'Reilly Member
Visit the Digital Media Forums
Subscribe to the Digital Media Blog Feed
Subscribe to the Digital Media Newsletter
I'm curious to know how you were able to get your Epson R2400 to print wirelessly. I have mine hooked up directly to an Airport Extreme base station and the printer is visible, but print jobs disappear and never print.
Did you have to do anything special to get wireless printing with the Epson R2400?
Thanks.
Derrick,
I'm curious to know how you were able to get your Epson R2400 to print wirelessly. I have mine hooked up directly to an Airport Extreme base station and the printer is visible, but print jobs disappear and never print.
Did you have to do anything special to get wireless printing with the Epson R2400?
Thanks.
Best Technology of network printer is very well. Advantage of this is very useful.
I have a much abbreviated form of this - apartments in Japan are relatively small.
The big problem I have with doing anything remotely is that Apple doesn't give you any remote control of internet radio stations. This is true for the iPhone/iPodTouch Remote app, as well as for Front Row. This entirely blows, as there are times I just want to listen to radio or switch stations. The other issue is that my 1st Gen iPod Touch has pretty crappy battery life with WiFi, so I often won't get much extended use out of it in one day.
The last thing I want o mention is that you have to use at least WPA/WPA2 level of security if you want to chain your other base stations to the Extreme. I found this out the hard way - it's not documented in the help files or manual (or at least last year that was the case).
So I did some more checking about having an 802.11g access point (AP) on an otherwise 802.11n network.
The upshot is, if the 802.11g AP isn't used much, the network will remain generally fast. It adds about 10 percent overhead to the network.
So having it as a node for my least-used printer seems to be the way to go. Now, ideally, up the road I might want to replace that AirPort with a newer N version. But that is an expense that I don't want to spend it at the moment. Part of the fun was digging it out of the closet and putting it to work.
I'll be interested to know what you find. I just got a new Airport extreme and Express, and was going to ditch my old ones, but maybe they have some use yet.
Darren, about having an 802.11g AP on the network...
I could be all wrong about this, but my thinking was that having the 802.11g device "join the network" doesn't compromise the speed of the rest of the nodes, only the node that uses that AP. That's why I put a document printer there instead of a photo printer.
But let me check that out, and I'll post back.
Thanks for your comment.
If you add Airfoil you'll be able to access the remote audio base station(s) from other apps..
Doesn't including the 802.11g equipment kind of defeat the purpose of upgrading to 802.11n by slowing everything to g speeds? Am I missing something?
I was going to write an entry just like this on my blog. I have a TC, AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express setup with WDS and an iPod Touch with AirRemote. My Mac mini in the basement is my media server.