Stoopit Computer Question: Wireless modem and my printer

[Zenlitened]

OK, this may seem really dense, but...

I have one laptop computer, connected to the web via a wireless modem (Linksys WCG200). I've installed the driver software for my printer on this laptop. Works just fine with the USB cable attached from laptop to printer.

On the back of my wireless modem ("gateway"?) there is a a USB port that exactly matches the USB port on my printer. So, a normal USB cable, which has two different ends, won't fit.

But if I got the proper USB cable, would I be able to connect to my printer wirelessly, through the modem?

Or would I need a separate printer driver regardless of whether I have the driver software on my laptop?

Thanks for any help you can give! As you can tell, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the concept! :D

[Richard Steele]

1. Short answer: it depends.

If the driver software (and your printer's CPU)
is configured to deal with wireless,
all you need is a cable.

In theory, it should work as soon as you plug it in.

Of course, "in theory" is never the same as "on your desk".

[0rganism]

2. Is your printer even network-capable?

Most of the cheaper printers rely on a host computer to handle TCP/IP and print spooling. Maybe you have one of the good 'uns that handle their own networking, but if you don't then it's pretty useless to be hooking it directly to a network device. Use a host computer to share the printer if you want other computers on the LAN to print from it.

Probably, what you're wanting is to be able to wander wirelessly about your home or office without dragging the printer behind you. In this case, consider getting a cheap desktop PC from the local thrifties to be used *only* as a host for the printer, and use that as its network hookup. Alternatively, you might want to look into a wireless USB hub. I'm not sure which would be cheaper, once you add everything up, or better suited to your particular computing/printing environment.