How to Set Up HP Printers to Enable Bluetooth

Printer upgrade kit

All modern laptops are now Bluetooth-enabled, so it stands to reason that the various peripherals, such as printers, also should utilize Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth networking between such devices allows for simplified short-range wireless communication between the laptop and the printer, for example. This communication feature allows the user to print wirelessly from the laptop to the printer. Some newer printers have built-in Bluetooth capability, while older printers lack this capability. Many such older printers easily can be upgraded to allow for Bluetooth communication.

Things You'll Need

• HP printer
• PC
• HP wireless printer upgrade kit

Instructions

1. Turn off the printer which you want to upgrade to Bluetooth capability.

2. 

   Connect the HP upgrade kit's USB cable from the kit's "printer adapter" to the printer's USB port.

3. 

   Connect the "printer adapter" power cable from the printer adapter to an electrical outlet. Confirm that the adapter's first two (left and middle) lights come on.

4. Right-click on any HP monitoring and other HP icons in the lower-right (system tray) of your screen, then choose "Exit" or "Quit."

5. Place the upgrade kit's CD into your CD-ROM drive.

6. Click "Install" when the setup screen comes up.

7. Install the software by following the on-screen prompts, clicking "Cancel" several times if asked to insert your printer's setup CD.

8. 

   Connect the PC adapter (device that is similar in appearance to a USB thumb drive) to one of your computer's open USB ports when the software instructs you to do so.

Tips & Warnings

• Ensure that your printer is within about 30 feet of your PC for optimal performance, since that is the basic effective range of Bluetooth--although you may achieve good results at further distances. The printer and PC can be in adjacent rooms, but walls do reduce Bluetooth's effective range.

• Connect the PC adapter to the PC only when the software instructs you to do so. If the software displays an error that you require an update to your USB controller, the software will direct you to the Microsoft site for that update, and you must install the update for your USB wireless upgrade to work as designed.

Resources

• HP website