How to Choose the Best Wi-Fi Printer for Our Home

Wi-Fi printers have gained weight in recent times. They provide us with a wide range of possibilities compared to the traditional ones that are connected by cable. We have more freedom to connect devices as well as new functions and features. In this article we show you what to consider when buying a wireless printer. Some key points that we must always keep in mind.

What is it for and how does a Wi-Fi printer work?

A Wi-Fi printer has the main advantage of avoiding connecting equipment by cable. We do not have to pass a cable that goes to our computer through a USB port, for example. We simply connect the computers to the home or company network and have access to the printer to be able to print documents.

Best Wi-Fi Printer for Our Home

It works over the wireless network . Generally it has to be connected to the router, but we can also find versions that have Wi-Fi Direct technology and it would not be necessary. We would simply have to connect the mobile or the device that we are using to the printer and send the documents to print.

But without a doubt a fundamental advantage is that we can connect many devices at the same time. For example, if we have a mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop, we can send files to print from each one, and not just from the one we have connected by cable.

What a wireless printer should look like

Now, when we go to buy a wireless printer we must take into account some interesting factors. There are issues that will make one option better than another. For example connectivity, security, the possibility of connecting more equipment thanks to the compatibility with operating systems, etc.

App compatibility

A fundamental aspect is to be well informed about the compatibility with mobile applications that we can use, both for Android and iOS. They are very useful to be able to send documents and images in a simple and fast way without having to connect to the computer.

We are increasingly using mobile devices for our day to day and we have a wide range of possibilities. It is important that the equipment we use has mobile compatibility, as is the possibility offered by many Wi-Fi printers today.

Connectivity and Wi-Fi Direct

Something essential is to observe the connectivity you have. It is interesting that it has not only Wi-Fi, but that it also has the possibility of connecting via Ethernet cable . In this way we will have one more option to connect computers, for example.

We must also observe what type of Wi-Fi connection it supports (b / g / n), as well as the compatibility with Wi-Fi Direct to facilitate the sending of documents and printing them without the need for a router.

Wi-Fi Direct

Compatible with multiple operating systems

There are many operating systems that we can use in our day to day. We may have an iOS mobile, an Android tablet, a desktop computer with Windows 10 and a laptop with macOS, for example.

It is therefore interesting that it has great compatibility with the main operating systems and that we do not have problems when connecting and using the Wi-Fi printer.

Security features

Any device that has a wireless connection must be properly secured . We must observe before buying a Wi-Fi printer that it has sufficient protection to avoid intruders that compromise our equipment.

For example, we must see that it has an IP filter, IPsec (which is a protocol to secure communications over the Internet Protocol), as well as WPA2-PSK encryption.

Laser or cartridges?

This is a bit personal, since it will depend on the type of user and the use that we are going to give the printer. We can choose both one that works with ink cartridges or another that instead goes by laser.

If we are going to use it to print a lot, as it could be in a company for example, the ideal is that it be laser ink.

performance

Here we can mention the general performance of the printer. How many copies can you make per minute? Does it have the ability to run for a long time without overheating?

There are certain factors that we must also buy among the different printers that we have at our disposal to choose the one that best suits what we are going to need and calibrate it depending on the budget.

Mejorar la seguridad de una impresora

Print quality

Something similar happens with the print quality . A printer for home use, where we are only going to print copies of texts, is not the same as another that we are going to use for a company, where we have to print many high-quality photographs or images.

In short, these are some fundamental factors that we must take into account when we go to buy a wireless printer. There are some points that may be more important to some users than others. We must always acquire the best option that suits what we need.