10/22/14 7:30 PM

I have more USB devices than ports on my laptop, so one of my daughters got me a USB hub for my birthday. When I set it up it went through a big "driver search" routine and everything works fine, except the printer. I can only print through one USB port on my computer and the computer can't print when the printer is plugged into the USB hub. I have a workaround in that the hub is plugged into another port that works with it and the printer is plugged into the port that works for it. But I would rather have the printer plugged into the USB hub. What am I missing?

Other devices that work with the hub include my wireless mouse, wired keyboard, and external hard drive.

10/22/14 7:40 PM

Some devices don't work properly through a USB hub - my 120 film scanner, for example, says in the manual that it should be connected directly to a USB port on the motherboard rather than via a USB hub.

When the printer is plugged into the hub and switched on, does it appear in Device Manager under printers?

10/22/14 7:42 PM

Or take the printer out of the ability/mode that it can go into sleep mode??

10/23/14 9:04 AM

If a Windows computer I'd delete the printer and do a new Add Printer routine. Have everything connected and powered up.

I recently switched my printer to a network port on my WiFi router, making it a nerwork printer, instead of a USB printer on my desktop. Means the desktop doesn't have to be awake to print from devices connected on my WiFi

10/23/14 7:43 PM

quote:

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delete the printer and do a new Add Printer routine

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10/24/14 5:35 AM

...some devices simply will not work with a hub. I've run into the same thing and there's no use in fighting it; you're not likely to win.

10/24/14 6:07 AM

Time to get a wireless printer. I can now email any print job to my printer from anywhere in the world.

10/24/14 6:24 AM

...as nobody else can send it a scan of a 1970 Sears Catalog to print!

10/24/14 8:17 AM

If your internet provider has you using a WiFi router, they typically have Cat 5 ports on the back.

If the router and printer are in proximity, I'd connect the printer via Cat5.

Then do the add printer route, only select the option for network printer.

My setup was painless and I can print out of my laptop, iPad and iPhone, direct to the printer.

10/24/14 10:33 AM

Is your USB hub a powered one? i.e. does it have its own wall wart?

Sandiway

10/24/14 8:06 PM

Oh, missed that.

Powered hub might be the answer. I need to use these on our work lighting controllers. Non powered isn't recognized.

10/25/14 7:19 PM

Yes my hub is powered, though the manual says that's only needed when you have high current draw devices on the hub.

I'm guessing that the issue is my printer is not even a USB printer (uses an adapter cable) and is about a decade old (HP Deskjet 882C). I found that the USB hub works in two of my laptops USB ports and the printer works in only one of them. So I have the hub connected to one port, the hub power supply connected to the port that doesn't support either the printer or the USB hub, and the printer connected to the only port on which it works. No free ports on the laptop but 4 free ports on the hub so I can connect thumb drives, cameras, etc. without having to unplug anything.

Mission accomplished.