Share files and printers across your network

Enabling printer sharing can be almost as easy, depending on your hardware. If you have a network printer, just follow the network setup instructions that came with the printer.

If your printer is network-capable but you never splurged for its print server, peruse the manufacturer's Web site for an external or internal print server for your model. The HP JetDirect EW2400, for instance, is compatible with any of HP's network-capable USB printers.

If you can't find a compatible print server, don't worry; most third-party print servers work with any printer, as long as both devices share either a USB or parallel port. Connect the print server between your router's Ethernet port and your printer.

If you have a Wi-Fi network, you can also buy a wireless print server, which connects via USB or parallel port to your printer and to your router wirelessly. It's a little trickier to configure, but it lets you put the printer and print server anywhere you want within range of the router.