Tag network

Article (PSA-0021)
Submitted by: Billy Joe Long
Company: PSA Computer Services
Titled: Printer Installation 101 – (WiFi)
Original release date: December 10, 2022

In our last article, Printer Installation 101 – (USB and Ethernet), we discussed the basic process on how to setup a printer via USB connection and Ethernet connection. In this article we will address setting up a WiFi enabled printer on your WiFi network.

Basic preparation for installing most WiFi printers will include: knowing your WiFi network name (SSID) and having your WiFi connection password. Also, on initial configuration you will want your WiFi printer close to your WiFi router (or access point). Within four feet with clear line of sight will be fine for our purposes. In addition to having the printer installation software available for your make and model of printer, ensure your computer(s) are connected to the same WiFi network you will be connecting the printer too.

There are two common WiFi printer setups you are most likely to encounter – printers “with a touchscreen” and printers “without a touchscreen”.

1. Setting up a printer with a “touchscreen”.
If your WiFi printer has a touchscreen you will need to go into the menu system to access and configure the printers WiFi connection properties. Most of the menu systems are pretty intuitive but can vary greatly – so at this point you may need to refer to your printer user manual for specifics on where to enter your WiFi connection information. Once you are in the correct menu for configuring your printers WiFi connection settings, you will either select your network from a list offered by the printer menu or you will need to enter in the name of your WiFi network manually. If you have to enter it in, make sure it matches exactly! Next, you will be prompted to enter your WiFi connection key (password). Again, make sure you enter it exactly … passwords are case sensitive. If all went well, your printer should now be connected to your WiFi network. You can now unplug your WiFi printer and move it to any location you want, as long as it is within your WiFi network coverage range. There is still more to do before you can print to it though … but for those of you who have successfully completed this step – please skip to step 3.

2. Setting up a printer without a “touchscreen”.
If your WiFi printer does not have a touchscreen, then it will attempt to connect to your WiFi network using technology called WiFi Protected Setup or (WPS). Your WiFi router (or access point) will need to offer this technology for you to successfully connect your printer. If you are unsure whether your WiFi router offers WPS, please refer to your router user manual. Assuming your router offers WPS, the first step is to put your printer in WPS mode. This is usually accomplished by pushing a button on your printer (refer to your printer manual). Next you will need to put your router in WPS mode within two minutes by pushing the provided WPS button. Each WPS enabled printer will offer a visual queue to indicate whether it has successfully connected to your WiFi network or not. Please refer to your printer manual for specifics. Most printers will usually have a blinking light while connecting – which then turns solid once connected. If all went well, your printer should now be connected to your WiFi network. You can now unplug your WiFi printer and move it to any location you want, as long as it is within your WiFi network coverage range.

3. Finally, setting up your computer to print to your WiFi printer.
Run the installation software that came with your printer (or you downloaded from the manufacturers website) on your computer. Each installation setup can be slightly different. If asked what type of installation your are performing (USB, Ethernet or WiFi), choose WiFi. The software will use your computers WiFi network connection to look for your WiFi printer. That is why it is critical that your printer be on the same WiFi network as your computer(s). If all goes well, the installation software should present you with the option to choose your printer from a list. Once you select your printer the installation should proceed with minimal input from you. If there are multiple printers on your WiFi network, you may be asked to choose the correct printer from a list. The printer you want will usually be distinct based on the make and model. Once the installation is completed you can open up Notepad (or the text editor of your choice) type a word or two and hit print. If all went well your printer should jump to life and produce a copy of your document.

Setting up a printer can be challenging if technology is not your thing. This walkthrough is very generalized and may not be sufficient to help with all installation scenarios. If you run into a problem installing your new WiFi printer and feel you need some help, give PSA Computer Services a call at (707) 506-6802.

Article (PSA-0020)
Submitted by: Billy Joe Long
Company: PSA Computer Services
Titled: Printer Installation 101 – (USB and Ethernet)
Original release date: September 12, 2022

So you got that new printer and your thinking … now what? Well don’t panic, depending on how you want to use your printer this should be pretty straight forward. Let’s take a look at the two most common printer setups.

1. You will use your printer on one and only one computer (desktop or laptop).

When you buy a consumer grade printer today it will usually provide, at a minimum, one of these three connection methods: USB, Ethernet or WiFi (or some combination of those three or all three). There are other connection methods, but we will only be addressing these three methods over the next couple of articles.

Setting up your printer directly connected to your computer using USB is the easiest setup, but comes with limitations on where you can put your printer. Typically the USB cable that comes with your printer will be 3 to 6 feet long. That’s not much length to work with, but if that works for you then simply pop the installation disk into your computer (or go online and download the drivers to your computer – the web address will be in the instructions – yes, you should review them as well!). Then run the setup program. The most common software setup routine will be to run the printer setup software BEFORE PLUGGING YOUR USB CABLE INTO THE COMPUTER. At some point in the printer software installation you will be instructed to plug the provided USB cable into the printer and your computer. The software installation will continue once the printer is detected. From there follow the on-screen instructions and once completed you should have the ability to print – congratulations!

(Note on USB printers. USB printers can be shared to other users located on the same network. This setup can produce setup issues and is therefore not covered in this walkthrough. If you would like more information on this type of setup, please give us a call.)

The setup process for a network printer will be the same whether it’s for one or many computers to access it – so we will just skip to section 2 for the ethernet network walkthrough.

2. You will use your printer on one or more computers (desktop or laptop).

Network printer installation is a little more involved. Network printers offer flexibility on where you can put your printer – especially the WiFi variety, but can require a little more work to setup. In this article I will cover ethernet installation only. WiFi installation will be more involved and we’ll take a look at that in my next article.

Setting up your printer on your ethernet network consists of first connecting your printer to an ethernet cable which is connected to your router. Now pop the installation disk into your computer (or go online and download the drivers to your computer – the web address will be in the instructions – yes, you should review them as well!). Then run the setup program. At some point in the printer software installation you will be instructed to choose a printer from a list of available network printers (unless there is only one). The software installation will continue once your new printer is selected. From there follow the on-screen instructions and once completed you should have the ability to print from this computer – congratulations! Run the exact same setup process on any other computer, on the same network, you want to have the ability to print. Congratulations again! Tune in next time as we tackle setting up a WiFi printer.

Alert (TA18-276A)
Using Rigorous Credential Control to Mitigate Trusted Network Exploitation
Original release date: October 2, 2018

Redirects to the Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
[US-CERT – United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team]

To read article visit: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA18-276A

Article (PSA-0009)
Submitted by: Billy Joe Long
Company: PSA Computer Services
Titled: Introduction to Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Original release date: July 17, 2018

Introduction to Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A VPN provides a secure way of connecting to a remote network over a public network (the Internet). This remote network is typically a private network, such as your workplace or home network. A “tunnel” is created through the public network to your private network at the other end. All network traffic through this tunnel is encrypted to ensure it is kept secure and private.

What can you do with VPN?

With a VPN you are able to do a number of things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do with a standard network connection. For example:

 
How does VPN work?

A typical VPN consists of two components: a VPN client and a VPN server.

A VPN client is software that allows you to connect your computer to a VPN server and establish a VPN connection. It is installed on your computer and communicates with the VPN server to create a secure link for your network traffic. The VPN Client is what you use to control the VPN connection. A VPN server is setup at the location you want to connect to, such as at a workplace or at home. A VPN server performs authentication to ensure only registered users can connect to the VPN.

All network traffic through the tunnel created between the VPN client and the VPN server is encrypted to keep it private and secure.

Should you use VPN?

Even if you have no need to be able to access a private network remotely, a VPN is vital to ensure the security and privacy of your network traffic.

Public networks, and in particular public wireless networks, provide an easy way for hackers and malicious users to listen in (“sniff”) on your network usage. This may allow them to see what web pages you are viewing, steal username and passwords, steal session information to be able to log into sites as you, and extract other private data. In addition, skilled hackers may perform a “man in the middle” attack. This allows them to not only monitor in depth your network traffic, but also alter your traffic or inject their own traffic in an attempt to fool a user into revealing important data.

Using a VPN protects you from such attacks.

If you are thinking about utilizing VPN services, I would encourage you to contact your IT guy (or gal) for their input. “There is wisdom in a multitude of counselors”.

Tip (ST18-001)
Security Tip – Securing Network Infrastructure Devices
Original release date: June 21, 2018

Redirects to the Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
[US-CERT – United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team]

To read article visit: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST18-001

Article (PSA-0006)
Submitted by: Billy Joe Long
Company: PSA Computer Services
Titled: What Is A Firewall?
Original release date: October 15, 2017

What Is A Firewall?

The word firewall was borrowed from firefighting and fire prevention, where the word was used to indicate a barrier used to prevent the spread of fire. In network and computer security the “firewall” serves a similar purpose by providing a barrier between “trusted” and “untrusted” networks. A “trusted” network can be described as a controlled internal network, such as your home or business network. An “untrusted” network is an outside network which you do not control, such as the Internet.

A firewall can be hardware, software, or both.

How Does A Firewall Work?

A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing traffic and allows or blocks specific traffic based on a defined set of security rules. A firewall is used to help screen out hackers, viruses, and worms that try to reach your computer over the Internet.

At their most basic, firewalls work as a filter between your network and the Internet. You can configure your firewall so it knows what you want to allow in and what you want to allow out. Everything else is blocked.

There are several different methods firewalls use to filter out information, and some are used in combination. These methods work at different layers of a network, which determines how specific the filtering options can be.

Firewalls use one or more of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of a network:

1. Packet filtering – Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded.
2. Proxy service – Information from the Internet is retrieved by the firewall and then sent to the requesting system and vice versa.
3. Stateful inspection – A newer method that doesn’t examine the contents of each packet but instead compares certain key parts of the packet to a database of trusted information. Information traveling from inside the firewall to the outside is monitored for specific defining characteristics, then incoming information is compared to these characteristics. If the comparison yields a reasonable match, the information is allowed through. Otherwise it is discarded.

Do I Need A Firewall?

Yes. If you are using a computer and connecting to the internet with it, then you should have an active, up-to-date, firewall. If you are using a Microsoft Operating System you have a firewall already. It is called “Windows Firewall”, and can be configured to protect your computer. In most instances, the modem/gateway/router provided by your Internet Service Provider also functions as a hardware firewall, and can be configured by utilizing the provided web access interface.

If you are unsure if you have a firewall, or whether it is configured correctly – give us a call to set up an appointment to have a technician come out and make sure you do!