How do you connect a Xiaomi router to a printer? If there's no response when plugged in, don't waste your effort—these are the only three ways to get it off

last month, when my child started school, the teacher would occasionally hand out test papers in the group chat for parents to type themselves, and only then did the old printer at home dig out from deep inside the cabinet. My first reaction was the same as many people's: doesn't the Xiaomi router have a USB port on the back? Just plug in the printer and the whole family's phones and computers can be connected, right? When plugged in, the router didn't respond at all. 192.168.31.1 the backend and the Mijia app also searched, but there was no printer option at all. After a night of struggle, I finally realized that this path is dead from the root.

to clarify: Xiaomi routers' USB ports can't serve as print servers

This issue needs to be clarified first, or else all the hassle will be wasted. The USB port in Xiaomi's official firmware only does two things: insert a hard drive as a shared home drive, and add remote downloads. That's it. I've previously written about Xiaomi router USB port —check it out if you want to know more.

the print server function, ASUS, Netgear, and many old routers flashed with PADAVAN firmware have it, but Xiaomi's official firmware hasn't done it. Many tutorials found online for "router connection to printer" are written on ASUS. There's a "Printer Sharing" menu in the backend, and you can scroll through the Xiaomi backend until dawn and find it because it simply doesn't exist. I tried plugging the AX6000's USB 3.0 port into the HP P1106. Once plugged in, it was plugged in. The router just ignored it, and there wasn't even a shadow in the device list.

so remember the conclusion: plugging printer USB cable directly into the Xiaomi router won't work If you want the whole family to share a printer, look down at three practical roads.

first way: printers come with built-in WiFi or network ports, directly connected to routers, which is the most worry-free

Nowadays, among ink cartridge all-in-one machines costing around 1,000 yuan, nine out of ten come with built-in WiFi. Flip the printer to the back and side—there's a WiFi logo or network port (like the square port on the RJ45). Congratulations, this route is done in half an hour, without spending a single cent.

my mother-in-law's Epson L3153 is built this way. Connect to WiFi via the printer panel's settings menu, select 'Home WiFi' and enter the password; If you find the buttons on your device troublesome, install an Epson iPrint and have the app guide you step by step. Brother's device is called Brother Mobile Connect, HP is HP Smart—both are the same approach. Wired is even easier. Plug the network cable into the Xiaomi router's LAN port, and it automatically gets the 192.168.31.x address when powered on.

there's a big pitfall here, and I've stepped into it for you: printers basically only recognize 2.4G WiFi. Xiaomi routers default to dual-band integration, with one name mixing 2.4G and 5G together. If the printer finds it but can't connect, or if it connects today and disconnects tomorrow, it's usually this one. Before configuring the network, first disconnect the dual-band and let the printer connect to the 2.4G label. How do you do it? I've written about separate the Xiaomi router's 2.4G and 5G , a three-step process. The principle is similar to setting up networks for smart devices. the article about robot vacuums not connecting to WiFi explains it in more detail.

connected, go to the backend, find the printer in the device list, and copy down the IP. I casually linked it to a static IP in the backend; otherwise, once the DHCP lease expired and the address changed, the printer installed on the computer would "lose contact" every few days. The binding method is universal. static IP binding article it says the path to 192.168.1.1. The same way Xiaomi finds the backend, and once you enter the LAN, the setup is the same.

second option: Old USB printers. Find a computer as your main printer

If your printer is an old pure USB machine, like the HP P1106 or Canon 2900+ that have been in service for years, without WiFi or network ports, don't rush to throw them away. The most cost-effective way: find a computer, plug the printer into it, install the drivers, and then share the printer.

steps are not complicated. Plug the printer into the computer and install the driver; Open Devices and Printers in the Control Panel, right-click Printer, go to Properties, check "Share this printer" under the Sharing tab, and create a friendly share name, such as P1106. If you want to use another computer at home, type \\192.168.31.20\P1106 (change the IP to that host's) in the address bar of the file manager, double-click to install it.

three things to do in passing: bind the host to a static IP in the background of the router; otherwise, if the IP is changed, everyone will lose contact; Fix the computer name, don't keep changing it for a long time; In Advanced Sharing settings, turn off "Password-protected sharing," otherwise others will have to enter the host's account and password every time they print.

has only one fatal flaw in this approach: host must be powered on . My desktop computer is in the study. In the dead of winter, no one wants to turn on the machine just to do two test papers. Later, my child's mother simply outsourced the printing to the print shop downstairs. If it weren't for the third option, that P1106 would still be gathering dust.

the third way: a print server box costing about 100 yuan, old printers instantly become network printers

If you don't want to turn on a computer for printing, just spend a little money. Search online for 'print server'—single-port boxes cost 80 to 140 yuan, about the size of a palm. Plug the printer USB cable into the box, and plug the box Ethernet cable into the Xiaomi router's LAN port (there is also a WiFi version). Once powered, this old USB printer becomes a proper network printer in the network—anyone can type it, and there's no longer the main unit. Before

buy, there is one thing you must do: send the printer's exact model to customer service and ask about compatibility . The chips in this box are picky drivers; HP and Canon brother Volkswagen models basically get used to them. Less popular models might be confusing, so don't buy them and only realize they don't recognize them. Also, note that the scanning function of the all-in-one machine is mostly useless after passing through the box, only for printing. Occasionally, to scan documents, you still need to connect directly to the computer via USB.

if you have a Raspberry Pi gathering dust at home, you can skip the box and install a P910nd with about ten rows of configuration. I won't go into the player route; if you haven't played before, just buy the box—easy to worry about.

the printer is online, how do you add it to your computer or phone

all three paths lead to the same destination. The final step is to add the printer to the device.

Win11: Set → Bluetooth and other devices → Printer and scanner → Click "Add Device." Wait about ten seconds, and printers on the same network segment will pop up automatically. Click to install and you're done. Windows 10 sets up → devices → printers and scanners, following the same path. If you can't find it, don't panic. Use manual methods: on the Add Printer page, select "The printer I need is not in the list," select Add by IP, enter the TCP/IP port address you just copied as 192.168.31.x, and proceed to the next step.

the most stable phone printing is the brand's apps, like Epson iPrint and HP Smart, which automatically detect apps along with a WiFi. The iPhone also has a hidden benefit: if the all-in-one supports AirPrint, just open any printable page, share → print, and the device will pop up automatically, so you don't need to install anything.

if you can't find it, first check something: phone or computer is connected to the visitor's WiFi . The visitor network and mainnet are separated, standing on both sides of the firewall and unable to see each other. This is the design, not a fault. Switch back to main WiFi and search again; 90% of it should be fine. Why is the visitor network so isolated? I explained everything thoroughly in the Visitor Network settings article.

Ending: Take your seat according to your seat and follow this order

The order is set for you: first, flip the printer over; there's a WiFi icon or network port on the back, then go straight to the first button; If not, count if you have a desktop computer at home that doesn't shut down; if so, use the second method; Either end is not included, the third box serves the purpose. As for plugging the printer into the Xiaomi router's USB port—it really doesn't have that function. It saves me the trouble and finishes both test papers.