Best Products Computer Components The 4 Best Wireless Printer Adapters of 2021 Print wirelessly with these WiFi- and Bluetooth-enabled adapters by Jason Schneider Writer Jason has been writing for tech and media companies for nearly 10 years. He is also a current and past contributing writer to Greatist and Thrillist. our editorial process Jason Schneider Updated on September 11, 2020 Guide To Buying a New Printer Guide To Buying a New Printer Introduction Printer Basics What is an Inkjet Printer? 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The Rundown Best Overall: IOGEAR Universal Ethernet to Wi-Fi N Adapter at Amazon "All you’ll have to do is push a single button to put it in wireless pair mode." Best Budget: IOGEAR USB Printer Server at Amazon "Send jobs to the printer from multiple computers using the existing Wi-Fi network in your home." Best Bluetooth-Enabled: HP BT500 Bluetooth USB 2.0 Wireless at Amazon "You can connect up to seven Bluetooth-enabled devices at a time." Best for Remote Printing: StarTech 1 Port USB Wireless at Amazon "It's also small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so it won’t unnecessarily take up space." The best wireless printer adapters are simple, compact solutions to instantly pair your printer (or other devices) with your desktop, laptop, or phone. Via Bluetooth, your home network, or another wireless protocol, they allow you to effortlessly connect your printer to any number of devices and quickly start churning out a hard copy whenever you need it, without the need for a constant, hardwired connection. Our top choice, IOGEAR's excellent universal adapter at Amazon, perfectly represents the best qualities of the category. It's tiny, portable, and pairs at the touch of a single button. It also provides excellent wireless speeds for lightning-quick communication between your devices and your printer and even features WEP/WPA security. However, if you need something with Bluetooth baked in, you'll want to direct your attention to the HP BT500 at Amazon. Read on for more of the best wireless printer adapters, or take a look at our best all-in-one printers to find a model to pair with your new adapter. Best Overall: IOGEAR Universal Ethernet to Wi-Fi N Adapter Buy on Amazon An important first note: this adapter only works with Ethernet-enabled devices, meaning your printer must have an Ethernet port. If your machine is compatible, this is the best option for its simple setup and one-touch pairing function, its compact size, and network security features. This IOGEAR wireless option is a slightly more updated version of their barebones model, with faster speeds and smaller form factor — at roughly the size of a thumb drive, this little device is super portable. It offers a wireless bandwidth of up to 300 Mbps on 2.4GHz networks, and it’s compatible with the standard 802.11b/g/n network protocol. They’ve even loaded in the standard WEP/WPA security tech that you find in most basic wireless routers to keep your information safe. Another added benefit here is that IOGEAR has taken serious steps to make this adapter easy to set up using a WPS button, meaning all you’ll have to do is push a single button to put it in wireless pair mode. It’ll work with other devices that aren’t currently Wi-Fi-ready, too. Fire Up Your Home Printer by Adding It to Your Network Best Budget: IOGEAR USB Printer Server Buy on Amazon If you’re looking for an adapter that will work with your wireless network rather than Bluetooth (handy if you want to share a printer between multiple computers), this option from IOGEAR is a good choice. It works pretty simply — just connect up the power, connect an Ethernet port to your network, and then plug the USB cable from your printer to the unit. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to send jobs to the printer from multiple computers using the existing Wi-Fi network in your home. Be sure to note that this is intended for use with 10Base-T/100Base-T auto-sensing, so check the manual on your Internet situation to be sure this adapter is compatible. It’s also optimized for USB 2.0 (backwards compatible to 1.1), so keep in mind that you won’t have access to the full USB 3.0 speeds. But with the benefit of being able to print wirelessly, along with the ability to send jobs through the Internet, this will give you some great home office flexibility. The 5 Best Photo, Business, and Laser Printers for Under $100 Best Bluetooth-Enabled: HP BT500 Bluetooth USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter Buy on Amazon The BT500 Bluetooth wireless adapter from Hewlett-Packard works with many HP Bluetooth-enabled printers, including many LaserJets, DeskJets, PhotoSmart printers, and All-in-One models. To wirelessly transfer documents, photos, and emails from your Bluetooth-enabled device, plug the adapter into the HP printer's USB port. You can connect up to seven Bluetooth-enabled devices at a time with this adapter. This HP printer adapter is compatible with both Windows and Mac laptops and desktop computers. The 7 Best USB Wi-Fi Adapters of 2021 Best for Remote Printing: StarTech 1 Port USB Wireless Network Print Server Buy on Amazon At its core, this StarTech device is just a Wi-Fi receive — simply plug in an ethernet cable and you’ll get 10/100 Mbps through the 802.11 b/g/n wireless signal. Then connect the USB cable to your printer so it can talk to that adapter, and you’re ready to go. Once it's set up, you can send print jobs straight to the printer via Wi-Fi whether you’re in the same place or across the world. This particular device comes with Line Printer Remote protocol support that lets you do the above remote printing. Plus, they’ve even worked in something called Bonjour Printer Services, which makes it easier to configure printers on your network. It all comes with a setup disk, international travel adapters, required cables, and a two-year warranty plus lifetime tech support. It's also small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so it won’t take up unnecessary space in your home office. The 7 Best USB Wi-Fi Adapters of 2021 Final Verdict IOGEAR's universal adapter is a great choice for simply and easily pairing up a PC and printer, but for the best Bluetooth alternative, take a look at HP's BT500. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit