I’m using an HP printer and currently am using the USB cable to connect to my PC to print. I’m running out of USB ports and (for some reason) when I use a USB hub with it, my PC fails to read it.
Instead, I wish to connect the printer to my local network, BUT I don’t want it connected to the internet. I’ve seen how dangerous it is to expose your printer to the internet, so I wish to prevent that (plus I don’t want the printer to auto-update).
How can I connect my printer to my local network so I can print wirelessly without allowing internet access to it?
If it’s important:
- My PC is ArchLinux
- My printer is a HP ColorJet Pro MFP (I dont know the model #/what series it is)
- I do have cups and hp-lip installed on my system
Also: A guest network does not work on my network for some reason, but that’s a separate issue unrelated to this.
Maybe there are better ways to do this but I’d put it in a VLAN configured how you want. Any device that gets less trust than your PC belongs in a separate VLAN I think, just as a matter of basic security.
Vlans rarely provide security people think they do. If you want to print, your pc needs to have access to the vlan the printer is in which means you have a hole in your security that anything else can go through.
A vlan is no different than creating a separate network with a firewall. If something can break the firewall to get to your PC, it can break the firewall to get to the printer.
Only a hole for the print services with specific port mappings to the printer itself.
That’s at least the best you can do. Otherwise fully isolated vlans are pretty good.
Which is the same as if there was no vlan. It’s not like any router forwards port 631 unless you specifically open it up. And without port 80 open on the vlan, your PC can’t get to the printer settings. But if your vlan has 80 open so you can use the printer, then there was no point in putting it in a vlan.