how to print to a wireless printer using iphone hotspot

Hi,

The Canon MF232w is listed in About AirPrint - Apple Support as a printer supporting the driverless AirPrint technology. An AirPrint-enabled printer can be used without an additional app, provided that the iPhone and the printer are connected to the same network. Usually, this is your home or office Wi-Fi network provided by a Wi-Fi router.

An iPhone personal hotspot is not a normal router, and is not intended for local networking.

A dedicated mobile broadband router (sometimes also called a personal/portable hotspot) should have the ability to handle local Wi-Fi networking.

If there is no existing Wi-Fi network (router) where you want to print from the iPhone to the Canon MF232w, almost any (even an old/spare) Wi-Fi router could be used. The interesting part is the local (WLAN/LAN) side. The WAN (Internet) side does not have to be connected. You would simply set up a private Wi-Fi network for printing purposes only.

There are also travel routers without mobile broadband (similar to the example at https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/tl-wr902ac/) that should work.

You're welcome!

By the way, AirPrint works with wireless (Wi-Fi) or wired (Ethernet) network connections. Since your printer model has Ethernet in addition to Wi-Fi, you could choose to wire it to one of the LAN ports of the router (instead of using a wireless connection). Normally, with routers for home use, the wireless and wired sections are bridged, so wired and wireless computers/devices can communicate with each other.

If there is a problem with device discovery with AirPrint, the following power-cycle procedure may help:

Power off the Wi-Fi router, the printer, the iPhone, and all other devices/computers. Wait two to three minutes. Power on the router. Wait two to three minutes. Power on the printer. Wait a minute or two. Power on the iPhone. Finally, power on all other devices/computers.

Do not hesitate to post back with any questions. If so, you may want to mention the exact router model used.

Good luck with your experiment!

>I was able to print from my iPhone at one time but lost the connection.

Was this earlier, or have you now tested an old Wi-Fi router (without the WAN/Internet side connected)?

Connecting via a router is the normal way when using AirPrint.

However, the Canon user's guide (https://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/4/0300025074/05/MF244dw_UsersGuide_usEN_4.pdf) on page 152 appears to indicate that a direct connection could be possible. Unfortunately, the information in this manual is not very clear.

Do you have some kind of Canon or third-party iOS app for printing installed on the iPhone?