Wireless Technology is an integral part of daily life that is hard to imagine being without for so many of us.  We can connect to WIFI from our phones and do anything from browse, shop, communicate, watch a movie, or play a game.  We can even get a craving in our kitchen, print the recipe wirelessly and pop that thing in a nostalgic recipe book (because spilling sauce on paper is a lot less expensive than spilling on your pocket-computer).  That said, the same technology that makes things easier at home doesn't necessarily translate to a business setting, such is the case in wired vs wireless printing in a dental practice.

Printers in an office environment are essential for operation.  Many computers use them, and print jobs can be sent over simultaneously to the printer to be operated on one at a time. However, all of those print jobs require a solid connection to the printer from the originating computer, through the network and to the printer itself.   Depending on how your network is set up, there are what are called multiple points of failure: points where if a device goes down or is restarted, then the process is interrupted.  While WIFI is great for many aspects of your practice (patient entertainment for example) that just isn't the case in printing.

Wired Vs Wireless Printing: Speed

Wireless:  Wireless speed is, by it's nature, slower than wired. This is due to the technology as well as physical obstacles, placement of the wireless routers, and placement of the originating and destination computer/printers. It also leads to slower overall printing which can impact productivity. Too many people wanting to print all at once to a single wireless printer will be like a river trying to flow through a crack, it will slow the flow and eventually become blocked bringing everything to a halt.

Wired:  Wired speed is much faster than Wireless which, means it can handle a lot more traffic at once without loss of functionality. Just as a pipe in a dam is specifically designed to pump thousands of gallons of water so too is your wired connection designed to allow faster speeds and more traffic.

Wired Vs Wireless Printing: Security

Wirelessly connected printers are vulnerable to anyone accessing your wireless network.   A skilled hacker can intercept a wireless job being broadcast out and the wireless printer disk stores the document copies and usage logs.

Wired: By using a wired connection we remove a point of security concern, the WIFI signal itself:  Wired transmissions are much more difficult to intercept and are sent directly to the destination device rather than being transmitted in the direction of the device until the sending device gets an acknowledgement.

Wired Vs Wireless Printing: Transmission

Wireless: WIFI transmission issues can be caused by many factors, most of which if accounted for will not result in an issue for a variety of devices connected to your network.  However, transmission errors in a print job will result in dropped or backlogged print jobs.  Such factors include physical obstructions, neighboring networks, WIFI competition from other devices, and distance (insufficient WAP layout).

Wired:   Any transmission issues arising from physical location of the devices is removed in wired networks.  Wired Networks will allow for a computer to be nearly anywhere on that network and print directly to the printer.

Wired Vs Wireless Printing: The Verdict

As you can see, there are many reasons why relying on a well designed and organized, wired network is key to proper printing function and office efficiency.  You don't have to go removing your wireless network, after all you use it every day.  That said, you will certainly see a benefit by connecting your printers to your wired network.  That said, there are many ways to organize wired printing on your network which, your IT partner should be able to set up to increase speed and efficiency while minimizing headaches.  Unfortunately, there may be no perfect printing setup (as permanently emblazoned in the minds of many in the movie Office Space) but reducing points of failure and leaning on your IT partner for best practices when it comes to printing should take you from constant frustration to a place where printing is an afterthought.

About Darkhorse Tech

Whether you're just starting out or a well-established organization, Darkhorse Tech has the experience and technology to help get you moving, cut costs, and streamline your operations via unlimited IT support. We are here to help you do what you do best: focus on providing top-notch care and service for patients - not dealing with IT problems, lag time spent talking with technical support, or complicated technological mishaps. Unlimited IT support services help the whole team work efficiently without worrying about significant system issues or constant interruptions.

Our additional security services include:

• Unlimited Remote and/or On-Site IT Support of All Your Hardware and Software
• Improved Network Performance and Security
• HIPAA Compliant Off-Site and Local Backup Service (Darkhorse Secure Backup)
• Managed Antivirus, Anti-Malware, and Anti-Ransomware (Darkhorse Security Products)
• Compliance & Security Laws Standards
• Microsoft Security Patch Management
• Vendor Management: We will be on the phone, not your employees
• Secure, Remote Access to Your Office
• Firewall Management
• Network Management
• Long Term Planning and Budgeting

Contact us anytime if you want to learn more about our dental-specific solutions and unlimited support packages. Our friendly customer service team will get back to you in no time.

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Darkhorse Dental IT Is Here For You

We understand that caring for your patients is your top priority. Dealing with a computer issue, slow IT response time or HIPAA compliance requirements just aren’t high on your list of to-do’s. That’s where Darkhorse Dental Tech comes in. Our team of Dental IT specialists are experts when it comes to running a great, secure and successful practice —and so much more. Whether you’re looking for IT services for startups, or existing support and security services for your practice, Darkhorse can do it all for you, so you can get back to your patients.

Have questions? Looking for ideas? Just want to talk teeth? Drop us a line at sales@darkhorsetech.com to get the conversation started! Or head to our Contact page to send us a message. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

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