If you look at the bottom of my signature, I am using an old Intel print server that has localtalk between my HP6MP and my Mac. The printer is a workhorse, never runs out of toner, never jams, I WANT it. The Intel box (follow me here) assigns an IP to the printer so it is addressable. To find out the address, it has a button on top that you press and if it has been on long enough, it will print a page with an IP. Sometimes it's 101, sometimes 102, etc. It changes. If the printer or the box is turned off, then the router reassigns it. I have three printers set up in the control panel, one for each address it tends to generate. Ok. No problem.

The problem is that I have to run an actual cable between the Intel box and the router to get this Rube Goldberg setup rolling. Now they are not near each other because I moved the furniture and there is an ethernet cable snaking around on the floor. So I bought this Crystal View Wireless Instant Router to use kinda like a network extender. I can get it set up but not exactly right even though I actually followed the instructions. I can call them, but they will never understand this crazy set-up I have. What happens is it sets up a second network for the printer. I really don't want to do point to point because that is another wire going between the router I have and the electrical socket. Any thoughts here?

The approach I use is my non-wireless printer is attached to an Airport Express via a USB cable and the AE is configured to "Join a wireless network" which of course is my local LAN. As a convenience for identification the AE is named for the printer attached to it. Thanks to Bonjour the AE appears by name on the network. I don't care what the IP address is and I do not need to know what it is. I have complete access and control of the printer using the Bonjour.

Does your printer only speak Appletalk?

For those who might be interested:

The Crystal View router I bought was actually intended to do the same thing as my Wireless G, create a network and assign unique IPs within range, although the description said it could also be used as a repeater for ANY network. Crystal View no longer offers support because I guess they got flooded with calls like mine.

I figured call Cisco to see what they say. They recommended pricey solution that had more ports than were necessary, but it got me thinking in the right direction. I bought a refurbished Cisco RE1000RM repeater thinking then if the whole mess doesn't work, at least I won't have different manufacturers pointing fingers at the other.

The repeater came with an installation CD that automatically locates the router and the repeater via Airport and links them up. Once that is done, the repeater can be put anywhere within range. One short ethernet wire between the Cisco extender and the Intel print server + one short, fat serial cable between the Intel print server and the HP printer, TaDa! It's wireless, well, kinda! The long ethernet wire crossing the apt is gone that's what mattered.

I don't know what wireless networks you have running, but as per my posting elsewhere in this forum, it may require that your Macbook be on the exact same named network (same SSID) as the print server. This may be regardless of IP assignments.