That old printer still looks fine and works the way it’s supposed to. But its compatibility with the latest technologies, such as smartphones, tablets or Chromebooks , isn’t possible, and typical cloud printing features aren’t available at all. You might also need to meet increased security requirements with the help of a secure printing solution.
The good news is that none of this is a reason to throw away your printer. There’s an easy way to upgrade your old printer to the latest technology, so not only will you save the cost of a new model, but it will also save the environment from unnecessary carbon emissions.
Even if the manufacturer has discontinued support for the old printer and you see the risk of outdated firmware becoming a security risk, this trick will still help.
How Big is the CO2 Impact of a Printer Overall?
While printing on paper is an almost insignificant source of carbon pollution, the production and delivery of printers is a completely different story.
A typical multifunction printer found in many places has a CO2 footprint of around 1.5 tons. This means that extending the useful life of such a printer has a high positive effect on the corporate carbon footprint.
How Do You Make An Old Printer Pompatible with Android,iOS and Ready for the Cloud?
Although you can’t update the firmware of your old printer yourself, there is a way to save it anyway.
We have developed a small device, the ezeep Hub, that allows you to update the features of any printer. This affordable little device can do this to multiple printers automatically on the network.
ezeep Hub Overview
- Dimensions: 9.8 cm x 8.5 cm x 30 cm
- Weight: 105g
- 4 USB Ports, 1x Ethernet
- No moving parts and no maintenance
- Monthly rent + free exchange service
- Test and use the device 14 days free of charge
Setup is very simple and the hub only needs to be connected via an Ethernet cable to the network where the printer is already located. The Hub automatically reports each printer to ezeep’s web-based management console, where a driver can be selected and the printer can be assigned to other users with an ezeep account if needed. Thanks to this simple process, neither a great deal of IT expertise nor a large investment of time is required.
Once the old printer is connected via this method to the cloud, any ezeep user can use it with any device and from any location. Even printing from virtual desktops or via a VPN connection is possible.
Outdated Firmware – How Big is the Security Risk?
The security risk of outdated firmware should not be underestimated. If your printer has already stopped receiving updates, you can still operate it safely with the ezeep Hub. There are two ways to do this
- Use an USB cable to connect the printer to the ezeep Hub. This means that the ezeep Hub, and not the printer itself, can be accessed from the network. This prevents malware from accessing the printer. Outdated firmware is no longer a security risk.
- Operate your printers in a separate network that is completely separated from the company network, ensuring that no direct communication can take place between the company network and the printer. This means that even if malware reaches the printer, it cannot cause any damage to the corporate network.
In both cases, printers remain fully accessible and usable by users thanks to ezeep. There is, however, one small downside: the web interface, if the printer already has one, can no longer be accessed from the corporate network.
It is worth checking whether it makes sense to continue using the existing printer with the ezeep Hub, as this can make a positive contribution to costs and the environment.
Learn more about the ezeep Hub on our website. You can try it for free for 14 days, so try it out today!