First of all, thank you for your input - I can really use the advice etc. and sorry for the extremely long response.
Since you mentioned the printer, let me start with that. At home, with my wireless printer, I have added the printer to my personal network via a static IP address.
At school, the printers there are connected to the school network probably in a similar way (probably DHCP). Even then I can only print to them from a school laptop.
I have a personal wireless printer in my classroom. I can’t add that to the school network (wait - I didn’t even try, and I should - but it’s as tough as any safe corporate network to add devices to). Putting that aside, the only options I have to print to that printer are:
1) use a cable
2) disconnect from the school network and connect to the printers built in network.
Now for the projector. It’s ceiling mounted of course. I admit that it’s unclear to me why this particular projector is not on the network (though someone said something about people randomly connecting to other peoples projectors). What I find equally ridiculous is that there IS an Ethernet port on the projector, but it only serves to provide access to the device’s configuration web page (why do I need that when I can configure with the remote?). And by the way. The mfr does not even make a wireless connection dongle.
so my approach was to buy an HDMI/Wi-Fi adapter that serves as a dedicated access point for me to (disconnect my MacBook from the school network and then) connect to the projected as a dedicated connection.
The more I write here, the more I feel I have created a whole bunch of problems for myself when I can simply tell the school to get me a different set up.
But in the mean time, I thought a second Wi-Fi adapter might let me access the projector and the internet (from the school network) simultaneously.
Tell me what I’m missing because I feel like I’ve lost the plot…
