Wireless G Print Server with Multifunction Printer Support

Average customer rating: 3.5

Multifunction Print Server
I like it! Not perfect, but best device available.
needs bug spray
Works fine after difficult setup
A little slow, but works great!

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Wireless G Print Server with Multifunction Printer Support

Manufacturer: Linksys
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B000LSZ0Q0

Related Categories:

Audio & Video Accessories

Product Description

The Linksys Wireless-G PrintServer with Multifunction Printer Support lets you connect a multifunction USB printer directly to your network, eliminating the need to dedicate a PC to print sharing chores. Using a PrintServer frees up your "print share PC" so you don't have to leave it on all the time. It also removes the printing bottleneck, and sets your PC free to do more useful work.The PrintServer is compatible with most USB multifunction printers, and allows full access to printing, faxing, scanning, and copying functions. Like any print server, users on the network can print anytime. The other functions are treated a little differently - any user can request access to one of the other functions, and get exclusive use of that function until his task is complete.Connect the PrintServer directly to your network by 10/100 Ethernet cable, or wirelessly at up to 54Mbps via Wireless-G. The wireless option lets you put your printer wherever you want to, without having to run cables. Whichever way the PrintServer is attached to your network, both your wireless and wired PCs will have access to it, and the printer it's connected to. And if you don't use wireless for general networking in your office, you can still use the Wireless-G connection in ad-hoc mode to print from visiting Wireless-G and Wireless-B PCs.Your wireless data is protected by up to 128-bit WPA-PSK encryption. A user-friendly Setup Wizard makes installation easy, the compact case fits anywhere, and the big print buffer handles even large graphics-intensive print jobs. Let the Linksys Wireless-G PrintServer with Multifunction Printer Support bring efficiency to all your home office tasks.

Customer Reviews:

Multifunction Print Server.......2007-06-01

If you have used Linksys print servers before you will know that most printer utilites do not run.
If Linksys can get EPSON to plug in the complete MULTI FUNCTION printer UTILITY the WPSM54G will be one of the best print servers you can sweat for.
I am on a budget and Home Office Hardware can get expensive. COME ON EPSON--PLUG THE WHOLE PRINT/SCAN/FAX UTILITY INTO LINKSYS!

I like it! Not perfect, but best device available........2007-05-25

After buying this, I'm surprised seeing all of the new reviews where people have been having trouble with this product. I don't wish to discredit their experiences, but I love the product. I'll admit, there are some hoops to hop through on the initial. It was a bit confusing, but once I got through that stage the device works well with my Canon imageCLASS MF4150 (multifunction laser). I haven't figured out scanning over wireless, but I suspect that's due to an unusual setup on Canon's part.

I also had some difficulty with the device losing connection to the printer, but I believe that was due to energy saving settings on the printer side. After some tweaking on the device and printer, all is well. I've had it running over a month without a single reset.

The most discouraging aspect of this product is that I think it's pricey for what it does. I'd feel a little silly if I bought a printer server that was more expensive than a printer. I understand, though, that this is becoming somewhat of a niche market since a lot of newer printers are network ready.

All in all, I believe this device to be best of breed (my assumptions after seeing reviews for other print servers). The multifunction support is also a BIG plus.

needs bug spray.......2007-05-08

After i installed this product I was happy with its ability to function with my multi function all in one, however this product for some reason unknown to me loses its ability to work wirelessly and i have to hard wire my all in one and shut down my network and redo the diagnostics and there is some problem with the "printer driver" even though my printer driver is up to date.

Works fine after difficult setup.......2007-05-04

This was the only print server found that supported our particular multifunction printer, the HP OfficeJet 6210. This kind of device can be difficult and frustrating to install and configure, so plan to spend a few hours and probably making a call to Linksys tech support. In my case, it was necessary to upgrade our Linksys router's firmware before it would recognize the print server. The configuration booklet does not include any troubleshooting information or instructions on how to access the web-based setup for the print server (necessary to configure wireless network WEP security) but instructions are available at the Linksys web site. The device finally worked properly on a laptop that previously had the printer hard-wired by USB, but on a wirelessly connected desktop, it was necessary to reinstall the printer drivers (even though they were already installed) and to physically connect and setup the printer on a USB port, before it could be plugged back into the print server for wireless operation.

A little slow, but works great!.......2007-04-14

Just got this to work with our Canon MP960.

Setup was a snap. If anything, it was too easy. The directions take you through the process step-by-step. As in: "Plug in the USB cable." Click Next. "Plug in the server's power cable." Click next. "Plug in the printer's power cable." Click next...

Still, it only took a few minutes. Only problem was that it incorrectly detected the wireless security level, so I had to go back a few steps and redo it. With that done, everything went smoothly.

Advantages:

I now have a simple and effective way to wirelessly print and scan from any computer in the house!

Downsides:

1. Data transmission through the server is noticeably slower than a direct USB connection. (Wireless G maxes out at 54mbps, whereas USB 2.0 allows for connections nearly 10 times faster. You've also got one extra device to relay the data between the comp and the printer.) For printing, that's not a huge deal. It just takes a little longer before everything can start. Scans, however, can take a long time, especially at high resolution.

2. Since only one computer at a time can use the printer, you have to manually connect to the print server before you can do anything. It's not a big deal. You just open the print server program (generally kept minimized to the system tray), click the "connect" button, and wait a sec. Then everything functions normally, as if you had a direct USB connection to the printer. It's just one extra step before you can print, and if you forget, you'll get errors as if the printer were unplugged. Hopefully, future software updates will allow this step to take place automatically.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics