Network printing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Metspitzer
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Metspitzer

I would like to convert my USB printer to a network printer.
It looks like this one is all Newegg has.
Good? Bad?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833996123

Since this has two USB ports, could this allow a USB hard drive to be
used as a network drive?

I was also looking at one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136746
It doesn't look like it has a USB port. That would make it network
only. I wonder why they would not also include USB?
Click to expand...

Because a small pci usb card would be trivial to add??
 
Metspitzer said:
I would like to convert my USB printer to a network printer.
Click to expand...

Wireless or wired? You didn't say what type of networking.

Why go to the expense of adding more hardware? Why not just share the
printer on the host to which it is currently attached? Or do you not
like having to spend the money on electricity to keep that computer
powered up and instead want to spend lesser money on electricity to
power the wireless device server? How many years before the savings in
electricity from the less power hungry network device server overcomes
the cost to buy that network device server?
It looks like this one is all Newegg has.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833996123
Click to expand...

Some others listed in this search:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N=100010072&isNodeId=1&Description=usb+server
Since this has two USB ports, could this allow a USB hard drive to be
used as a network drive?
Click to expand...

There is a link to the manufacturer's product page on that Newegg page,
which is:

http://www.silexamerica.com/products/usb_device_connectivity/sx-3000gb.html

Read the 3rd bullet.
Click on the Features tab and look at the diagram.
I was also looking at one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136746
It doesn't look like it has a USB port. That would make it network
only. I wonder why they would not also include USB?
Click to expand...

Um, because its product title is "Western Digital My Book Live 2TB
Personal Cloud Storage". *Storage* (wireless NAS), not a wireless AP
(access point) or general-purpose wireless device server.
 
Because a small pci usb card would be trivial to add??
Click to expand...

The main thing is that I want to move the PC I have in my bedroom to
another location. I would like the printer to stay. The DSL line is
a deticated line to that spot and that where the UPS is.

That computer runs 24/7 but I don't want to do that anymore. I would
like to have a network hard drive without having to run that PC 24/7
any more.

Not quite as trivial, huh?
 
Wireless or wired? You didn't say what type of networking.
Click to expand...
I wish I had bought a wireless printer, but the printer is right
beside the router, so a wired one will do.
I have a 3/4 basement so I have very easy access to wire a network
connection anywhere, but wireless is more convenient.
 
Metspitzer said:
I wish I had bought a wireless printer, but the printer is right
beside the router, so a wired one will do.
I have a 3/4 basement so I have very easy access to wire a network
connection anywhere, but wireless is more convenient.
Click to expand...

I was actually what the *rest* of the network was like, not the printer.
If the printer is right next to the router, I'd keep it wired. Wireless
incurs both reduction in security along with reduction in speed. 54
Mbps for wireless is still a lot less than 480 Mbps. While wireless is
probably fast enough for a normal print job, you asked about attaching
multiple devices to the network device server, like hard disks. One you
start using one, you might end up adding more devices to that server.
You can never be too healthy or have too much hardware <grin>
Click to expand...

Wrong. Being healthy means eliminating the bad stuff. Adding more
hardware *reduces* reliability. If you've had to maintain a computer
room, the more hard disk assemblies, the shorter the MTBF. For RAID,
the more disks you add to a RAID then the *shorter* the time before
failure. The more fans you put into a case the sooner one of them will
fail. MTBF goes down with increased hardware.
 
I was actually what the *rest* of the network was like, not the printer.
If the printer is right next to the router, I'd keep it wired. Wireless
incurs both reduction in security along with reduction in speed. 54
Mbps for wireless is still a lot less than 480 Mbps. While wireless is
probably fast enough for a normal print job, you asked about attaching
multiple devices to the network device server, like hard disks. One you
start using one, you might end up adding more devices to that server.


Wrong. Being healthy means eliminating the bad stuff. Adding more
hardware *reduces* reliability. If you've had to maintain a computer
room, the more hard disk assemblies, the shorter the MTBF. For RAID,
the more disks you add to a RAID then the *shorter* the time before
failure. The more fans you put into a case the sooner one of them will
fail. MTBF goes down with increased hardware.
Click to expand...

As it is now, the computer that was being used as the printer server
is down. I was thinking that if it were a stand alone network printer
that would be less problems. Seeing the extra USB port made me think
that would be perfect for a portable hard drive to eliminate keeping a
PC on all the time.

Thanks for your suggestons.
 
Hmm, it looks like there's more than that:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N=100007830 600014444&IsNodeId=1&name=USB 2.0

Here are the ones *without* wireless connectivity:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7830 600014444 600014426&IsNodeId=1&name=RJ45



That's certainly what they claim:
http://www.silexamerica.com/products/data_sheets/sx-3000gb_datasheet.pdf

I've had pretty mixed success with those types of devices. I guess it
might be that if a device is not designed to be networked, then tricking
into that multiuser scenario has its limitations.

Monoprice has a few network print servers as well:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10521&cs_id=1052103

You might be better of just picking up an inexpensive networked
printer--they're all over the place.



I supposed it wouldn't have cost much more to have the USB port, but if
I had the choice between NAS and local USB, I would defintely go for NAS.
Click to expand...
I will keep that in mind.

Thanks
 
Metspitzer said:
As it is now, the computer that was being used as the printer server
is down. I was thinking that if it were a stand alone network printer
that would be less problems. Seeing the extra USB port made me think
that would be perfect for a portable hard drive to eliminate keeping a
PC on all the time.

Thanks for your suggestons.
Click to expand...

You can get an Ethernet printer server hub for about a third the price
of the device server you mentioned. Of course, you can only connect a
printer to that and you mentioned wanted to include a NAS device (but
you listed a wireless one to be used separately).
 
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