D-Link wireless print servers and security?

The generous and thoughtful responses to my posting in
another thread has lead to looking at D-Link servers for my
legacy parallel printers. But I don't find, among the D-Link
spec sheets, any reference to WEP and WPA security.

I will use a WPA-secured network and I understand (I'm a
neophyte in such matters) that the security level will be
dragged down to the least secure device on the network. If
one node is WEP-capable only, the network cannot operate
with WPA security.

Do D-Link print servers offer WEP or WPA and just not bother
mentioning it in literature?

--David

J David Ellis <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>another thread has lead to looking at D-Link servers for my
>legacy parallel printers.

I've successfully(*) used a D-Link USB print server, but on a WiFi
network with no security, so it didn't matter. I'd check the specs
carefully. D-Link lies in their spec sheets, and shades the truth a
lot, so I'd buy from a place with a good return policy.

(*) It was what I had, so I got it working. The promised function of
"check an Email account on a regular basis and print out what you find
there" didn't work, but I couldn't find the time to try to fix it.

If you check the details at the WiFi alliance, you can't get new WiFi
certification without WPA, but several vendors have. I've poked the
WiFi alliance folks to get them to push back on the vendor for WPA
code, but it was a long and painful process.

I'd stay away from D-Link. A recent HP(?) All-In-One at a client site
has WiFi built in already, so I'd have to imagine they've worked out
those compatability issues. 8*)

On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 16:26:03 -0800, J David Ellis <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Do D-Link print servers offer WEP or WPA and just not bother
>mentioning it in literature?

Not bother. The current trend in marketing driven data sheets is to
remove as much technical detail as possble. The trend will continue
until either nothing is left, or someone complains.

DP-311 offers WEP but not WPA:
http://support.dlink.com/emulators/dp311p/Cwireless.htm

DP-G301 doesn't have any useful data on the DLink web pile. Try
downloading and reading the docs. There should be some clues in
there.

I couldn't find a wireless parallel port print server that also
supports WPA but will do some more searching tonight.



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# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
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# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
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