Right equipment for home wireless?

I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are
needed and it's now time to buy, so I want to review the
list with someone more knowledgeable than I.

Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter
"talking" to a commercial access point. I want to add a
wireless network for a notebook computer and two printers,
one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).

I plan to buy

1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P

The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host
computer's Ethernet port.

Is this the right hardware?

--David

Hi

Basically you are on the right track.

I am not familiar with all the hardware that you listed.

There are few considerations with Printer servers.

Many of them are WEP only capable, so they drag the Wireless security down.
I.e. you would need to configure every thing WEP even if parts of the
Network are WPA capable.

Depending on the printer, you might not get all the printer capacities
through the Network with 3rd party printer server. I usually recommend,
"biting the bullet" and buying a Printer that is Network ready and plugs it
to the Network via wire. A humble All in One that is Network ready would
not be much more expensive than two Wireless Network Servers.

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"David Ellis" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:rLadnVlAdb78UVDeRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are needed and it's
>now time to buy, so I want to review the list with someone more
>knowledgeable than I.
>
> Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter "talking" to a
> commercial access point. I want to add a wireless network for a notebook
> computer and two printers, one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>
> I plan to buy
>
> 1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
> 2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
> 3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
> 4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>
> The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host computer's
> Ethernet port.
>
> Is this the right hardware?
>
> --David

Thanks for the heads up on WEP. Does "...you might not get
all the printer capacities..." mean the printer will not run
full rated speed? Or does it mean there will be missing
functions?
--David

> Hi
>
> Basically you are on the right track.
>
> I am not familiar with all the hardware that you listed.
>
> There are few considerations with Printer servers.
>
> Many of them are WEP only capable, so they drag the Wireless security down.
> I.e. you would need to configure every thing WEP even if parts of the
> Network are WPA capable.
>
> Depending on the printer, you might not get all the printer capacities
> through the Network with 3rd party printer server. I usually recommend,
> "biting the bullet" and buying a Printer that is Network ready and plugs it
> to the Network via wire. A humble All in One that is Network ready would
> not be much more expensive than two Wireless Network Servers.
>
> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>
>
>
> "David Ellis" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:rLadnVlAdb78UVDeRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are needed and it's
>>now time to buy, so I want to review the list with someone more
>>knowledgeable than I.
>>
>>Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter "talking" to a
>>commercial access point. I want to add a wireless network for a notebook
>>computer and two printers, one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>>
>>I plan to buy
>>
>>1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
>>2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
>>3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
>>4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>>
>>The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host computer's
>>Ethernet port.
>>
>>Is this the right hardware?
>>
>>--David
>
>
>

Per David Ellis:
>3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2

Got a WPS54G a few weeks ago.

Does the basic printing on my HP color printer, but the printer's built-in flash
card reader does not get supported. Moot to me because the thing was slow as
death anyhow.... but in general, I'd be on the lookout for whether all of a
given printer's features survive the wireless hookup.
--
PeteCresswell

David Ellis wrote:

> I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are
> needed and it's now time to buy, so I want to review the
> list with someone more knowledgeable than I.
>
> Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter
> "talking" to a commercial access point. I want to add a
> wireless network for a notebook computer and two printers,
> one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>
> I plan to buy
>
> 1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
> 2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
> 3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
> 4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>
> The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host
> computer's Ethernet port.
>
> Is this the right hardware?
>
> --David

Any particular reason why you selected the D-Link DP-311P rather than
two Linksys WPS54GU2s? Or at least one Linksys WPS54GU2 and a Linksys
WPS54G? From everything I've seen, it's usually more prudent (although
perhaps not completely necessary) to have all wireless devices from the
same manufacturer. According to the spec sheets, the WPS54G has a USB
2.0 port (which is backwards compatible with USB 1.1) while the WPS54GU2
has both a USB 2.0 port and a parallel port.

Lem wrote:
> David Ellis wrote:
>
>
>>I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are
>>needed and it's now time to buy, so I want to review the
>>list with someone more knowledgeable than I.
>>
>>Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter
>>"talking" to a commercial access point. I want to add a
>>wireless network for a notebook computer and two printers,
>>one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>>
>>I plan to buy
>>
>>1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
>>2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
>>3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
>>4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>>
>>The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host
>>computer's Ethernet port.
>>
>>Is this the right hardware?
>>
>>--David
>
>
> Any particular reason why you selected the D-Link DP-311P rather than
> two Linksys WPS54GU2s? Or at least one Linksys WPS54GU2 and a Linksys
> WPS54G? From everything I've seen, it's usually more prudent (although
> perhaps not completely necessary) to have all wireless devices from the
> same manufacturer. According to the spec sheets, the WPS54G has a USB
> 2.0 port (which is backwards compatible with USB 1.1) while the WPS54GU2
> has both a USB 2.0 port and a parallel port.
>
>
The WPS54GU2 has only a USB port, so far as I can tell. The
printer has a parallel (Centronics) port. If you know of a
Linksys wireless print server that has a parallel port, I'd
like to know about it.
--David

David Ellis wrote:
> Lem wrote:
>
>> David Ellis wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are
>>> needed and it's now time to buy, so I want to review the
>>> list with someone more knowledgeable than I.
>>>
>>> Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter
>>> "talking" to a commercial access point. I want to add a
>>> wireless network for a notebook computer and two printers,
>>> one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>>>
>>> I plan to buy
>>>
>>> 1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
>>> 2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
>>> 3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
>>> 4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>>>
>>> The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host
>>> computer's Ethernet port.
>>>
>>> Is this the right hardware?
>>>
>>> --David
>>
>>
>>
>> Any particular reason why you selected the D-Link DP-311P rather than
>> two Linksys WPS54GU2s? Or at least one Linksys WPS54GU2 and a Linksys
>> WPS54G? From everything I've seen, it's usually more prudent (although
>> perhaps not completely necessary) to have all wireless devices from the
>> same manufacturer. According to the spec sheets, the WPS54G has a USB
>> 2.0 port (which is backwards compatible with USB 1.1) while the WPS54GU2
>> has both a USB 2.0 port and a parallel port.
>>
>>
> The WPS54GU2 has only a USB port, so far as I can tell. The printer has
> a parallel (Centronics) port. If you know of a Linksys wireless print
> server that has a parallel port, I'd like to know about it.
> --David

All I know is what I see on the Linksys website:

From the main WPS54GU2 page (http://tinyurl.com/93jsy):
"The Linksys Wireless-G PrintServer for USB 2.0 lets you connect a USB
or parallel printer (or both!) directly to your network, eliminating the
need to dedicate a PC to print sharing chores. ... The USB port is
compatible with USB 1.1 printers, as well as printers that support the
new high-speed USB 2.0 specification for even faster throughput. There's
also a separate port for a standard parallel printer. For even more
versatility, you can connect two printers, one to each port, and send
your documents to whichever one is most appropriate for each print job."

And see the picture of both ports on page 3 of the User Guide
(http://tinyurl.com/7or5c)

Lem wrote:
> David Ellis wrote:
>
>> Lem wrote:
>>
>>> David Ellis wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are
>>>> needed and it's now time to buy, so I want to review the
>>>> list with someone more knowledgeable than I.
>>>>
>>>> Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter
>>>> "talking" to a commercial access point. I want to add a
>>>> wireless network for a notebook computer and two printers,
>>>> one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>>>>
>>>> I plan to buy
>>>>
>>>> 1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
>>>> 2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
>>>> 3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
>>>> 4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>>>>
>>>> The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host
>>>> computer's Ethernet port.
>>>>
>>>> Is this the right hardware?
>>>>
>>>> --David
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Any particular reason why you selected the D-Link DP-311P rather than
>>> two Linksys WPS54GU2s? Or at least one Linksys WPS54GU2 and a Linksys
>>> WPS54G? From everything I've seen, it's usually more prudent (although
>>> perhaps not completely necessary) to have all wireless devices from the
>>> same manufacturer. According to the spec sheets, the WPS54G has a USB
>>> 2.0 port (which is backwards compatible with USB 1.1) while the WPS54GU2
>>> has both a USB 2.0 port and a parallel port.
>>>
>>>
>> The WPS54GU2 has only a USB port, so far as I can tell. The printer
>> has a parallel (Centronics) port. If you know of a Linksys wireless
>> print server that has a parallel port, I'd like to know about it.
>> --David
>
>
> All I know is what I see on the Linksys website:
>
> From the main WPS54GU2 page (http://tinyurl.com/93jsy):
> "The Linksys Wireless-G PrintServer for USB 2.0 lets you connect a USB
> or parallel printer (or both!) directly to your network, eliminating the
> need to dedicate a PC to print sharing chores. ... The USB port is
> compatible with USB 1.1 printers, as well as printers that support the
> new high-speed USB 2.0 specification for even faster throughput. There's
> also a separate port for a standard parallel printer. For even more
> versatility, you can connect two printers, one to each port, and send
> your documents to whichever one is most appropriate for each print job."
>
> And see the picture of both ports on page 3 of the User Guide
> (http://tinyurl.com/7or5c)

I must be going blind in my old age. Thank you, Lem, for
your patience and persistence and the useful links.

In the User Guide Specifications I don't find WPA
capability, only WEP. Is there a print server that offers
WPA security?

David Ellis wrote:

> Lem wrote:
> > David Ellis wrote:
> >
> >> Lem wrote:
> >>
> >>> David Ellis wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are
> >>>> needed and it's now time to buy, so I want to review the
> >>>> list with someone more knowledgeable than I.
> >>>>
> >>>> Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter
> >>>> "talking" to a commercial access point. I want to add a
> >>>> wireless network for a notebook computer and two printers,
> >>>> one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
> >>>>
> >>>> I plan to buy
> >>>>
> >>>> 1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
> >>>> 2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
> >>>> 3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
> >>>> 4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
> >>>>
> >>>> The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host
> >>>> computer's Ethernet port.
> >>>>
> >>>> Is this the right hardware?
> >>>>
> >>>> --David
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Any particular reason why you selected the D-Link DP-311P rather than
> >>> two Linksys WPS54GU2s? Or at least one Linksys WPS54GU2 and a Linksys
> >>> WPS54G? From everything I've seen, it's usually more prudent (although
> >>> perhaps not completely necessary) to have all wireless devices from the
> >>> same manufacturer. According to the spec sheets, the WPS54G has a USB
> >>> 2.0 port (which is backwards compatible with USB 1.1) while the WPS54GU2
> >>> has both a USB 2.0 port and a parallel port.
> >>>
> >>>
> >> The WPS54GU2 has only a USB port, so far as I can tell. The printer
> >> has a parallel (Centronics) port. If you know of a Linksys wireless
> >> print server that has a parallel port, I'd like to know about it.
> >> --David
> >
> >
> > All I know is what I see on the Linksys website:
> >
> > From the main WPS54GU2 page (http://tinyurl.com/93jsy):
> > "The Linksys Wireless-G PrintServer for USB 2.0 lets you connect a USB
> > or parallel printer (or both!) directly to your network, eliminating the
> > need to dedicate a PC to print sharing chores. ... The USB port is
> > compatible with USB 1.1 printers, as well as printers that support the
> > new high-speed USB 2.0 specification for even faster throughput. There's
> > also a separate port for a standard parallel printer. For even more
> > versatility, you can connect two printers, one to each port, and send
> > your documents to whichever one is most appropriate for each print job."
> >
> > And see the picture of both ports on page 3 of the User Guide
> > (http://tinyurl.com/7or5c)
>
> I must be going blind in my old age. Thank you, Lem, for
> your patience and persistence and the useful links.
>
> In the User Guide Specifications I don't find WPA
> capability, only WEP. Is there a print server that offers
> WPA security?

You make a very good point. Typically, all of the wireless connections on a
single network have to have the same encryption setup, which means you would be
limited to WEP for all if you used the WPS54GU2.

As near as I can determine, the WPS54GU2 does NOT support WPA (although the
WPS54G supports WPA-PSK). This is the type of feature that would be added by a
firmware upgrade, although Linksys has not chosen to do so yet. See this thread
at linksysinfo.org (a very good place to know about if you have Linksys
hardware): http://tinyurl.com/c3uq4

However, I'd suggest not using the D-Link DP-311P that you listed in your
original post. Not only does it seem not to have WPA, but it's a 802.11b
device. Although 802.11b and 802.11g are compatible in that they use the same
RF frequencies, at least when g devices first came out, the use of mixed b and g
devices on the same wireless network slowed everythig down. I don't know if
this effect has been dealt with, but D-Link also makes the DP-G301, which is a
wireless G parallel port print server. The DP-G301 is newer, and I "think" that
it supports WPA, but I'd check with D-Link if I were you.

My recomendations are:

1) a wireless access point, Linksys WRT54GS (Router and AP with
Speedbooster)
2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54GS (With Speedbooster)
3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2 ( It`s OK, but considering WPA shared
key option even WEP security options, I recomend buy it the WPS54G )
4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P ( I`m Not familiar with this
hardware)

I hope that this tips can help to decide you.


"David Ellis" <(E-Mail Removed)> escribió en el mensaje
news:rLadnVlAdb78UVDeRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I had help here getting an understanding of what boxes are needed and it's
>now time to buy, so I want to review the list with someone more
>knowledgeable than I.
>
> Host ICS computer already has a USB wireless adapter "talking" to a
> commercial access point. I want to add a wireless network for a notebook
> computer and two printers, one USB and the other parallel (Centronics).
>
> I plan to buy
>
> 1) a wireless access point, Linksys WAP54G
> 2) notebook adapter, Linksys WPC54G
> 3) USB print server, Linksys WPS54GU2
> 4) Paralell printer server, D-Link DP-311P
>
> The wireless access point will be connected to the ICS host computer's
> Ethernet port.
>
> Is this the right hardware?
>
> --David