Wireless USB print servers?

I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find
claim you need a "compatible printer" without any indication of what
that means. Is that "try it, and if it works it's OK, if it doesn't
it's not supported", or is there some secret?

Thanks!

I would assume that those devices work with most "modern" printers. What
concerns me though about those devices is the lack of support I have seen
for WPA. I briefly looked into them and they only supported WEP. It's
possible that some of them will support now or soon WPA shared key. I am
more interested in WPA radius as that is how I have my home network setup
with EAP-TLS.

Jeff


<William P.N. Smith> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find
> claim you need a "compatible printer" without any indication of what
> that means. Is that "try it, and if it works it's OK, if it doesn't
> it's not supported", or is there some secret?
>
> Thanks!
>

Jeff

Does that mean you have a server? What's it running?

tnx
jtm

"Jeff Durham" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:k6D%c.83737$(E-Mail Removed)...
I would assume that those devices work with most "modern" printers. What
concerns me though about those devices is the lack of support I have seen
for WPA. I briefly looked into them and they only supported WEP. It's
possible that some of them will support now or soon WPA shared key. I am
more interested in WPA radius as that is how I have my home network setup
with EAP-TLS.

Jeff

If you are referring to WPA RADIUS, then the answer is yes. I am running
Windows 2003. Windows 2000 server also has this capability. You setup a
RADIUS server through Internet Authentication Services (IAS). I also have a
certificate authority running as well. Again, this comes with Windows
2000/2003.

Jeff


"Jim Miller" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:MJSdnbkpg7jHjqLcRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Jeff
>
> Does that mean you have a server? What's it running?
>
> tnx
> jtm
>
> "Jeff Durham" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:k6D%c.83737$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I would assume that those devices work with most "modern" printers. What
> concerns me though about those devices is the lack of support I have seen
> for WPA. I briefly looked into them and they only supported WEP. It's
> possible that some of them will support now or soon WPA shared key. I am
> more interested in WPA radius as that is how I have my home network setup
> with EAP-TLS.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>

William wrote:
> I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find
> claim you need a "compatible printer" without any indication of what
> that means. Is that "try it, and if it works it's OK, if it doesn't
> it's not supported", or is there some secret?

I suspect that means "anything with a Centronics PC-compatible interface".
I just added a rather simple receipt printer to a WinXPHome system with a
USB-Parallel printer cable. Presumably the same kind of driver.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>William wrote:
>> I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find

>I suspect that means "anything with a Centronics PC-compatible interface".

Why would I be looking for a USB print server with a Centronics
interface?

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 08:14:55 -0400, William P.N. Smith wrote:

>I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find
>claim you need a "compatible printer" without any indication of what
>that means. Is that "try it, and if it works it's OK, if it doesn't
>it's not supported", or is there some secret?

Do you have any idea of how many USB printers a manufactory would need
to test? My guess is that there are about 10,000 models and mutations
sold in the last 8 years or so. Dlink has a compatibility list:

http://support.dlink.com/faq/view.as...ion=DP%2D300U+
but is far from complete (or accurate) as most of the printers listed
are not USB printers.

Where you get into trouble are multi-malfunction printers that include
scanners, camera memory cards, fax, and modem capabilities. None that
I've ever tried have worked with a USB print servers. They're for
printers and only for printers.

I've also had problems with overly intelligent printers that have
built-in configuration servers. While USB is nothing but a fancy
serial port, one would expect such things to be a no-brainer.
Apparently not. I can configure the HP1200 laser printer directly
connected to the USB port, but not through a USB print server. (The
HP 175x Ethernet to USB print server seems to work just fine).

Therefore, the magic formula is that it will work with a simple,
unintelligent, dumb, USB printer, that isn't multi-malfunctional, and
doesn't require internal configuration.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

William wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>William wrote:
>>> I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find

>>I suspect that means "anything with a Centronics PC-compatible interface".

> Why would I be looking for a USB print server with a Centronics
> interface?

An allegory run aok ;-)
I saw the "USB" and the "compatible" and put those together.

Any USB printer is very likely to be "compatible" with any USB print
server. It is such a commodity, there is no broad testing done.

Blank CDROMs probably contain some commentary about "compatible" writers.
(Another allegory, closer on point.)

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 09:32:12 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 08:14:55 -0400, William P.N. Smith wrote:
>
>>I'm looking fro a WiFi USB print server, and all the ones I can find
>>claim you need a "compatible printer" without any indication of what
>>that means. Is that "try it, and if it works it's OK, if it doesn't
>>it's not supported", or is there some secret?
>
>Do you have any idea of how many USB printers a manufactory would need
>to test? My guess is that there are about 10,000 models and mutations
>sold in the last 8 years or so. Dlink has a compatibility list:
>
>http://support.dlink.com/faq/view.as...ion=DP%2D300U+
>but is far from complete (or accurate) as most of the printers listed
>are not USB printers.
>
>Where you get into trouble are multi-malfunction printers that include
>scanners, camera memory cards, fax, and modem capabilities. None that
>I've ever tried have worked with a USB print servers. They're for
>printers and only for printers.
>
>I've also had problems with overly intelligent printers that have
>built-in configuration servers. While USB is nothing but a fancy
>serial port, one would expect such things to be a no-brainer.
>Apparently not. I can configure the HP1200 laser printer directly
>connected to the USB port, but not through a USB print server. (The
>HP 175x Ethernet to USB print server seems to work just fine).
>
>Therefore, the magic formula is that it will work with a simple,
>unintelligent, dumb, USB printer, that isn't multi-malfunctional, and
>doesn't require internal configuration.

On the money, as usual.
John

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 17:51:41 -0700, John <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

(...)
>On the money, as usual.
>John

Money? What money? I do this because... well, never mind. I don't
know why I'm doing this... It's certainly not for the money.

Here's another clue. The HP 175x USB print server data sheet lists
the HP printers that are supported:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...302-28830.html
Notice that not one of the combination multi-malfunction
printer/scanner/fax/ram-card/modem devices are listed.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831.336.2558 voice http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
# (E-Mail Removed)
# 831.421.6491 digital_pager (E-Mail Removed) AE6KS