IOGEAR USB 2.0 Print Server, 1-Port (GPSU21)

List Price: $57.99 Discount Price: Too low to display

Features:

• IOGear USB 2.0 Print Server GPSU21 - Print server - Hi-Speed USB
• IOGEAR

Customer Reviews:

Sharing equals one at a time [Posted on 2008-06-04]
I bought this product so that 4 computers could share one printer. Technically they can, you just have to logoff one computer before another can log on. Something as simple as printing takes 3 steps. 1) Disconnect another connected computer. 2) Connect your computer. 3) Then Print. This product is a waste of money.

Mixed Results [Posted on 2008-06-25]
Read all the reviews and decided to take the chance - now I'm paying for it. The print server installed very easily on my XP machine. No problems with the hardward, software or installation. Up and running in a matter of minutes. Couldn't be any easier. Thus I walked away from my XP machine very happy and with high hopes.

That all ended when I started the installation on my Vista laptop. 2 hours into it and still no luck. It prints (HP LaserJet 1012) garbage, gives error messages and just plain won't work. I'm in the process of trying every which way to install the printer hoping that one method will eventually work.

The website for IOGear support is ok. Very, very little documentation on the this model of print server. I did find one document regarding installing the server under Vista. Followed the directions line by line with no luck. Very few of the 1000 series laserjets are listed. It starts with the LJ 1500. Nothing below that is listed as being tested and approved. But I figure if it works with the 1500 it should work with the rest of the 1000 series printers. Maybe not...

I'll post an update once I get or not get the printer attached under Vista.

Had problems with HP P1006 [Posted on 2008-08-04]
We purchased this to solve sharing issues with a HP P1006 printer. I'd used a Linksys PSUS4 PrintServer for USB with 4 Port Switch in the past with some success and wanted to see if this less expensive option might also work. The web interface for the server is quite a bit clunkier than that of the linksys and it lacks the extra external ports meaning I had to dig out a spare 5-port switch to plug in next to the print server. Ultimately it did not work - probably more of a function of the drivers and/or printer than this server.

After trial and error, works with Vista [Posted on 2008-09-06]
I bought this to connect my Canon MP760 to my two notebook computers, one running XP and the other Vista. After connecting the device to my printer and my router, I started the install CD on my XP notebook and ran the wizard, accepting all the standard options. The software finished and reported a success, but I couldn't print anything. Then I noticed (after being clued in by reading someone else's review) that the printer needs to be set to Online in the printers control panel. After doing this my XP notebook could print.

However it wasn't so easy on the Vista notebook. Although the CD software seemed to run fine (after giving it permission), no amount of tweaking got anything to print. Items would sit in the print queue forever, and zero bytes would by shown sent to the printer. It should be noted that IOGear nowhere says this software is compatible with Vista, I can confirm it is not, and I couldn't find any Vista driver on the IOGear website.

Now the good news. I discovered there is a much simpler way to install this device. Just use the instructions for IPP that are given at the back of the manual. These instructions are given for setting up to print over the internet, but the same technique can be used to set up on a local home network. With a home network it all boils down to: tell Windows you are installing a network printer and type in the URL as http://192.168.0.90:631/lp1, (your IP address will be different) then select the print driver and you are done. What it so hard about that? Nothing. And this method DOES work for both Windows XP and Windows Vista.

So it took me about 2 hours of trial and error, but now it works great. The device can be managed and configured using a web browser, just by typing in its IP address. The CD-ROM software that comes with it is not needed at all. The only thing the CD sw may help with is discovering the IP address the device is using, but that could also be done by viewing your router's status. I should mention since my router uses DHCP and serves addresses in the range 100..199 I decided to configure the print server with a fixed address of 90. Using a fixed address is the logical thing to do in this setup, because you don't want DHCP to ever change it. Again that can be configured using the device's web setup page.

After all is said and done, I sort of expect hiccups when installing a product like this, and I am judging mainly based on the final outcome: this is a great little product for a great price. I'm very happy with it.

Nothing But Trouble [Posted on 2008-09-07]
I was able to install right out of the box...then after about 3 weeks I had to reinstall windows xp on my computers and the printer server no longer works. I already dumped the boxes so now I can't return it.

I've spent hours trying to make the printer server work again, but no luck. Waiting to hear back from tech support. I found the list of supported printers online and I see that my brother HL-5040 is not on the list...of course, it did work for 3 weeks.

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