Belkin F1UP0001 Wireless USB Print Server by Belkin Inc.
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List Price: Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Belkin F1UP0001 Wireless USB Print Server
Digital camera Review: Looks can be deceiving
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this model mainly because I found it cheap (eBay) and it had two usb ports. I couldn't check the compatibility list Belkin provides because the link was down but I took the plunge anyways. Good thing I'm more tech savy than your average person.
I could not get this to work with either of my printers by following the instructions and using the software. Turns out, this does not by default tell you to set up your printers through TCP/IP ports. There is software you must install on each computer you plan to use that creates a virtual "Belkin" port. This special port is how you are able to wirelessly print to each printer.
Thankfully this model supports raw tcp/ip printing through ports 9100 and 9101. I would recommend to bypass the traditional instructions and install your printer through a tcp/ip port. You will save yourself a ton of headache. Also, the software creates a logfile called logmon.log and it grows to roughly the total amount of free space you have on your computer. I have found it to be over 3 GB at times (that's not a typo). Do a seach on a logmon.log - I'm not lying.
Another downfall of this model is that does not support WPA. It only supports WEP. I tried to do a firmware update but could never get it to update. I connected wirelessly and wired and tried IE and Firefox and still could not get it to work.
This product works but do not think that it's just going to work out of the box.
Digital camera Review: Marathon set-up nightmare!
Summary: 1 Stars
In short, why a 1 Star Rating you wonder?
Took forever to set up properly; long wait time and poor help from tech support; automatic set-up I doubt will ever work for anyone. Though it does work once finally set up.
So I decided to go wireless at home with a new laptop, new wireless router, and a wireless print server (PS), so I can put the printer in the garage and free up space in the house.
I did a lot of research and decided to get a Belkin router (F5D7231-4) and this PS from the same manufacturer so hopefully they would set-up easily together. This is definitely not the case!
First be warned this product IS NOT WPA compatible! Thus, even though the router is WPA able, you cannot use WPA with the PS and thus have to use WEP for the network once this product is used. Hopefully in the future this product will support WPA, but it would only hopefully do so thru a Firmware Upgrade. Do not think this PS is WPA compatible.
Next, be warned the box says "3 Minute Easy Install" - well it took me about 12 hours total to get the PS working now wirelessly. I am not a computer techie, but I am smart, a great problem solver, and savvy enough to teach myself how to create a whole html website with hundreds of pages.
I tried to set-up the PS on a static IP address, as recommended by my techie friends, but this just did not happen. Thus, next time I restart the router it may assign the PS a different IP address and then I'll have to find it thru the router interface and reconfigure the printer set-up for that new address-so I plan to spend more time in the future revisiting this issue.
The crux of how I got it to work is by using the router interface and entering the MAC addresses of the PS and computers in the network. This is the golden key I searched for for hours trying all permutations of all the other settings in the router's and PS's web interfaces. Only this way was I able to unhook the LANd-line from the PS to the router and get it to interface and thus work wirelessly.
Belkin tech support had medium wait time, friendly techs (not always speaking English without thick accents though), and they were unable to solve my golden key for me. They even promised a chief tech would call me back but that never happened.
So, yes, the product works fine but just be warned from someone perhaps like yourself that I had to learn way more about this whole network/configuration issue than I ever wanted or expected to, and I had to manually configure the whole set-up to get this product to work.
Digital camera Review: No problems
Summary: 5 Stars
Great, right out the box. Very easy to figure out and printing within minutes.Digital camera Review: Some problems, yet up and running in approx. 30 minutes
Summary: 4 Stars
While I had some problems setting up (my first wireless device added to my router. Forgot I SSID broadcast turned off (oops!)).
I also couldn't get the "wizard" to recognize the server.
I called tech support (excellent) and they had me running in a few minutes.
Actually fairly painless considering some of the other print server review/horror stories I've read.
Gets a 4 mainly for not recommending you hard wire to computer first, then go wireless. Possibly would have saved the call to tech support.
Also, my print driver monitoring of ink levels is no more.
I have also read other reviews of print servers that suggest they slow printing. I printed a 20meg photo of my daughter as a trial.
I would never know the printer wasn't plugged into my machine! Took seconds to start, and the same time to print as when direct connected.
Overall, well worth the price (and considering what I've seen this listed for, it's a great price!)
Digital camera Review: Superb Wireless Print Server
Summary: 5 Stars
The Belkin is super easy to set up. Had it up and running in less than 3 minutes! The only way it could have possibly been better is if it had one other port. A great product.