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Print freely: dedicated Wi-Fi print servers | More resources |
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 Felisa Yang, Associate editor |
If the point of a wireless home network is flexibility and convenience, why do we still tether printers to specific PCs at home, loading those machines with processing overhead? A wireless print server, whether standalone or rolled into a wireless router, lets everyone on your wireless network print effortlessly and from anywhere in the house, and it frees up PC resources. Generally, routers with dedicated USB print servers have only one USB port, but a standalone print server, such as the Netgear WGPS606, often has more than one port, so you can connect a photo inkjet printer and a laser printer. That way, you can pick the printer that's right for the job.
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| Product name |
NetGear WGPS606 54 Mbps Wireless Print Server w/4 Port Switch |
Linksys WPS54GU2 Wireless-G print server |
U.S. Robotics MaxG router |
Apple AirPort Express Base Station |
Asus WL-500g Premium Wireless Router |
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| Review date | July 21, 2005 | April 5, 2005 | July 6, 2005 | August 4, 2004 | March 17, 2004 |
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Editors' rating (Editors' rating explained) |
6.0
Good |
4.0
Mediocre |
5.9
Average |
8.1
Excellent |
7.4
Very good |
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| Product videos |
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| Review summary | Though it works with only a smattering of printers and can be a chore to configure, this Wi-Fi print server gets the job done. | In theory, a print server can be useful, but the Linksys WPS54GU2 is not reliable enough for us to recommend. | Though it's not the best long-range performer, the U.S. Robotics Wireless MaxG router is one of the cheapest ways to achieve decent wireless throughput over long distances. | This is among the best compact wireless-networking devices available. | The Asus WL-500g's advanced features make it well suited for hobbyists, but its complexity and weak user docs make it a stretch for those new to networking. |
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| User comments | 6.8 Good (from 33 users) | 3.9 Poor (from 58 users) | 7.0 Very good (from 25 users) | 6.9 Good (from 66 users) | 6.9 Good (from 19 users) |
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• Ethernet , Fast Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g • 0.7 lbs • NetBEUI/NetBIOS , TCP/IP • Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP • 1 year warranty • HTTP • 54 Mbps Full specifications |
• IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g • 0.4 lbs • Print server • 54 Mbps Full specifications |
• PPPoE , L2TP , TCP/IP , PPTP , IPSec • Wireless router • 125 Mbps • Ethernet , Fast Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g • 0.7 lbs • Firewall protection , Print server , MAC address filtering , DHCP support , VPN passthrough , Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) • Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP , Apple MacOS , Linux , UNIX • External • 2 years warranty • HTTP Full specifications |
• None • PPPoE , L2TP , PPTP , IPSec • Wireless access point • 11.1 • None • 54 Mbps • 16 • IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g • External • 25 • 0.4 lbs • Firewall protection , Print server , MAC address filtering , DHCP support , Dynamic DNS server , VPN passthrough , NAT support • Apple MacOS X 10.2.7 or later , Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP , Apple MacOS X 10.3 or later • 1.1 in x 3 in x 3.7 in • None • Apple AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes - Wireless access point • SNMP Full specifications |
• PPPoE , L2TP , PPTP , IPSec • Wireless router • 54 Mbps • Ethernet , Fast Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g • 1.3 lbs • DMZ port , Firewall protection , MDI/MDI-X switch , VPN support , DHCP support , Wireless Distribution System (WDS) support , VPN passthrough , Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) , NAT support • External • HTTP Full specifications |
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