Networks

I have seen home grade wireless print servers for under $40 (US) from time to time at the local office supply stores.

I found this Netgear server with a 4 port switch that lists for $85.

http://tinyurl.com/yl8xes

With a USB connected printer, you really only have 2 options for sharing:

A USB print server.

Use a PC as a print server using printer sharing.

The device you found on Amazon is NOT a protocol adapter. Just a cable adapter. Since USB and Ethernet use very different data transfer standards, this device will not allow you to connect a USB device to a network.

Of course, you do have the option of using a wire USB printer server and connecting it up to your network.

This Netgear print server lists for $60.

http://tinyurl.com/yzu87w

Chas

It's not cheap at $149 US, but that's about the only way you're going to get printers which normally require attachment to a PC to get connected to a network and have a unique IP address so you can print to them.

I don't think the adapter you're looking at would work, since the printer doesn't have the necessary communication protocols built into it so that it could "talk" to the network. The JetDirect does that for the printer.

http://tinyurl.com/5poemx

...

I had the same problem and the way we resolved it was by using Netgear Print Servers WGPS606 which had 2 usb ports and four ethernet ports
Our HP5800 connected first time after setting it up and it has worked reliably ever since.

These devices were not expensive and had the added advantage of connecting wirelessly to our main router approx cost ?55.00

It also allows us to add ethernet printers later and the office can be moved around if required .

Just as with many of the last generation of parallel port printers that required direct 2 way communication with a computer in order to print, a USB printer needs to be connected to a device that mimics a USB port in a computer.

There are no options other than printer sharing or a USB printer server to do this IF the only interface on the printer is a USB port.

The low cost way to this is to use a wired printer server and connect it to a wired hub port on your access point.

Chas