pc cards

It's been 10 minutes after I posted my last review...

In that time, I have installed the latest software and updated the firmware. The two really took me about 5 minutes.

The update adds a nice feature for single-PC networks. If a device is labeled a single-user device, then you don't need to take control of it every time you want to use it.

I also found out that it is possible to boot others off the server (actually everyone).

If you go to the Admin tab on the server SW, and edit the server settings (something simple like a password change), it will reboot the hardware (not your PC), which will disconnect all shared devices. This is a rather brute-force approach, but the manual doesn't indicate any other way.

Even after an extra 10 minutes of use, I think this device is the best thing since a USB thumb drive (which you can connect to the server as well).

This thing is just TOO COOL!!!!

- end of gushing -

I opened the packing box 10 MINUTES AGO, and both of my printers are up and running on every PC.

I was a little worried when I saw the 'documentation' was smaller than a CD, but everything went off without a hitch:

Step 1: Power up the USB server with no USB device hooked up to it, and connect it to the network via RJ45.
Step 2: Install the software (if WinXP, use the unsigned drivers). Your OS searches the network at this time and finds the USB Server.
Step 3: Hook up your USB devices.

THAT'S IT!!!

If you have a Multi-Function printer, you NEED this device, because even if you find a compatible print server, it will only let you use the print function. A Printer Server turns your Multi-Function printer into a Uni-Function Printer.

With this device, it will be just as if the printer were directly connected to your PC. In fact, you are not limited to PCs; you can connect ANY USB device to it (camcorder, scanner, webcam, even a mouse or keyboard).

The ONLY advantage that a print server has over this device is that with a server, multiple PCs can control a target device at once (really, that's not quite true, since the requestes are put in a queue).

With the USB server, every PC uses a little administration program. When launched, it opens a window that lists all of the devices that are connected to the USB server. A PC on the network that wants to use a device (i.e. print) needs to first take command of that device. You just select the device by name, and hit the connect button. From that point on, it's as if the printer were plugged directly into your PC. Others trying to use the printer would see that you were subscribed to it; they would have to wait until you release the subscription - which you have to do manually.

They could really use a virtual queue that keeps checking until the subscription is open, then releases the subscription when the job is completed. The problem is that if the device isn't a printer, how does it know when the job is finished?

So, even if you have only one PC on the network, you need to request access to use the printer. On the (sort of) bright side, every time you power up the PC, it will remember who owns what. I think the memory is maintained in the USB Server itself, not the PC. So if a PC takes control of a device, then dies, cycling power on the server releases all devices.

This is a little hokey (they claim they MIGHT fix it in a later release) but it's 1000% better than losing printer functions you paid for. They have an 'Admin' panel on the software, but I don't think it currently lets you boot someone off of a device.

If you already installed the devices you want to share, then once you connect to the server, every device will show up by name. When you take control of one or more of the devices, Windows goes through the 'new device ready' popup.

If you haven't added the device to your PC, then the server will show a default name for the device. Once you take control of it, Windows will detect the PnP device, and start the 'add new hardware' wizard.

It's truly as if the USB server didn't exist, and you had a REALLY long USB cable.

I have a Canon i950 Photo Printer, and a Brother 9600 MFC.

The Brother is particularly painful in that it won't even work with most printer servers. In fact, Windows XP doesn't even have a dedicated driver for it; Brother has all but stopped supporting it.

I was highly skeptical, but the MFC's scanner worked right away. As for the Canon, I launched the Status Monitor, and was soon seeing I had to replace an ink cartridge. So, the USB server is bi-directional, too (most Print servers aren't).

It took me longer to write this review than it took me to get the server up and running.

I can't recommend this product highly enough!