Ask Engadget: Best wireless router with USB printing capabilities?
By Darren Murph 
posted March 12th 2009 10:22PM
posted March 12th 2009 10:22PM
If your low-rate router fails on you, you might as well select a replacement with more utility than the one you're burying, right? Axel sure thinks so: "My bargain-basement CompUSA-branded wireless router is finally starting to fail on me, prompting me to buy a new one. I want to get my huge color laser printer (a Konica Magicolor 2400w) off my desk and tucked away next to the router, so I want it to have wireless USB print hub functionality. Gigiabit Ethernet and Draft-N are also necessary here, as I am eventually going to be adding media clients around the house to stream to every TV. Thanks a lot!"
So, there you have it -- which wireless router will provide solid, relaiable USB printing while handling the heavy loads of high-def streaming? Think carefully, you wouldn't want to ruin this guy's life. Oh, and if you have a question of your own you'd like to see here, send it over to ask at engadget dawt com.
I actually have used that exact printer with an Airport Express for about 2 years now.
get one of the new dual band airport extremes
you will most definitely not regret it
Vigor2820 series ADSL2/2+ Security Firewall Firmware 3.3.0.1 - been there done that with Linksys, Belkin, Netgear, blah blah blah blah...Draytek R O C K S
I like the 610, especially given my mixed environment. It's an absolute piece of cake to set up ... with both apple and pc computers. I've never used any easier program setup. You can't say the same for the airport in a mixed shop. Then too ... at least in a small business setup (under 20 active computers), it's just flat out faster. Check out the reviews. Having said all this ... I think the airport would be the way to go in an all mac environment. Just makes sense.
Beyond the fact that the apple Airport extreme has some pretty amazing features, and is a really solid router, I think my favorite feature is the software that you use to control it. The Airport utility (which works on either mac or PC) makes setting up and controlling your router incredibly easy. You don't have to know anything about routers to set it up with a secure password, set up a printer, set up a hard drive, whatever you want to do. Even port forwarding and things like that is super easy to do. The new one is even better, with the guest network and the dual band broadcasting. Makes a big difference to be able to broadcast at G and N at the same time. I love the fact that out of one router, I have 3 different networks to connect to: My private network at 5 GHz N speed, for all my computers with the N chip, my private network at G speed, for older computers or iPods/iPhones, and my guest network which I can let people use and they can't see or access my computers or printers or anything like that. Super secure, super easy to set up. Well worth the price.
On a side note, you can support up to 50 people on each band, for a total of 100 people off the one router. I've had 75 people on it before and it didn't phase it at all.
Asus WL-500W with DD-WRT. Done and done.
Airport Extreme. Stable, Smooth.
Though it doesnt support my local provider via PPPoE.
Airport Extreme. Or if you have a Mac, Time Capsule.
I had a D-Link 615? and it caused my DSL speed to drop about 60%. Went back to my age-old SMC and am back to normal speeds. I don't trust D-Link and why would anyone buy Apple?
Asus WL-520GU running Tomato Firmware v1.23.8621 ND USB Std - cheap as chips and supports USB hdds and printers
Interested in the Airport Extreme or Time Capsule for Windows now I have read your recommendations, but a bit of advice please...
I've never used a wifi base station/router without the modem built in - so it looks like I'd have to get a DSL modem to work with either of Apple's devices... any recommendations that work with that?
For about 7 years I owned Linksys(now Cisco) wifi routers.( I also had one D-link that was not very good at the time). My last Linksys was a bummer, dropping the connection to the internet frequently and with a very poor actual range(WRT150N). So last february I went to pursue the same question posted.
I researched a lot of opinions on the internet(websites, amazon,etc.), I was decided not to go with Linksys since their quality is declining, and on the end I decided to give D-link a try again with a D-LINK DIR-825 !
I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH IT !!!!!
It has both 802.11g and 802.11n networks, dual band , at the same time but in two different radios frequencies(and two SSIDs), so you can have dedicated highspeed wireless network for video, etc and a 802.11g fast network for other stuff.
It is full gigabit with 4 ports(I am now using 3 and plan to use the fourth( 1 for a desktop, 1 for a notebook docking station, 1 for a 1 TB NAS and plan to use 1 for a PS3 which is now connected over wifi).
The print server is very neat and actually is a USB over the network, that allow you to access the USB device(whatever it is) through a client on multiple computers, so they recognize it as a USB device, not a network printer. This increases a lot the chance of working well with strange printers.
I also use a wifi skype phone regularly so my fiancée talk to her parents, and we can say that the internet connection does not drop anymore(at least one tenth of what happened with the Linksys).
You really should give the speed demon a try...On the smallnetbuilder tests it trounced the competition in throughput and I can say I experienced the speed bost myself: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/component/option,com_chart/Itemid,189/
And it is not thaaaaat expensive, I got mine for about USD 130. That for the perfect wifi router I always wanted. You can see a full review on the smallnetbuilder website here(I am not affillieated or anything to it, it was just the most detailed review I found when searching for routers back in february).
Best Regards
Bruno
I forgot to post the smallnetbuilder full review of the DIR-825, here it go:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30588/96/
D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit router (or Dual Band version)
To future-proof yourself, grab a "N" router.
The new D-Links are monsters with tons of management options (if you're into that sort of thing) and USB device sharing (storage or printers)
You can snag the single band model for $99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2755284&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq
I use and like the ASUS|WL-520GU works freat for me
I've had just about every router on the market and the only ones that offer any kind of stability when it comes to wireless, and still offers things like USB printing is the Airport Extreme and Time Machine from Apple! Nothing else that I've tried even comes close to comparing.
D-link, Netgear, and Linksys all have issues keeping a stable wireless connection up, no matter what channel you put it on. With Airport Extreme and Time Machine, I've never had dropped signals, or dropped connections, no matter how much data I'm passing over the network.
I HIGHLY recommend these two!
just so you don't get any looks or bad answers from the sales person, especially if you aren't at an Apple store, it's Time CAPSULE, not machine. Just for fun I went into a Best Buy and asked for the wrong name and they told me there was no such thing. Had no clue I was just mixing up names.
Capsule is the box, machine is the controller software. and yes the new one seems to be rocking at my place. Although I wish they had upp'd the drive sizes.
You may also consider the new Dlink with sharePort (share printers , usb hdd with all users) and dual band(2.4 and 5Ghz):
-Dlink Dir-855 performance: 300Mbs
-and the new Dlink Xtreme N 450 performance:450Mbs ( Just released - CES2009)
"...Just released - CES2009..."
I meant: just announced !!
@wwhat: if you don't want an apple product then go check out the other one mentioned but frankly that question sounds like you just hate anything Apple and you could be hurting yourself with that 'tude. The new Extreme, although by Apple, does seem to fit the bill on speed, ports/connectively and possibly even ease of set up with at least PCs and Macs if not also Linux/Unix based systems (never tried one of those). and I have found sometimes if you have a printer that is cranky about wifi (especially an older one that might be pushing 'g' into an n network) connecting it via one of those Express boxes can help. I tried it a couple of times when I had the little boxes around for signal boosting and it helped.
I would totally avoid the cheap linksys routers that places like ATT are tossing out you for free with service. they seem to all be 'g' and they crash way too much for my taste.
This is amazing.... I have never seen such agreement over anything on one of these ask engadget posts. I think I will have to get myself an Airport Extreme next time I need to swap out my router.
The D-Link router that comes with Verizon FiOS is terrible. Can I swap it out for Airport Extreme or do I need the provided router from Verizon in order to continue my network connectivity? Any suggestions
@Kev - You can use whichever router you'd like. It's the modem that matters. As long as VZ hasn't screwed you over with one of those all-in-one "wireless gateways" you should be good to use whatever modem you want.
I apologize. It's an Actiontec
Any of the AirPort series, hands down. I've had both an Express and Extreme and they both are awesome. The express was unfortunately wrecked in a power surge but it was awesome. The extreme is still going strong - awesome printer and HDD capabilities, and it's fast, too.
Airport Extreme, 'cause it meets the requirements and offers painless IPv6 support even if you only have an IPv4 connection from your ISP. No other router does that, as far as I know.
Asus Wl-500W with DD-WRT. Have, never will look back.
Apple Airport Express. / Extreme is too expensive. But you can connect an External Hard Drive through USB though.
Anybody recommending the SharePort function on the DIR-6xx obviously has never used it. It's total crap. Not only does it only work on Windows, it frequently didn't work, and, even when it works as designed it's not really sharing the port. It makes one computer the "owner" of the port, and if someone else wants to print they have to send a request to be the new owner, which the current owner's computer's user has to accept before it takes effect. Of course, what this means in reality is that you're hoping between computers any time you want to print. IT SUCKS.
a tip for you : When the usb hdd or printer is connected to one computer on your network, just share it like you will share a folder on your network, and all the computers will have access to the printer or usb hdd at the same time.
"...like you will share a folder..."
"...like you would share a folder..."
when sharing, you can restrain other computers to read only, so you'll be the only one to have write access on the hdd (depending on your needs).
I have to give a nod to my ApE.
[.n running the pre early 2009 model without the most recent 7.4.1 firmware]
I've had the 10/100 one for 11 months until i sold it to buy the .n that i currently own...which has been for just over 13 months i believe. I have never had to unplug/replug it in that time....ever....
it connects: 3 windows, 1 OpenSuSe, & a Performa 475 (mac os 8.1) perfectly & here and there a PSP to the internet
It also has an ext. HDD [itunes server] & a Canon IP1600 (throwaway freebee from Fryes) & Epson R300 connected to it just fine.
It replaced a Belkin router from Home Depot [sale] that just SUCKED, a Fryes .b [Airlink] & I also used for a brief time a Linksys .g but they all consistenly needed a hard reboot weekly.
I like the Apple interface, the options, and i have built computers for a living, I'm no programmer/hacker but there is a lot to be said about ease of use, "set and forget" that I am willing to pay more for.
The current .n Linksys(wrt610n ?) router is only now after a few firmware updates getting good reviews (via Cnet) and is cheaper but if you really are confused, try each of them and decide for yourself; most stores offer a 30 day warranty...
to the rest of you that want to bicker for the sake of bickering: Carry on..
Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe, I'm doing something right. Whatever the case may be, I've used numerous routers from Netgear, DLink and Linksys, and found them all to be solid, at the least. I use and older Netgear -g router at my office 24/7/365 and have to reboot it maybe once or twice a year. At home, I use a Netgear WNR3500 -n router with a mix of Windows XP, Vista (64) and Mac OS X, all without problem. Personally, I think that many of the complaints I hear about other routers center more on the specific set-up of the user or their skill level. Networks are tricky things, and no one router is going to be perfect for every situation. Period. Read reviews, make an educated guess and try some out. See what works best for you.....
is it possible to use a DIR-655 and altso connect my Aiport Express so I can use my beloved AirTunes? I really want the opportunity to gain wireless acces to an extern harddrive but I can't afford the Airport Extreme + I hate apple for not making both things available in one of the routers...
Airport Extreme = crap
Linksys = crap
D-Link = crap
etc...
I highly recommend a combination of multiple devices.
Checkpoint Safe@Office 500 (not the 500W) 25-User for $500 from CDW.com
HP Procurve Switch 1800-8g (8 port for $163) or 1800-24g (24 port for $400) from CDW.
HP Procurve MSM410 Wireless Access Point ($500 from CDW).
A mini-itx PC running Windows Server 2003 Standard as a print server with a PostScript RIP for Mac support
These are the cheaper versions of the units I'm using in the house, but I can speak highly of all these products. They take a little time to configure, but :
Safe@Office offers the same grade of security employed by the Israeli Massad and many other major national intelligence services. It uses Firewall-1 technology which is the grandfather of all firewall solutions on the market. The performance of the Safe@Office is fantastic and offers extremely low latency for all connections and offers VPN-1 for logging into the house remotely. My favorite feature (once you figure out how to configure it) is the remote desktop gateway embedded in the router web VPN. Fantastic on all levels.
The HP switches are made on HP's own ASIC design and ever since HP resolved their major 802.3 framing bug a few years back, they have offered by far the best switch solution for small to tremendous single site installments. Their cheapy web managed switches are by far the best layer-II switches I've ever seen.
The Procurve wireless solution is definately among the best out there, and when combined with a proper account management system is one of the best 802.11 solutions on the market. I'm not sure when they'll support it, but I'm hoping to see a MIMO 802.11a solution from them as well. This will guarantee that you're the only one in the neighborhood on your wireless channels and that makes a huge difference. Also by partitioning your wireless network properly, you can dedicate more bandwidth to individual workstations or users.
The only really weak point is the printer which is a problem since USB print servers suck. All of them. The only proper way to run a print server for Windows machines is to use a dedicated Windows machine as a print server directly connected to the printer. On Mac, the only way is to have a proper postscript printer. The reason is, bi-directional communication from between the printer and the PC printing makes it so you can get all the good status information the printer has to offer. So, I recommend that unless you're emotionally attached enough to your printer to buy a whole extra PC for running it, get yourself a networked PostScript printer. Make sure the printer has wired ethernet support since Wireless sucks for printing.
Everyone else published the best solution for $100. I published the best solution for people who what the best. It costs a lot more than a $40 Linksys heap of crap, but it's the best home solution. And remember, the HP switch will last you 10 years. The Checkpoint will last as long as you don't need faster than 100Mbps routing (it actually routes and secures 100Mbps, or 80Mbps over VPN). The HP wireless will last the next 5-10 years. An Apple LaserWriter from 1985 with a print server still works beautifully since Postscript is Postscript. If you spend enough on a proper PostScript Laser to break the "We'll screw them on the ink" price point, then you can be happy with it for the next 10-20 years. As an example, I still regularly use my HP LaserJet 4MV with a HP JetDirect from 15 years ago. It's been into repair once during that time and I spend probably $30 to refill the toner carts ever other year. (I don't print that much).
Wow.
any router with dd-wrt! dd-wrt.com
Airport Extreme is definitely the way to go, it offers a great many features and setup is easy for both advanced and beginners imo. Pricier than most routers and you absolutely get your money's worth out of it.
Pros:
USB printer and network storage, even simultaneously with a usb hub
Automatic update checking
Better range / signal quality than most routers
Gig ethernet and N wireless in both 2.4 and 5Ghz
Aesthetically appealling and simple to read with single amber/green light to check status at a glance
Cons:
Extra software to use NAS/printer functions (Bonjour - runs in background)
Had to update Bonjour in Vista before it would function, no issues in Win7
Restart times are somewhat slow after saving changes to firmware
Could use another USB port built in
Management Software
Requires software install to make changes:
Pros:
Fast and easy, frequently used info with shortcuts to update info on main page
Make all your changes before saving instead of saving between sections (web based access typically requires a save for wireless options, another for security options, another for router name and login info, and so on..)
Notifies of firmware update available
Easy setup
Requires software to make changes
Cons:
Requires software to make changes
Slow restart
What about the WRT610N? That also has NAS and USB printing, Dual band N, and 4 gigabit ports. It's a linksys, but then again they are tied to Cisco these days...