We've seen
a few devices that put your
existing USB external hard drives on home networks, but
IOGEAR's latest contraption does that crowd one better. The 4-Port USB Net ShareStation (shown left) enables everyone with access to a local network to access four USB devices (HDDs, printers, scanners,
drink coolers, etc.), and moreover, that access can be cord-free if the hub is plugged into a wireless router. In other news, the outfit has revealed the 2-Port USB 2.0 Printer Auto Sharing Switch (shown right), which it describes as the "only automatic printer switch compatible with Macs and PCs." Both devices should be scattered across office supply stores by the end of this month for $99.95 and $39.95, respectively.
posted Mar 24th 2009 11:04PM
I don't really care unless they've made the damn things w/ a gigabit switch!
It doesn't really matter for the printers obviously, but it's basically useless with a 100 megabit switch for anything except a SLOW file server.
Definitely not videos of any decent quality which is what i believe most people would be looking to something like this for. Or at least in my circle of friends/geeks.
The maximum bandwidth for a native Blu-Ray disc is about 54 megabits/sec. I don't see the limited bandwidth of this particular device being an issue for video playback.
So many people still do not have a full gigabit setup..no point in pushing to sell things most people do not have..
GOD DAMNIT!!! There is absolutely NO reason a print server should ever cost as much as a new printer!!! I had my hopes up this whole article that I finally found something that will let me put my printer on my network for cheap, but it still a freaking bill!
I set up the D-Link DPR-1260 for my parents, and it's been working just fine for them. It's even wireless (and can be used as a wireless "game adapter" for the Xbox 360). It's $65 on newegg and amazon, if your only goal is to get a print server. Even if it doesn't officially support your printer, it's not that hard to set it up yourself (just use the right network name and port when setting up the printer as a network printer in windows).
This device is of course has a few more features, which is why it's more expensive.
BeniRose,
The two port has an MSRP of $39, you probably could not find a printer. Two ports should be plenty for most uses. If you need more, most USB device servers support USB hubs.
I'd be afraid to buy a $39.99 or $50.00 printer. What a piece of trash that would be. Specially with those microscopic ink cartridges that printers are using these days. They're a scam.
I bought an HP LaserJet 3300 in 2003 and just now, in 2009 did I finally have to swap the toner. Yield per page on Lasers is about 3000+ pages per cartridge as opposed to 500 pages (max possible ever) per black ink in inkjet printers. I don't use my Epson photo printer unless I need to print in color.
So what happens when your wireless connection glitches when you are writing data to a connected hard drive? The Linksys NSLU2 had data corruption issues from the start - hopefully this thing is better.
I'm guessing this will require proprietary software to be installed on
the users PC for devices like webcams?
The first device sounds nice but for the price I would rather invest in a 4 x Gigabit + N router with NAS and printer server support.
Belkin has had a network USB hub for about 2 years now. Whats new in this (Except for the MAC support)
http://reviews.cnet.com/networking-and-wi-fi/belkin-network-usb-hub/4505-3243_7-32467513.html
Yea, I scooped one up (belkin) at the circuit city going out of business sale and its great. I have a hard drive plugged into it to save files from my comp, and i also use it to store videos to watch over media center.....
Where did you read it has Mac-support? If it had AFP and HFS+, it would be a fantastic product - but I doubt that...
The network hub does not have mac compatibility. if you look at the product website it says its only XP/Vista compatible. http://www.iogear.com/product/GUIP204/
I wonder if I can use this coupled with a USB external HDD and wireless router for wireless Time Machine backups... Hmm...
seems there's nothing much new about this kind of device...
Regarding network storage, it's all about the performance of the hard drives you'll be reading from and writing to. The Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the device comes into play but not as much as you think. If you want real performance from a network connected drive, do yourself a favor and get a NAS with good performance reviews. I use the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo and stream DVD ISOs over a 30Mbps powerline Ethernet connection with no issues.
I'll give you $10 for it.
In case you're as confundled as me, the fourth USB port is on the back. Or the front.
I was wondering about that.. I thought they were trying to screw me into thinking it has 4 USB ports, but I was thinking "looks like one of those is Ethernet..." Guess it actually does. Although, I suppose hitting the Read link would have done me some good as well...
I might use this in my new audio studio, so the computer with all it's fans isn't in the same room that I'm mixing in.
BUYER BEWARE! I had two of IOGEAR's previous versions of this and never got them to work. IOGEAR's tech support is completely useless.
Do you know if I have to install some "driver" software on the computers ( Mac and PC ) to use this device? The device comes with a CD but it does not say what is on the CD.