Linksys PSUS4 USB Printer Server 4 port network Switch

I bought this little box because I wanted to be able to use my Panasonic KX-P7100 printer from any computer in the house without having my desktop system switched on. I did a bit of research on it and it looked OK, especially as it was also a 4-port switch. Good value for money!

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The problem is, and from what I've read I am not alone in this, that you do not find out until after you have bought it, plugged it in and tried to use it that it does not support GDI printers. None of the documentation tells you this, it is not mentioned in the troubleshooting guide in the manual, in fact it is not until you get to the technical support pages of linksys.com that you find a printer compatibility list. And my printer is not on it!

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If you've got a PCL or PS printer you will be fine with printserver, but check your printer documentation first. Caveat emptor.

I have owned this item for a while and it has come in extremely useful, before I had to keep switching the USB cables from PC, to PC to allow the use of a printer, Now all that needs doing is pressing "print", doesn't matter what PC I am on, with this device there is no need to dedicate a PC to print server chores, this device also removes printing bottlenecks within you computer system as it stores the print jobs on the one megabyte buffer inside the device, freeing up some computer resources.

On Windows operating systems other than XP 64 bit and above the software will work and is extremely easy to install and configure, unfortunately due to 64 bit not being supported by the software (not sure if they have done an update for this though!), I could not install and use on my one system, however after extensive research I have found a manual way of setting this item up and although confusing for a beginner, it was easy to follow and configure correctly.

This printer server does seem to suffer from a restricted buffer size (one megabyte print buffer), when printing images that are of a large file size, it will begin printing and an error message will appear half way through and cancel the rest of the print job. This is extremely annoying and can cause some problems, however one way is to re-save the image into a different format to lower the size, or to bypass this print server and do it manually via the printer cable connected to the pc. (There may be a way round this issue but haven't yet come across one) - would appreciate it if anyone knew, to post a comment.

The server also acts as a network switch which can be added to your existing router switch to expand your network (allow other computers to connect to your network).

The device can be configured via the easy to use software or for more advanced users the device has its own IP address, which can be connected to, to allow more detailed configuration.

The device is really small and light weight, with green lights which show what is connected to the device, it becomes warm but no my knowledge never hot. Cosmetic looks seem to be ok, but it's not the most stylish device ever made, but it does the job it is supposed to and can be hidden away easily if you so wish.

On the odd occasion it may need its power cable removed then wait a second or two before re-installing, this just re-detects the printer device, only had to do this twice since owning it, and haven't needed to for well over 6 months now.

Reading up on a few issues that others have experienced with this device, and it becomes apparent and is understandable that multifunction printers (printer, scanner, fax, photocopier, etc) will not work with this device, this is due to the software program that manages this device, it is purely built for printing not managing scanners, fax machine capabilities, etc.

Apparently it is also fussy about what printers it will work with, the manufacturer's website should list a number of printers that this device will work, and will not work with. (Check before you buy!) My Hewlett Packard Deskjet 815c seems to work well with this device, and although ancient in computer years, this printer has and will hopefully last me years to come! Best £150 I have ever spent many years ago, but that's another topic!

Not much more to say except for; if you require a basic device for connecting your computer to multiple computers, and having the capability to expand you network (10/100 Ethernet switch) then this is a suitable printer server, I really cant fault this little unit for the money I spent on it, well worth every penny (I do think this unit has a lot of other features built in, such as time restricted printing, and internet printing - print from a different location, etc. - all customisable but I have never needed to bother with such features).

Conclusion:

Does the job it is designed to do, quiet, cool, stable unit, quick to respond, and easy to use installation and configure software, not one of the most stylish designs on the market but sits on the desk nicely (ability to be wall mounted), good value for money, but you are restricted to which printers it will work with, and the one megabyte buffer restriction.

If you are after a decent printer server, for a basic printer then this item will do the job! Also Linksys is part of Cisco Systems which are known for networks equipment and engineer's role, so extensive knowledge of network equipment is part of their day to day job, thus a good network switch too!