| NETGEAR WGPS606 54 Mbps Wireless Print Server with 4-port Switch |
 enlarge
|
Model: WGPS606
Brand: Netgear
Manufacturer: Netgear
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 78
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
|
|
|
| |
| Features: |
Print wirelessly and connect to more than one printer
No need to add print servers, wireless adapters, or unsightly Ethernet cables
Two USB ports and a 4-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch
Easy setup via Smart Wizard configuration assistant
Works with all standard 802.11g and 802.1b wireless routers and access points |
| |
| Description: |
| Would you and the other users in your network like the freedom to print wirelessly? And, to connect to more than one printer, without having to add print servers, wireless adapters, or unsightly Ethernet cables? With NETGEAR's 54 Mbps Wireless Print Server with 4-Port Switch, now you can! In seconds, you can connect two printers and four PCs to your wireless network - all with one simple device. NETGEAR's 54 Mbps Wireless Print Server has two USB ports, as well as a wireless Ethernet bridge mode with a 4-port switch. That means you can connect your computer to your high-end color printer for your business use, and send the kids' documents to your older Inkjet printer - all without wires! Best of all, more than four users can use the printer, without adding any additional wireless adapters. |
| |
| User Reviews (78 total): |
Page 1 2 3 4 of Total 4 Pages
|
Netgear PS Spanish, March 19, 2007
By Carlos Valero
Este Print Server Inalambrico es fenomenal para solventar la falta de puertos en tu red y no sacrificar puertos fisicos de tu router, de entrada para que funcione correctamente debes hacerle un update al firmware, luego como usuario en espanol el cd de auto configuracion no ejecuta correctamente, mas adelante leyendo el FAQ del fabricante descubri que debes cambiar una configuracion reginal a (Usa/Ingles) para que funcione adecuadamente, finalmente logre conectar mis impresoras en la red pero lo unico que no logre hacer y el fabricante lo promociona es utilizar los 4 puertos del switch que trae incorporado nunca tomaron una direccion ip, no digo que no lo haga a lo mejor no vi alguna consideracion y por ello no me funciono
|
Affordable wireless bridge, March 16, 2007
By Kevin Hewitt
I'd been trying to find an affordable way to connect my PC, printer and VoIP modem in our study to our wireless router in the kitchen (that's where our only phone socket and thus our DSL router is). Other print servers don't come with additional ethernet ports, and wireless bridges are far more expensive. This did the trick at a reasonable price. Very happy!
|
Great product and delivers as promised, March 10, 2007
By Mike M (New Jersey)
Having read some bad reviews *after* already purchasing this product, I was somewhat concerned. My printer (Lexmark E238) is not on the supported printers list, but the E232 which looks exactly the same is.
The first step is to connect it to your modem/router, however they never tell you that. There is a picture in the "Overview" section, but it's not clear that's the first thing to do which I found odd. Either way, the rest of the process was fairly straight forward.
I have a Netgear WGT624 v3 router and other users should note that the print server *changed the password on the router* to the default password and set the channel to 11. That certainly is not very user friendly or good security practice by any means, however if you know this ahead of time, it's not that big a deal to fix.
Besides the password/channel change, I simply can't complain about the product. Works great and is simple enough. I hope others have similar experiences.
|
painless installation, Vista x64 compatibility, March 8, 2007
By Bill Zunderman (Dayton, OH)
I was having trouble finding a compatible print server. This was the first that I found that works on XP, Vista, and Vista x64 with my Samsung ML-2510 monochrome laser printer. This print server has the added benefit of having 4 more RJ-45 jacks in the back and isn't any more expensive than comparable print servers. I am not using those plugs now, but perhaps some day they will come in handy day.
|
Good cost balance with value, February 23, 2007
By chaostheorem (West Coast, USA)
I bought this router in order to make my printers accessible to the other computers in the household, and so far its done its job just fine. The first thing you notice when you take the router out of the box is that its stark white - like an iPod. While its nice to see, I was just surprised since the older Netgear routers were a silver gray.
Signal strength on the router isn't that great. Netgear should have used a longer antenna, but thankfully I have a stronger router in the form of a Linksys WRT54GS which keeps the connection faithfully.
Another problem I noticed is that this router tends to need to power cycle (let's say when I connect a computer to it, as I did during initial installation). After its all setup, nothing else was needed.
Netgear has done a good job on the software side. I downloaded the latest setup application from their website and easily set up the router and the printers, all in the same application. After that, printing was a breeze.
If you have a need for an all-in-one router, this might be the most cost-effective solution for you. If you add up a wireless printer server, router, and wireless hub, you end up with a cost figure that's much higher than the cost of this single router.
|
Does Not work for All-In-One Printers, February 4, 2007
By software engineer (Huntsville, Alabama USA)
Netgear cannot support all-in-one printers which have been on the market for years. This printer server will only support one way traffic. In order to FAX the driver software needed to read from the all-in-one. When you get Netgear Support online you find out that you might as well read the book. They can only tell you what is easily available.
Otherwise, it is a pain to setup since you have to directly plug the box into the back of your computer before their software works. Even then their software failed to overcome a problem with VISTA that could have been worked around.
|
Make your desktops wireless, January 5, 2007
By B. Adams (Tennessee)
I purchased this switch so that I could remove some wires from running across the floor. It is a good inexpensive way to make your wired computer wireless without having to buy a wireless card for each (assuming all your computers are close to each other). The only thing is the print server doesn't work with all printers. It didn't work with my HP Laserjet 1012, so I still have to use print sharing and have it connected to one of my PCs.
|
Looks like a nice little print server, but may not work for you, January 4, 2007
By Dave Kinsey (Tempe, AZ United States)
This print server will not work with all kinds of common printers that you may have. I bought the unit to unhook a particular printer from a PC that it's hooked up to and make it a shared printer.
The printer I wanted to hook up is required to be hooked up to a Windows PC to function. This is apparently a common configuration for a printer where much of the smarts to run the printer are in the PC (especially for cheap ones which was the case with the printer with which I planned to use this print server). Definately check out the Netgear support site to make sure that your printer will be compatible.
You may be better off to just buy a new printer that has an embedded wireless print server. Printers keep getting more and more capabilities and the prices tend to drop as well. The printer manufacturers make the real money of the ink cartridges.
|
Simply not worth the effort, December 3, 2006
By Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA)
Netgear generally makes okay products. I use several of them without complaint.
I had hoped to use the WGPS606 Wireless Print Server, but it just isn't worth the effort to bothet with it. It's going back for a refund.
Before you consider purchasing one, consult the Netgear web site to see if it is compatible with your printer. The list is surprisingly short. Multi-function devices, other than the print function, are not supported. Nor at this point is Windows Vista, but that may well be rectified in time.
The installation wizard immediately warns you to shut down your firewall - and does not provide any guidance as to what port forwarding might enable thr WGPS606 to work with a firewall. That, in my opinion, is just plain dumb.
In my case, the install wizard seemed to work smoothly. I clicked on "Print Test Page" and the test document flowed to the spooler - and then nothing. Netgear's web site has little in the way of troubleshooting information. (Their quickstart guide is a total joke.)
There's a manual downloadable from the Netgear site, but it is not overly helpful.
It's just as easy in my particular situation to set up a wired print server, which is precisely what I'm going to do. Better that than beat my head against the wall with yet another inadequately supported product. As noted, Netgear makes pretty good products, but their documentation and tech support resources leave a lot to be desired. I'm just fed up with wasting my time because the manufacturer didn't care enough about their customer to fulfill what I consider to be their responsibility to the customer.
Jerry
|
WPA Connection is not reliable, November 24, 2006
By Computer Enthusiast (Jersey City, NJ)
I'm a fairly technical person, that does computer security for a living so I tend to never use wizards or read directions (unless absolutely necessary). My primary router / gateway at home is the Linksys WRT54G - one of the best featured routers and most reliable (one of few routers with Dynamic DNS which is very helpful for accessing hosted remote services at home like FTP, Web or Email). I purchased the Netgear WGPS606 to enable wireless print capability to my Brother HL-5140 Laser Printer.
The first step I always take with most hardware is to simply upgrade the firmware. Generally, when you call any technical support line they like for you to be using the latest firmware. So, I connect to the WGPS606 using a simple straight through Ethernet cable and connect to the router. Perform a quick scan of my subnet (ping sweep type tool) and see the Netgear router. Connect to the router with User Name: Admin / Password: Password. I get into this strange looking screen that looked more like a router then a print server...wow, was I right - you see the WGPS606 is built on a platform similar to all the other Netgear operating systems, I I was connected to a portion of the router that they don't advertise. It turns out that you can NOT perform subnet scans to locate the router - you must follow their written directions verbatim. In addition, you will later see that when you set up this router properly, and look at your DHCP local table, you will see this "phantom" entry that is not the real static IP you assign to the router, but needs to be there to properly function, most people will probably not see this address but I noticed it always seems to grab a "hidden" DHCP type entry.
Anyway, the correct way that you MUST connect to this router is to assign a static IP address to your local lan NIC in the 192.168.0.xxx range (I set xxx to 15 it really doesn't matter on a one to one connection, just don't set your local static address to 102) & the subnet should be 255.255.255.0 subnet. You will then need to open a web browser (I always use firefox when possible) and type in the url: 192.168.0.102 to connect to the WGPS606 print server.
Once in configuration is rather simple...or so I thought. I had previously downloaded the latest firmware and then pointed to it and upgraded the WGPS606 to version (at the time of this review it's version V1.0_025)I am a security conscious person so I have been using WPA Key security on my home wireless network. Let's just say that WEP security is not very secure and easily defeated, although adding MAC address restrictions and a longer key length will be helpful.
Next, I configure a static IP in my private subnet and print a test page. All is well, or so I thought. I turned out that no matter what changes I attempted, even taking the recommended static IP from Netgear (which just seemed to add an IP space of 100 to the phantom DHCP IP), the connection continued to drop. I guessed the problem was with the incompatibility of the way that Netgear implements the WPA standard, or a "timing" issue on the key exchange. The main advantage of WPA Security over WEP is a key exchange on certain intervals. It seemed that everytime a new key was to be grabbed each half an hour, the WGPS606 just disappeared off my network and was never to be found again.
The only solution was to reconfigure my Linksys WRT54G router to use WEP security with MAC addresses security. As soon as I made that change the Netgear WGPS606 has been rock solid and available. I speculate that if I get a Netgear Router that the WPA security may start working again since their code is probably consistent. I know this is the problem since I was able to print until the first key exchange.
I hope this helps all you Linksys router owners or other brands. Overall, I do think this is a great product with a lot of promise. I'd like to see Netgear work out the WPA security problems. In fact, I'd like to even see them support WPA2 standard with AES or TKIP, but this probably asking a lot at this point. So, thanks to Netgear, I either have to accept lower wireless security or change out my router to another Netgear product and hope it works and / or monitor my local network or intruders. Yes, I take security very seriously.
Lastly, configuring the printer was a breeze with the supplied disk. Once again I think this should have been easier to do without the disk, but Netgear seems to think that all computer users are simpletons. Essentially, they set up a new printer port using a TCP/IP simple connection and P1 or P2 depending on the physical USB port used on the WGPS606. This is why you must assign a static IP to the print server, or use reservations in your DHCP server. I've worked with Brother printers and they have this really nice wizard that actually creates an executable file that you can give to anybody that wasn't to print on your network. I would be nice if you could just email this executable instead of having to install a CD rom every single time you want to grant someone else the ability to print on the network for the first time.
Overall, this is a good product if you are willing to live with the lower security and forced setup's with the CD Rom. I give this product a 3 until they get WPA working and a simple small setup printer executable, based on the price point there is nothing better on the market that can perform this type of functionality - yes there is a nice 4 port switch, plus the possibility for two USB printers.
|
|
|
Beware it all depends on your printer., November 10, 2006
By Furious
If you have a printer that's not on the Windows XP default driver list then good luck. I tried installing an HP 1315 (not exactly a scarce printer) and in order to get it to work you MUST install the printer on each computer, and have it set up as the default printer, BEFORE it can be installed using the server. This means, in my case at least, that the printer must be lugged to each computer to be installed first. Ridiculous. Why can't it simply download the drivers from an already existing install like any other network printer installation? I've got a trouble ticket in to Netgear support to see if they can fix this before I return the unit.
This is really too bad because once it's working it's pretty good. I have it working on my main computer that already had the 1315 installed directly.
|
Set Up Was Not Bad, November 9, 2006
By fikto
I too was worried about setting this thing up after reading numerous reviews. It seemed to me to be a 50/50 proposition, so I purchased a refurb at less than half price and went for it. My system consists of a Dell desktop (wireless), a Compaq laptop (wired), and a Dell laptop (wireless) routed through a Netgear 814. The printer is a Canon i850. Since it was a refurb, the box contained no manual or software CD so I had to get everything from the web. Downloading the software was routine and it walked me through the entire process. The only hitch was having to type in the printer's IP address, which I got from the downloaded manual. It was described as the "default address." Once that was done, I configured the computer. I repeated the process on each machine and it all worked. I am not an expert at this stuff by any means but it seemed pretty straightforward. The key steps are: 1.) Configure the printer first. Once that's done correctly, the rest is almost automatic. 2.) Make sure each computer has the printer driver installed (I had to add the driver to two of these machines). 3. Repeat the configuration process for each machine.
The entire installation took about an hour.
I have now liberated my printer from its "mother ship" and can print at any time from any place regardless of which computer is turned on or off. Also, since the server is located at one of the wireless computers, it now doubles as its adapter, connected to the computer with an ethernet cable (supplied). I detected no loss in performance whatsoever. Prior to buying, I checked the Netgear site for compatibility with my printer and it was listed, although it did not have a "yes" next to it. Since the Canon i550 was compatible, I figured the similar i850 would be as well. Obviously, the list is not up to date. My only complaint is that the server does not seem to support advance features like ink level displays and such. But I knew that going in and it's not a critical drawback.
|
Never got past installation setup, November 2, 2006
By H. Beachum (Atlanta, GA)
I tried this printer server and couldn't get it to work so I tried the stationary, wired Netgear mini server and couldn't get that to work either. I am somewhat computer savvy - I understand the the IP address assigned in installation needs to match what my own router assigned for an ip address. When the setup CD prompted me to assign and IP address, I was a bit befuddled because it doesn't tell you to check your router and find out what the router assigned, but I did anyway. However, I could not find a "subnet" address anywhere and the installation wouldn't let me go any further unless I assigned this too. I decided to return this for the mini server, which automatically assigned me an address which did match what my router assigned and it does not work either. The so-called instruction manual for this is laughable. IF you're not an advance level IT person, don't try it.
|
This print server is much better than Linksys one., October 31, 2006
By Yi C. Chang (Chino, CA United States)
I first bought Linksys print server. My wireless computer can detect the Linksys print server but that print server can not recognize my HP all-in-one printer. Returned Linksys one and then bought Netgear. Netgear print server works very well. One small problem, from my experience, this print server can only be set up by ethernet cable, not directly through wireless. Which means you have to set up the print server first through Ethernet cable then unplug the calbe and switch back to wireless network.
|
Great product, easy setup -- but make sure its compatible with your printer, August 21, 2006
By Bruce D. Namerow (Washington, DC)
It's rare to buy a wireless network product and have it up and running successfully in just minutes. But that was my experience with this Netgear wireless print server.
This print server works great with my HP officejet v40, but you should check the Netgear website to make sure it works with your specific model. Simply go to the support section and search for "Print Server Compatibility List."
|
Quick setup on two PCs and a Mac G4, August 18, 2006
By Syl Arena (Paso Robles, California)
I needed a way to hook an old Dell desktop, an old IBM ThinkPad, and an old Mac G4 to an old HP Laserjet. The newest piece of this hardware is three years old. My router is a new Belkin N1 (which I really like) and it's located upstairs. Initial configuration of the print server and setup on the first PC took about 20 minutes, setup on the second PC about 5 minutes and setup on the Mac about 20 minutes. Here's what I did:
1. Configured the Print Server
a. connected my ThinkPad to the Print Server with the supplied Ethernet cable.
b. configured the Print Server by following the steps on the supplied CD
c. made a note of the IP address that the setup wizard gave me.
d. disconnected the Print Server from the ThinkPad
e. restarted both pieces of hardware
BIG TIP: be sure you know the passphrase to your router!
BIG TIP: don't lose the IP address
2. Configured the ThinkPad (uses a Linksys wireless PC card)
a. connected to the Print Server via the wireless network
b. followed the steps on the setup wizard CD
BIG TIP: do not print a test page from the Windows printer set-up screen. You can do this at the end of the setup wizard.
BIG TIP: You have to click on the printer name in the selection window in order to get the "Next" button to activate (figuring this out was my only point of frustration).
3. Configured the Dell desktop (uses a Belkin USB wireless adapter)
a. same steps as above
4. Configured the Mac G4 (connected to the WPGS606 via an Ethernet cable)
a. you must be sure that your printer works when cabled directly to each computer. I went directly to HP to download the Mac OS drivers for my printer. Forget the GIMP drivers that come with OS X. If you can't print directly from your Mac, you won't be able to print through the Print Server.
b. go to Netgear.com, enter WGPS606 in the search window, download the instructions on how to set this up in Mac OS X
c. follow the instructions that Netgear provides!
BIG TIP: you'll need the IP address that you wrote down during the configuration of the Print Server
I also have my Vonage phone adapter connected to the WGPS606 via an Ethernet cable. Several connection tests at Vonage.com confirm that there's little difference in speed between wiring the adapter directly to my router (upstairs) and wiring it to the WGPS606 here in the basement. The difference to me is that I can get rid of the cord that runs down the staircase.
I wish all of my wireless gadgets were as easy to set up!
|
Works great once your network can find it, August 9, 2006
By KenBob
I would not have got this thing working if not for Hooper's review below. I too use MAC filtering and so I added the MAC address on the box to my list -- nothing. Then I remembered having seen something to this effect in the reviews here when I was researching the device. Once that was done, the rest worked flawlessly. Would have been nice if the installation documentation acknowledged this fact.
To repeat: SHUT OFF YOUR FIREWALL and SHUT OFF MAC FILTERING on your router during the installation so that your network can find the device. Once you're installed, you can turn these back on. In my case, the wireless MAC address was the wired MAC address + 1.
|
Should have gotten this sooner, July 10, 2006
By Hooper (Cedar Rapids, IA USA)
I bought this device for 2 reasons. 1) so I wouldn't have to run our printer as a shared printer from one of our computers and 2) so I could connect my PC to our wireless G network.
This thing works great, but I had to work at getting it to work. Everything seemed easy at first, but then I started running into problems...mostly caused by my own setup. My router (Netgear WGT624) is set up with an access list. I added the MAC address listed on the bottom of the Print Server to that access list, but I couldnt' get the print server to connect. It was only after looking for about 20 minutes online that I discoverd that the MAC address listed was not the wireless address, but the address of the wired connections. I looked all over in the documentation to find the MAC, but couldn't find it. I read that the only way to find it was by logging into the Print Server? What good does that do?? You can't log into the print server until it's on the network...and I couldn't add it to my network until I knew the MAC address. I had to turn off access control on my router to even find the MAC address of the print server. Why couldnt' they list that MAC address on the bottom of the device too?!
Anyway, after I got that online, setting up the printer was a breeze. It did not recognize the print driver that I had installed on our laptop, but after reinstalling the driver, that connected as well.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this device. It not only serves as a wireless print server which will allow the printer to be available even if my computer is turned off, but it also serves as a cheap wireless bridge! Just wish the documentation would have been a bit clearer about the MAC address thing.
|
Easy set up and I am a novice, July 1, 2006
By kentium2000 (Albuquerque, NM United States)
I read many reviews of the Linksys and Netgear Print Servers and knew the Linksys was probably not for me. I purchased the Netgear and popped the CD in and followed their easy to follow instructions. I went through it once and I was printing. I am surprised that others say the documentation and installation instructions are lacking because the wizard on the CD was all I needed. I am new to networking and wireless gear so I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to set up the Netgear printer server. I am using a laptop with linksys router and laptop card. The laptops are Dell Inspiron 5150 and the printer is an HP1320 Laser Jet.
|
Utterly disappointing, April 16, 2006
By J69 (Littleton, co United States)
Long story short, (6 hours of frustration), this server did not work with our system. We have a brand new Pavilion HP Laptop and a 3 yr old printer. After two separate phone calls to tech support and many failed tries to get the software to work, I just gave up. I checked the compatibility of the printer with this product before purchasing, but was apparently misled.
|
Page 1 2 3 4 of Total 4 Pages
|
|
| Copyright 2001-2007 WiFiReview.com |
|