Looking for an Ethernet to USB adapter

GordonMcComb

I am wanting to make a USB-only printer Ethernet-capable -- e.g. a simple print server. The USB/Ethernet adapters I'm finding seem to be for going from a host (with USB power) to Ethernet, and/or are very poorly rated. I need the other way around, not just in the gender of the USB connection, but also self-powered, etc.

Anyone have any ideas who sells one of these that isn't junk, but also doesn't cost a king's ransom?

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Ethernet print servers are pretty ubiquitous -- and cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=usb+ethernet+print+server&tag=googhydr-20&index=electronics&hvadid=18889882075&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1789187661151374669&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5i0fqkjtc5_e

However, if it's just distance that's an issue, you might also consider a USB extender:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=usb+extender+over+cat5&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=35057397204&hvpos=1t3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1072153763548977325&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5itrovqac4_b

-Phil

GordonMcComb

Right, but on most of these the reviews are pretty bad, often more 1 or 2 star than any other. Or maybe it's because people don't know how to use them?

Anyway, if anyone has a specific recommendation that might save me from the same hassles these other poor souls seem to be having.

Lawson

If your printer has Linux drivers, I'd consider getting a RaspberyPi and setting up a DIY print server. While it's likely a pain to setup, It'll be cheap and fixable/extendable.

Marty

LoopyByteloose

I am running a USB Fuji/Xerox Laser printer through my Wifi router that has two USB slots.

But it is a very different configuration than what Windows printer drivers normally want, a bit of ancient Hewlett/Packard magic with internet ports. And I suspect that is where the bad reviews come into play. The vast majority of people just can't quite grasp LAN ports and sockets or having to install a non-standard driver set up.

I guess what I am saying is that the hardware is good. It is just the installation that throws people for a loop. I suggest you take a look at a brand such as D-Link AND download the installation manual before you purchase. ;If you can follow the instructions, it can be done.

The only thing I suspect of being a snag is if you want to install one of those FAX/Printer combos. They tend to refuse to accept generic drivers.

GordonMcComb

Complicating matters is that it's not a printer per se, but a Graphtec cutter/plotter. There are supposedly generic Linux drivers for it, but the cutting software I use (it works inside Adobe Illustrator) requires fairly tight integration that a basic driver may not provide. It's more than just HPGL or GPGL out to the machine. So making my own print server, while an interesting idea, would probably consume more time than I want to spend.

The machine is but a few feet away from either PC that would use it, but I was hoping for a more seamless solution, to keep cables neat and tidy. I'm known for devolving into cable madness.

I do have a router with a USB slot, but current plans don't place the router in the same area as the cutter. So I'll probably end up just unplugging the cutter from one machine to the other if I need to switch things out, which may not be often. The cutter is only used a few times a week.

Now to search Amazon for a decent external battery charger for a Samsung Galaxy S...

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

If you have an obsolete Windows box, you could connect the "printer" to that and share it over the network. For that matter, you could share it from one of the PCs that already sits close to it.

That's the way I operate my Roland vinyl printer/cutter. It's connected to a parallel port on an old Gateway Win98 box, from which I share it over the local network. The cutting is just HPGL, but the printing is some proprietary Roland format.

-Phil

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Or ... since both PCs are close, one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=usb+switch+for+printer&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=34105899671&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=20510513461528544680&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1cbg8fqz33_b

-Phil

NWCCTV

What about just using a USB "Y" Cable???

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

NWCCTV wrote:

What about just using a USB "Y" Cable???

Um ... bus conflicts, perhaps?

-Phil

LoopyByteloose

Well, if the computer is in LInux.. it may actually be easier to purchase and install.

You need to get a Linux HOWTO document for install USB over LAN

Maybe here... http://usbip.sourceforge.net/ seek out the USP/iP Project

It is not that difficult. It is just very different to install. And the only hazard are those copier/fax/printer devices will NOT work as nobody but the original vendor knows how to write a driver for them. And so there are NO Linux drivers for these multi-function devices.

In general, if I cannot find what i want within SourceForge or the Linux docs, I go to both Ubuntu and Debian user groups to find known successful users. I don't use Red Hat or Fedora, so these communities are most helpful to me.

GordonMcComb

Phil, the A-B switch looks to be a winner. Dovetails well with my overall cheapness, and it only moderately adds to the cabling confusion. I can live with it.