Rating: 
Summary: speed problem fixed
Review: I wrote in a previous message that I was going to return the PS12U print server because it printed large files (photos) very slowly (around 20 minutes instead of 4 minutes if I recall). Hawking just sent me firmware rev 6.09.17e and now that 4 minute print only takes 4:30. This is good enough for me given the convienience of a network printer.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible setup instructions - solid operation
Review: If you're expert at setting up print servers, you shouldn't have any problem with this one. I had no trouble getting the first printer installed. However, the instructions do not give you the proper procedure for adding a second or third printer.If you're using a TCP/IP connection, be sure the "printer name or I.P. address" is set to be your print server I.P. address and "queue name" is lp1 (for parallel port), lp2 (for usb port #1), or lp3 (for usb port #2). The "port name" can be whatever makes sense to you. At one point in the online pdf manual (page 3-11), it states:
"While the print server supports DHCP, we strongly recommend you manually specify a fixed IP address to the print server."
Statements like these don't play well with me. I prefer to think of "supported" as meaning "works for the vast majority of users". Given that a fixed I.P. address is setup, then the previous paragraph can be easily satified. I don't know how setup would go using DHCP. Anyway, after a lot of fiddling and 2 calls to tech support (neither of whom really understood what the problem was) it works as advertised. 1 star for the setup / user guide / tech support
5 stars for the function (parallel & usb ports) and operation
Rating:
Summary: Hawking Tech PS12U Printer Server
Review: Interesting product! Works well if you can get past the poor documentation. I spent 4 or 5 hours trying to get this product to work. Tech support was fairly responsive. The third response actually clued me in what needed to be done. This product does not offer simple installation (I have worked in the IT field for years) and found this very confusing. However, after getting it to work, the product has worked flawlessly. Hawking Tech seems to make pretty good products and the PS12U is no exception. What attracted me to the product is the PS12U supports USB and parallel. All the products I looked at just supported parallel. Nice product, poor documentation and above average technical support. This is the reason that I rated the product 4 out of 5 stars. I do recommend the product, just have patients for the initial installation.
Rating: 
Summary: No HP LaserJet 1000 support
Review: See http://www.hawkingtech.com/printserver.php Q: My HP laserjet 1000 doesn't work. What's wrong? A: HP laserjet 1000 is an incompatible printer. According to HP, this printer wasn't designed to work with any print servers and none of our methods have succeeded in making it function properly.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy setup, configuration, no problems.
Review: SETUP - I had 2 printers, 1 parallel (laser) and 1 USB (color inkjet), installed and tested on Windows XP in 20 minutes and most of that time was spent trying to make sense of the documentation. I installed the printers using lpr setup first. I also configured the printers for Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). That was just as easy. Another 5 minutes and I was printing from Linux. I did not install the supplied admin software or drivers. There was no need. I used a couple commands to set the print server's IP address. Once the print server has a valid IP address, I could configure the printers and print. I also could use the web administration screens to make any other changes or monitor the printers. It supports Netware and Appletalk too but I didn't try these.
DOCUMENTATION - The supplied 27 page Quick Installation Guide is a little confusing and not polished enough for your average user. It starts off explaining how to hookup the printers which is simple and works. Then it explains how to install the Windows admin software and then configuring the print server from a web browser, etc. But it doesn't really tell you which steps are required/optional and what your options are. I didn't install the admin software so I can't comment on it's ease or quality. There is a more detailed 122 page manual on the CD. This is where I found out about the commands to set the IP address. I don't like installing software that I don't need or use.
ADMINISTRATION - I have only used the web screens and they are easy and well organized. There is also a lot of help that is similar to what the detailed manual has. For printers that have bi-directional support, the print server displays info about the attached printer.
OVERALL - I was surprised at how easy the whole process was and printing has worked flawlessly. I got this unit to replace another print server that I have that has given me lots of trouble so I was expecting more trouble. I also like the fact that it has 2 USB ports since many new printers come with USB and the cheaper ones only have USB. One of my printers has both types of ports and I tried both without noticing any differences or problems. The price is good when compared to the alternatives right now and I am happy to say I was not disappointed in the quality.
Rating:
Summary: Great thingy
Review: Setup is easy and you will find all you need in the manual.
Works over the Internet with wireless laptop and wired desktop.
I have laser and photo printer connected through this print server to all my computers without any problems. Does not work with some firewalls though.
Rating:
Summary: Great product, pathetic documentation
Review: This is a cute little print server. In my home LAN this print server is connected to an RJ-45 interface of my Linksys wireless router and access point. All wired and wireless clients can use the Canon BJC 2100 printer connected to the USB port of the print server without any problem. Though the included manual is useless, the setup is pretty simple if you know a little about networking.
Rating:
Summary: Does NOT work with multfunction printers
Review: This print server is a great idea, and if it worked with multifunction printers (like my Canon F80) I would have given it 4 stars because installation was easy. I called the company, and they were very clear that this print server DOES NOT SUPPORT MULTIFUNCTION PRINTERS. So if you have a combination printer/fax/scanner, forget it.
Rating:
Summary: what a P.O.S.
Review: This product does not work as advertized. The manual is VERY poor. the software doesn't work. The manual says it is XP compatible. I have to raise the BS flag. None of the screens in the book are XP screenshots. The directions for driver installation are incorrect. I wouldn't recomend this product to anyone but my best enemy. The "not much help desk" operators really are RUDE and STUPID!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Troubleshooting Tips
Review: This product is not for someone who needs a product that "just works" out of the box, because it does not. Chances are it will take some tweaking to get it running. The documentation is a mess, and the troubleshooting tips on their web site are pretty cavalier about their compatibility problems and not very helpful. On the other hand, if you can get past the installation hassles a print server is definitely a nice thing to have. Some tips that should have been in the documentation: (1) Go to ... and download the firmware upgrade. The documentation explains how to install it. (2) If you have a parallel port printer, and you cannot get it to print, try switching the bi-directional feature from auto-detect to "Disabled". My HP printer would not print anything until I did this. (3) If you are connecting to the USB port, the printed documentation tells you to use the wrong name -- lp1 only works for the parallel port. See the documentation on the web site, which identifies the correct names for each of the three ports.
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