Posts Tagged ‘hawking’

Wireless HWPS12UG Hawking G test

This hardware seemed ideal for me since I have three printers: an HP LJ1100 using the parallel port, and two USB-connected dye sublimation printers used for photo printing. Also it can use the internet printing protocol, useful since I mostly run my computer on Debian Linux. I had no trouble setting the device up to work under both Windows 2kPro and Linux, using the ipp printing protocol (with CUPS on the Linux side). Perhaps the docs could stand some improvement, but as long as you don’t expect spoon feeding and are prepared to think a little, they are quite adequate to set the server up. You should set the printserver up with a static IP address so your printer configurations stay the same.

The main problem I have with the unit is range (unlike a previous reviewer). My wireless router is downstairs in my house, where the TV cable connnection comes in. My desktop computer is in a room directly above the router, and I’ve had no connection issues such as dropped packets (my router is a Netgear 802.11g), either with Windows 2000 or Linux. The idea of getting the printserver was to move three (two of them bulky) printers off my desk and into the walk-in closet across the hall. This places one more sheetrock covered wall between the router and the printserver. I had all kind of issues with printing (incomplete pages, printer errors) until I placed the printserver in the doorway so that the wall is no longer in the way. Now I can ping it and reliably get no dropped packets, although occasionally a page will come out incomplete (could be the CUPS driver’s fault).

I still have a little experimenting to do – perhaps there is somewhere I can locate the printserver so it is out of the way and still catches all the packets, but at least it works. Or I could spend another $30 for a supplementary antenna. And I still need to work with the smallest printer (a HiTi 630PL) which hasn’t worked properly through the server. But it only has a small footprint so that it
Hawking HWPS12UG Wireless G | gataquizbowl