D-Link DP-300U 10/100TX 1-USB Port 2-Parallel Port Print Server

I installed this in about 20 minutes, and it worked the first time. It's extremely handy to have. My home router already had the correct IP address (192.168.0.1) which made the job easy. If you don't have that, the installation will be more complex, and it doesn't seem like the documentation that comes with the unit is all that helpful to resolve this issue.The only complication I didn't anticipate isn't the fault of the Print Server. It turns out that, when I've got a PC configured with a tunnel to a corporate network, you can't use the server. This is obvious in hindsight, but I didn't realize it before I set this up. It's not a big deal, but I can't print while I'm connected into the company. There's probably a fix for this, but it isn't so bad that I've bothered to find it.In summary, the D-Link box works well and I'm happy with it.

First I tried the NetGear PS101 print server. I liked the spiffy form factor. I could talk to the print server admin web interface and get it to print a test page, but even after many, many hours could never get it to print a document. So I returned it.After that debacle, I decided to splurge for the HP JetDirect. At first I could only get it to print the configuration page. A visit to the HP support forums turned up lots of references to the JetDirect not working with SP2 and the suggested solution was to uninstall SP2. Ugh. Finally I went to the D-Link web site and copied the D-Link installation guide for XP w/SP2. The main difference was that D-Link suggested installing the print server as a local TCP/IP printer instead of a networked printer and, bingo, I got the JetDirect to print. (NOTE: It still goes over the network, it just looks local to the PC.) However I was miffed that I paid double the price for a device which required a competitors documentation to get to work. In addition, DHCP didn't work and I could never get it to show up in my network neighborhood.So ... in a possibly nonsensical move of principle and price, I bought the D-Link DP300U and set up it. It's not trivial to install, but after working with the other two devices, a couple hours of install time seems like nothing. Here are a couple tips ...(1) Do NOT use DHCP. Use a fixed IP address. Unlike the JetDirect, DHCP works. However, it still didn't show up in my network neighborhood and now I didn't know the IP address. There is NO HARDWARE RESET on the device. The D-Link support guy was great. He told me that if I couldn't find the IP address, I would have to send it back to D-Link to be reset (Ugh!). The good news is that he told me how to find it. I went to the router and looked at the DHCP assignment list and got it, and then reset the thing to a nice, fixed IP address in my subnet.(2) I first set it up as per the instructions as a local TCP/IP printer, which means it's still on the network but looks like a local printer to the PC. It worked OK, but did this weird, long pause ... about a minute ... right in the middle of long documents. Again D-Link support was good. They told me to try setting it up as a networked printer, which I did. Unfortunately, this doesn't have spooling and you're back to 1980's wait-for-printing. Then something weird happened that I can not explain ... after setting up the device as a networked printer, I went back to the local TCP/IP printer that I had set up and it worked perfectly. Don't know how it got fixed.My PC is a Dell laptop w/ wireless connection to an access point, and then wired to a router and the print server. My printer is an HP Deskjet 5550.So, in the end I'm sticking with the D-Link product and I am happy with it. I would have rated it 3 stars as an overall product, but bumped my rating to 4 stars because I still thought it was the best of the ones I had tried. The itty-bitty-print-server market could use some improvement.Enjoy!

First of all, the directions are not very clear. Also, the software that comes with the unit has no instruction. Should I load the software? Anyway, I followed both which contradicted each other and found that it was easier for me to come up with my own method. When I could not reach success I decided to call. Tech support was friendly but difficult to understand. They had me follow yet a third direction. Also they don't seem to know this product. Several techs told me to reset the unit. The unit does not have a reset button. That should stop you in your consideration tracks right there. But I went forward and they had me directly connect to the unit vs. router and proceeded to getting one port working one time. That was the end of the operation. When I attempted to add the second printer, I could not connect. Two days and many hours later they concluded that the unit was defective and told me to bring it back to the store. No apology or consideration of the wasted time and money was given. I passed this on to a supervisor who said he would look into all that were involved in the case. He was more helpful but couldn't explain why 2 technicians had me try to press the reset button and ALSO told me to load the PS software to talk to the unit and reconfigure it. I kept repeated that the unit is not talking. What's the point of connecting to the software and try to do a reset. It doesn't see any unit and gives you an error message, no Printer Server has been selected. I give this unit much lower grades for hardware issues, installation ease and least of all technical support than the other reviewers. I give the unit one star for the attempt from tech support, although they need more training technically and with customer courtesy. I went with a Trendnet TE 100 - P21 which was much friendlier and I never had to call anyone. I had 3 pc's connecting to 2 printers in less than 2 hours.

Unfortunately, I had to return the DP-300U product since I couldn't interface to my primary printer. I didn't know all printers wouldn't work. After talking with D-Link support, D-Link has a webpage indicating which printers are compatible with this print server, so I recommend you visit their website before buying this product for compatibility reasons.I needed a print server for my multiple computers and printers, but the compatibility issue nixed this one. My HP color printer using the USB port worked great, but my Canon laser printer using the parallel port didn't work. Some Canon printers work, but not mine. I'll keep searching for another print server.It has some nice features, but Amazon took it back and that's what's nice about dealing with Amazon.