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GCN Home > 07/17/08 web stories

Print server cuts the cord, adds security

GCN Lab review: The PS56 WLAN Print Server can eliminate wires going to your printer while adding a robust system to handle printing-related tasks

By John Breeden II

A print server is always one of the most unappreciated pieces of technology in an office network. It sits there quietly not doing much of anything until print requests are made, whereupon it prioritizes print jobs and sends them forward to the correct device. Unless it messes up and clogs up the works, most users probably don’t even know they have a print server.

But having a dedicated server just for printing can be a little expensive, especially if you consider the need to keep the server patched and secure just as if it were a primary domain controller or some other frontline device. And if your agency allows wireless users, they often can’t communicate with the print server without finding a hardwired hookup around the office somewhere.

The PS56 WLAN Print Server aims to kill two birds with one stone. You simply install the card into a free Enhanced I/O slot on your printer and presto, you create both a print server and a wireless hub for users.

Unfortunately, the reliance on the EIO slot limits the potential user pool significantly. Most modern Hewlett-Packard printers have a free EIO slot, though this is pretty much an exclusive feature of the HP line. And even then, not every single printer will have a free one available. Some printers use the slots for hard drives, especially ones that offer intelligent print services like user mailboxes and secure walkup printing. So make sure you have a free EIO port available before buying one of the $319 PS56s.

We happened to have an HP network printer in the lab, so we were able to install the PS56 to test it out. Installation was not too difficult. You basically just need to remove the faceplate over the EIO port and then connect the PS56. It’s no more difficult than installing a network card. When you are finished, the antenna piece of the device, really just a plastic bump, will stick out about an inch off the side of the printer. It’s probably best if you are able to aim this toward an open area to get a better range on your wireless signal.

Once the card is in place at the printer, you load up an install CD on a client computer to manage it. The PS56 works with any 802.11b network, and we also tested it with several of the newer 802.11g networks. It worked fine with all of them as well, even though the standards are still being worked out for “g” networks.

More news on related topics: Communications / Networks, IT Security, Hardware