Monoprice Networking USB 2.0 Print Server - Black

I bought this device to directly attach a printer to a switch on my home network. I have multiple Windows 11 PC's looking to share a Deskjet printer. Installation was OK but the installation software is extremely dated. Device would print the first time but later on it just wouldn't work until it was unplugged and re-plugged in (and sometimes required additional fiddling to get it to work). I got so many complaints from my spouse about unreliable printing that I finally gave up and hung the printer off of my Windows PC and setup a wake on LAN trigger. Shared printing through Windows 11 works like a dream but this print server was a nightmare. Would NOT recommend.

Using the manual instructions that Dave and James V provided as guidance, I was able to get it working on both a windows 10 and windows 11 computer with a Brother HL-2230. I've outlined what I did below as well. I did not use the program that came with the CD. - Make sure the drivers are installed on the computer beforehand. The easiest way is probably to directly connect the printer via USB to the computer. If you do that, just disconnect it when done. - Plug in the print server to the network. I would suggested assigning it a static IP address. (This may require logging into your router and knowing the mac address of the printer server.) Write down the assigned IP address. Plug the printer into the print server device. - On your computer, go to Settings > Apps & Features, click programs and features on the left hand side. From the window that pops up, select "Turn windows features on or off". Alternatively, you can just search for "Turn windows features" from the menu bar and this option should show up. - Scroll down to "Print and Document Services", expand it, and make sure "LPR Port Monitoring" is selected. Windows may need to install the feature. - Once the system is updated, go to "Printers & Scanners". Click "Add a printer or scanner". It'll scan for a few seconds, and then you can click "The printer that I want isn't listed" (Windows 10) or "Add Manually" (Windows 11). - From the add printer box that appears click "Add a local printer of Network printer with manual settings". Next select "Create a new port". Set the type of port to "LPR Port" and click next. - In the box that appears, under "Name or address of server" enter the print server IP address that you assigned it. Under "Name of printer or print queue" enter whatever you want that will help you know which printer it is. This isn't too important. Then click ok. - Select the correct driver for your printer from the list and click next. Select "User the driver that is currently installed (recommended)" and click next. - Enter a printer name. This is what you'll see in the printer list. After that, it'll ask if you want to share the printer (I told it not too). Finally, you can print a test page, just to confirm it works. After that you're done! I didn't even try to use the software, knowing that it was for an older version of windows. Ideally I wouldn't have to manually configure it, but I'm very glad it does work.

no issues~ exactly what i needed to make our usb printer connected to our home network.

I have used one of these with a Brother HL-2240 printer and it works as advertised. I bought another to use with a Brother PT-D410 Label printer andthe unit shows the printer and says it is ready but the printer doesn't function.

I had an older Brother HL-L2320D laser printer that I needed to convert to a network printer to use with my Windows 10 computer. I followed the instructions and used the included installation software. It took me about 15 minutes to make sure that all the pieces were talking to each other, and the printer has worked flawlessly as a wireless printer ever since. This Monoprice Networking Print Server helped me to upgrade a perfectly good printer.

It seemed worth a try as I would have liked to make my old USB only Color Laserjet work wirelessly from my Android phone. Unfortunately HP doesn't support this printer using this USB to Wi-fi technique and the printer is even unseen on my phone. Soon to be cancelled Google Cloud sees the phone via USB but the lack of a driver stops even a direct Android print. I guess I could send the file to a Windows PC and print via USB but I still couldn't use this print server. Thus I can't give an appropriate review of its functionality. However still using USB2 seems a bit dated even for a print server.

I have used other brands before and they worked well and I have purchased from monopolize before with good results. However, this time windows saw the print servers but would not print to them. I did a search for answers and users on the net said an update first quarter 21 was the culprit. I tried all the suggestions but still phone no love. I have not returned them yet yet and will try again to fix the problem next week. If Microsoft does not have an answer by them.

Used this device to share a Brother USB labeler between several computers. I had to load the driver software for the labeler on each machine, then install the print server and it's software. Two devices; two different offices. Works great.

Just wanted to post here so people know that this can be used for label printers. I made it work with Beeprt BY-426 thermal printer. I got the driver from Seagull. Connect everything and start driver installation. it asks for the connection type and you have to select LAN and then create a new TCP/IP port as per Mark L's review above. Once those steps are complete, you just continue to finish the installation and the printer should work fine. Just as others have mentioned, reserve the IP, disable DHCP from print server web portal and you should be all set.

This item makes setting up a USB printer on a network fast and easy.

No matter what I tried it wouldn't appear on the network. I installed the updated software, but it doesn't seem to work with Windows 10.

I set up this print server to work with a Brother HL-2240 printer. Although my model is not in the list of compatible printers, the print server has worked reliably for me. First, connect everything up as follows. Printer -> (USB cable) -> (Print Server) -> (wired network cable) -> Router The print server will request a dynamic IP address from the DHCP server within your router. For reliable printing to this print server, it is best to configure your router to always provide the same dynamic IP address to the print server. This is done by creating an address reservation in the DHCP settings of your router. Each router model and manufacturer will have its own way of doing this, but the procedure is generally similar. Consult your router's user manual to determine the exact steps. Log into your router and look for a list of devices that have requested an IP address. Within that list, you should see a device with a "MAC" that begins with 803F5D (it may be listed as 80:3F:5D or 80-3F-5D in your router). This is the print server. For the next step, write down the print server's full 12-character MAC as well as the IP address it was assigned by your router. Now, create an Address Reservation in the DHCP settings, which tells the router to always assign that same IP address to that same MAC. (If your web interface provides a box for specifying the device name or description, you can use something generic like "printer" or whatever you like.) You will probably need to click a "Save" or "Apply" button in the router web page to save your change. Next, unplug the print server's power plug. Wait a few seconds, then plug it back in. Wait a minute, then refresh the DHCP settings web page on your router to confirm that the print server is listed and has the same IP address. I should point out that this print server provides 2 different protocols that computers can use to print to it -- Bonjour and LPR. I have found Bonjour to be unreliable for me. Therefore, I have opted to use LPR, which works best when the print server is assigned a reserved IP address. It is assumed that you previously used this printer as a local USB printer, attached directly to your computer. If so, your computer should already have the printer driver installed. If not, you may need to download and install the printer driver from the manufacturer's web site, before proceeding. In Mac OS, add the printer using the LPR protocol. 1. Go into "System Preferences" > "Printers & Scanners". 2. At the bottom of the list of printers, click the "+" icon. 3. On the Add screen, click "IP". 4. In the "Address" field, enter the IP address of the print server. (This will be the DHCP reserved IP address you configured above.) 5. In the "Protocol" drop-down list, click "Line Printer Daemon – LPD". 6. Change the "Name" field to something more descriptive of your printer (e.g. Brother HL-2240 LPR). 7. I left the Queue and Location fields empty. 8. In the "Use" drop-down list, select the driver for the printer attached to the print server. You will probably want to choose "Select Software", then select the manufacturer and model of printer attached to the print server, then click OK. 9. Finally, click the "Add" button. To test the printer you have just added, select it in the list of Printers, click "Options & Supplies", choose the "Utility" tab, click "Print Test Page", then click "OK". If all went well, a test page should print. Some additional tips and bits of information follow. I did NOT install any software from the CD that came with the print server. The software is not required on MacOS. The user manual that came bundled with the print server is pretty much useless. I think the manual tries to cover both this "USB LPR Print Server" (Monoprice #5342) and the "USB Server - 4 USB Devices" (Monoprice #5344), but it's mostly written for the latter (#5344). And so, the manual will probably confuse most people. This print server makes only the printing function of a printer accessible over the network. If your printer has a built-in scanner, the scan function will NOT be accessible over the network. The print server does NOT make your printer into a wireless printer. The print server must be physically connected into the back of your router with an Ethernet cable. However, computers that connect to your network over WiFi will be able to print to the printer over wifi. This print server is tiny (2" x 2"). I keep my Brother HL-2240 turned on all the time, but it goes into a low-power sleep mode after about 10 minutes. I have NOT had any issues with the printer waking up from sleep mode for printing. Some caveats: I only send small print jobs to this print server (approximately 20 pages or less). I cannot say how well it performs with large print jobs (e.g. 100 pages). Only one user accesses this print server at a given time. I have not tried to send multiple print jobs from multiple users at the same time.

Works as advertised. Pretty much set it up and forget it.

Worked perfect for brother hl2240, just be sure to install the software on every computer on the network that will use the printer

Was unable to use this with my HP LaserJet printer. None of my Windows 10 computers are able to detect it or print to it, even when I set the printer up manually. It's simply a piece of scrap sitting on my desk at the moment.

Won't show up on my networks. Tried 2 different routers and 2 different laptops.

It sucks. Y'all didn't say it will not work with windows 10