- Hardware
- Standards: Wired: IEEE 802.3 10Base-T, IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX ; Wireless IEEE 802.11g
- Printer Interface: 1 x Parallel DB25 (Female) Port ; 2 x USB 2.0, 1.1 Compliant USB Type A Port
- LAN Port: 10/100Mbps Auto-Negotiation UTP/STP RJ-45 Port
- CPU/ SDRAM / Flash ROM: RDC R2880 100MHz / 8MByte / 2MByte
Product Description
TRENDnet TEW-P21G is a wireless print server that transforms virtually any stand-alone USB or Parallel networkable printer into a shared network printer. The TEW-P21G is compatible with IEEE 802.11g 54Mbps network and it has two USB 2.0 and one Parallel printer port. Network professionals can easily manage the print server using Web Browser and utilize the TEW-P21 to promote productivity in a workgroup environment with low equipment cost.
I’m bought this print server having done copious amounts of research before hand. The server reviews were solid for the most part and most poor reviews seemed to be due to operator error or due to Windows Vista. Although my printer, Samsung CLP-315 was not on the list, I was willing to gamble. I read the setup instructions carefully when I got the gadget and combined it with some hints from a few of the reviews, here. A crucial tip that might go unnoticed as some have mentioned is unplugging and plugging back up after initial setup…this is key! I had to do it twice.
I bought this print server so I could move my cube pc and router behind my LCD TV and use it as a HTPC (Home Theater PC) without giving up printing from it. As a bonus, I have 2 laptops that until now could not print due to lack of a print server/access point. It is also worth mentioning that I am running Windows XP on all machines. I also have a Linksys WRT54GS with DD-WRT firmware that I use to handle routing duties (love my router and will never give it up!). Anyway, my plan was to move the printer to a closet and get it out of site.
Here’s the problem…The print server looks like better quality in the pictures than it is. I was disappointed. It really does feel cheap. I have serious connectivity issues with this box, even when it is sitting right next to my router. The canned response is that maybe the router’s signal is weak. This doesn’t apply here…I have the signal power high enough that neighbors 2 streets over can connect to me. The issue is that the TEW-MP2U simply drops off the grid and I have to CONSTANTLY reboot. It’s almost so bad that I have to walk to the source and reboot before printing EVERY time.
The good…With problems like that this print server should get a 1 star rating and not even hit 2 since it is unable to perform as advertised, however, it is documented that the print server can work tethered to the router with an RJ-45 line. That ended up being my solution. I had a Linksys wireless PC card in my cube already, so I was able to move the router and print server to the closet. That has set my project back a bit, b/c I was going to hook my DirecTV HD recorder to the router to take advantage of On Demand. I still can, but now I’ll have to create a new access point.
The bottom line…I think Trendnet has a potentially GREAT product, but it uses crappy components. How do I know? Simple…it works flawlessly when tethered to the router. I can connect to it from anywhere in the house and it never needs to be reset. As a wireless stand alone solution, it falls on its face.
Tips / Advise:
1) make sure you power it off and back on one or two times after setup.
2) despite some of the knowledge bases, you DO have to have printer driver installed on EVERY computer you use to connect to the print server from, along with the printer software.
3) Samsung CLP-315 works great on it…not on the approved list, but works, nonetheless.
4) Do not count on the wireless function…b/c the components are crap, I expect functionality and results will vary greatly from unit to unit.
5) The color manual is pretty darn good…read thru setup prior to actually doing it. It isn’t spelled out, but the setup is for all 3 models. There is one instruction that says “for TEW-MP2U, skip to step 5″…ignore this…it will screw you up. Follow all steps in sequence.
Good Luck!
Rating: 2 / 5
To make a long story short – this product saved the day for me. I had bought a used Pentax PocketJet II printer and wanted to connect it to my MacBook. Only problem is that the PocketJet only has a DB-25 parallel port connecter and the Mac only USB. Various USB-to-Parallel adapters just didn’t work. I found this product (few printer servers support parallel printers and even fewer support the DB-25 connector) and so in desperation I ordered it.
The good news is it works. Contrary to TrendNet’s own documentation with Macs it works just fine with non-Postscript printers (if you’re running OS X 10.4 or better). The rest of the documentation is just as worthless. You’re basically down to trial and error. If you don’t have some networking knowledge, this product is not for you!
A few pointers for Mac users:
1. For initial configuration you will have to connect your computer to the print server with a networking cable and use the web based utility ([...]). If your network isn’t in the 192.168.0.x range it can make sense to connect a crossover cable directly between your computer and the TrendNet box.
2. Figure out the IP address range of your WLAN and assign the print server an appropriate IP address. Whilst TrendNet supports DHCP, I can’t really see the point.
3. On the Mac install the printer using the add printer utility. You can select any available printer driver. This is important – if you’re using IPP or LPD under “queue” enter the port name for the port your printer is connected to as defined in TrendNet’s web utility, it will be something like “PS-71FB09-P3″. If you don’t do that it just won’t work.
4. The TrendNet print server and Mac communicate just fine with LPD, IPP or AppleTalk. AppleTalk probably is the easiest to set up, as you don’t have to enter the port/queue name, but AppleTalk isn’t supported in Snow Leopard, so IPP or LPR may be the best future-proof choices.
5. If you have problems, Apple supplies a great diagnostic tool for the underlying Common UNIX Printing System. Just enter [...] in Safari.
6. Getting the Wireless to work was ultimately the simplest and in practice the most frustrating part. Simply select your WLAN from the drop-down list, enter the password and authentication method and leave everything else alone (especially the “Infrastructure” connection mode). So far so good, but nothing happens. In an obscure FAQ I found the answer – disconnect the networking cable and unplug the TrendNet box for 15 seconds. After rebooting the print server will automatically connect to the WLAN.
Good Luck!
Rating: 4 / 5
TrendNet quite possibly has set the bar for the worst technical support level ever. After reading reviews on several sites regarding this exact issue, I still decided to purchase the device thinking that my mid-range IT capability might stand a chance. Big mistake so far.
So far, I have called TrendNet six times. Twice, they have told me they would call me back and never did. Once, I was on the phone with an technician that I could barely hear or understand. Once, they hung up on me after holding for 17 minutes. And most recently, I was told I would either have to hold for 30 minutes or get a call back.
With the one call that was successful, I managed to get my Windows XP computer up and running. I then made the mistake of hanging up and trying to get my Windows Vista computer up and running.
Still no luck, although I haven’t yet tried calling the seventh time…
No chance of buying a TrendNet of any kind in the future.
Rating: 1 / 5
I would rate it 0 starts if I could. It is functionally exactly what I wanted. I have two color printers, a laserjet, and a scanner. My old computer that was relegated to a print server gave up the ghost, so I bought this to replace it. Great idea, terrible implementation. First of all it was very sporadic, so I called Trendware customer service and they agreed to send a replacement. The new one was more stable, but I could never get it to support bi-directional printing, so I was unable to see the printer color cartrige status (a requirement), and it didn’t support the scanner for the same reason. Then it was so slow, I could have literally gotten out a typewriter and beat it to the punch. It went out to lunch for 5-10 minutes when I sent it a print job. I returned it.
Save yourself a lot of grief and go buy an old computer from the classifieds and use it instead. I wasted about three days with this thing.
Rating: 1 / 5