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I got tired of trying to share the printer via a desktop PC, and started looking for a way to attach the printer to my network directly. But I was a little disappointed - I imagined all the end-user training I would have to give the aforementioned wife and kids ("If you want to print something, first you have to click here and here, then make sure is says -----, then you might be able to.") Hmmmm, not good. Now the client starts up on boot, minimized to the system tray, and everyone can print from any computer on the network as easily as having a printer at each PC.The hardware and software works - no excuses. I have too many computers in my home, all networked together. It is compatible with multiple platforms and operating systems. As a result, only one PC can be officially "connected" to the Silex box at a time; and that "connection" is managed by Silex's client software.Print speed was fast, including the job start-up time. The price is a little high, but I'm a bit of a "gadget nut", and I'm really tickled that I didn't have to buy yet another junky printer just to add convenience to my home computing environment.Highly recommended.
Hoping for a "that was easy" experience, I contemplated purchasing a new printer with built-in networking. Viola. By default, the client program itself does not start automatically when the PC is booted (which I personally appreciate - I hate software that "takes over"), but I found two tick-boxes in the options tab: "Add to start menu" and "Start minimized". However, the current crop of network-ready, $250-or-less multifunctions didn't seem to be better than what I already had - plus my Canon was chugging along just fine for our light-duty needs. That was great, but only 3/4 of the battle.
My printer is an older AIO - Canon MP780. As it turns out, there is an option you can enable where the software will sense a request to print, automatically establish the connection, then disconnect when the job is done. (I did need to go to Silex's website and download an updated version for OS X 10.5 "Leopard") The software seemed small, unobtrusive, and flexible: the box received an IP address via DHCP, and I ticked the suggested options in the software.After a quick "road test", this is how it worked for me:Using my Canon-supplied print drivers (installed separately), the SX-2000U2 establishes a connection between PC and USB device via ethernet, such that the PC acts as if the USB device is plugged directly into the PC. Whichever solution I chose, it needed to be an easy-to-use, transparent operation for my wife and teenagers. When I came across the SX-2000U2, I rolled the dice and ordered it up - but I was leery of the price: it represented roughly half the cost of a whole new "networked" printer/scanner.It turns out, I'm very happy.These are the computers I'm using it with so far:-Desktop: Vista Ultimate 64 bit-Desktop: Windows 7 RC 64 bit-Laptop: XP Pro (32 bit)-Laptop: OS X 10.5Setup was easy - I plugged everything in, then used the quick-start guide and the included cd-rom to install the client program on each PC.
Instruction manual is a little weak but if i can figure it out, most people can too. I use 3 Vista machines on my home network (2 wired, 1 wireless)and access with no problems via the SX 2000U2 an Epson GT S50 scanner and an HP deskjet. Definitely recommend it. This product does exactly what it's supposed to do. Setup was straight forward and once installed using it is simple.
With the Silex device server, the computer and USB device don't even know that they are not directly connected. With this unit plugged into my wireless router and a USB hard drive plugged into it (via a USB2 hub to have both printer and hard disk connected at the same time), I can connect to the hard drive and Mac OSX Time Machine will do its thing over the wireless network. I've had this unit for over 18 months now. So you get access to all the features of the printer/scanner. No need for Apple's expensive Time Capsule. It works well to allow printing from various computers. While one could have set up a computer as a print server, many multifunction printers/scanners don't give their full functionality unless one plugs the USB cable directly into the computer.
My purpose was to remotely connect a PC to a Cannon Photo camera which it does perfectly well though the camera was not listed in the compatible devices for this USB converter.Good product.
Printing and scanning worked perfectly with all my computers right away. All told, it's a very good device server. I recently bought a Canon MP610 printer/scanner, and I needed a bi-directional print server to be able to print and scan from it on my two Macs and my PC. Unlike other reviewers here, I don't have the need to print from more than one computer at a time, so waiting for another box to finish a print job isn't an issue for me. I'm pleased. I had previously tried a D-Link 1260, which didn't support or recognize my printer, and a Keyspan US-4A, which blue-screened my PC and didn't work with my Macs.I bought the SX-2000U2 and set it up last night. Setup was a breeze, and other than having to download the latest Leopard version of Virtual Link, there were no issues.
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