[dabigkahuna]

I think I may just hold off on everything for awhile - after all, if I decide to buy a new computer, that could affect most other decisions. My printer, even though it leaves 3 small splotches per page, otherwise works well and the important stuff I really need to look good I can always printout at school. So, at the very least, I think I'll wait on the printer decision until this toner cartridge runs out or the printer gets much worse.

But all this info here has been a huge help. Thanks.

[rgreen4]

No problem. It is always better to cogitate on an item for a while. Most spot purchases end up being a little short of what we expected. It took me month's of deciding before I bought my NAS device. I looked on line at various options, downloaded the user guides, and reviewed them with an eye toward expansion and support.

The same is true of printers. Many go out and just buy the first cheap printer they see, and it doesn't do what they expected of it. In a few months, the 1xxx series will ge gone and the P15xx series will have some user comments in websites, and once the supply chain fills up, the prices will drop. Right now it's new and discounts are hard to come by.

Besides, when your in school, every dollar counts, as the income is usually meager.

[dabigkahuna]

Maybe someone can explain this.

If you check my post starting this thread, I mentioned I was getting evenly spaced splotches on every sheet I printed (3 normally on 11" paper). I figure it was probably some wheel that manipulated the paper that was leaving a mark, though cleaning everything I could find made no difference.

Then I found something on the net from another person who reported the same problem and that their drum had damage which caused it.

Well, that seemed to fit so, of course, I figured that was my problem.

Except that yesterday the spotches stopped! Now, I've only printed a few sheets plus a couple 3x5 cards (these usually get two splotches), but there is a flaw anywhere. And it wasn't like the splotches gradually get lighter until they stopped appearing altogether - this was a sudden change.

I'm happy, of course, but I'd love to know what might have been responsible. Oh, and in case it matters, the marks were always running a bit under an inch from the center of the paper, lengthwise.

Bob

[dabigkahuna]

It just gets weirder - the black marks are back after a week of no problems.

[smax013]

apatz said:

It should work using a crossover cable instead of a straight ethernet cable. You just need to know the IP address of the printer (set one manually) and then create a printer port in your printer setup pointing to this IP address. I haven't tried it myself but it should work.

You might not even need a crossover cable. Some modern NIC cards are "autosensing" and can "adjust" for direct connections with standard ethernet cables (i.e. the card does the crossover, not the cable). To my knowledge, all current Macs do this.



And, yes, a direct connection to a network printer should work fine as long as you handle the crossover function appropriate...and you don't need the network connection for an Internet connection (assuming you don't have two NIC cards).

[smax013]

A few minor comments...

rgreen4 said:

There are three types of networks - wired, wireless and mixed. A wired network uses a router just as a wireless network does, but the router has no wireless capabilities. These are rare today. Wired also connects all devices with a wire, called variously ethernet or CAT5. Since there are more than one version of CAT (I do not know what it stands for) the original being 5, then there is a 5e, and a 6. All use a modular connector (RJ45) that is slightly larger than the standard telephone plug (RJ11) and has 8 connectors. Ethernet has the advantage that new newer standard is fast and secure but has the disadvantage that you have to run wires.

Actually, you don't need a router in a network, unless you want that network to connect to a WAN (i.e. the Internet). It is the switch portion of the router that is being used to create the internal wired network. A typical "router" is actually three hardware devices in one. They will contain the actual router (which is used to negotiate the traffic from the LAN [internal network] with that WAN [Internet or some other larger "outside" network]), a network switch (which is used to allow multiple computers to be connected to the internal network with wires) and a wireless access point (which creates the wireless portion of the network and also connects it into the wired network...so it is kind acting like a wireless network switch and a wireless router [negotiating the wireless traffic with the wired connection]). The point is that if all you want is an internal network that is NOT connected to the Internet, then you don't need a router...you just need a network switch and a wireless access point (if you want wireless networking). Now, from a practical point of view, it is easier/cheaper to just get a broadband router as true wireless access points tend to be more expensive then routers with access points built in...probably due to supply and demand (not too many people need/want them).

rgreen4 said:

I hope this helps clear up the connection types. What apatz and I were speaking of is the fact that the ethernet cables have an in connector and an out connector. When you connect to a router or a switch, the crossover is handled there. But if you directly connect two devices that are normally connected to a router, you have to have some way to handle the crossover or the out pin on device one will be connected to the out pin on device 2, not the in pin, and it won't work. There is a special cable called a crossover cable made for this so that the two wires are crossed in the cable, so the out pin of device 1 connects to the in pin on device 2. It's sometimes called a poor mans network. BTW a router has a swich built in and the router comes in as it routes the broadband connection. The switch just connects internal network devices.

To be a little techinically, an ethernet cable does not really have an in connector and an out connector, per se. Saying it this way implies to me that there is only one way to install an ethernet cable and if you install it incorrectly, it will not work...which is not the case. The analogy that I use is a telephone. When you talk into a telephone, there is a mic portion on the handset and a speaker portion. You put the speaker portion to your ear and the mic portion to your mouth. The person on the other end does the same. Some where along the line, there is a device that causes the stuff that you speak into the mic to go to the speaker portion of the other person's phone. This same function is being done by a network switch (or hub) on a computer network. If you connect two computers directly together without a switch or hub or a crossover cable or some other device to handle the crossover, then it would be like you try to talk to someone with the phone handset held up side down. You would be "speaking" into the speaker not the mic.

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

It just gets weirder - the black marks are back after a week of no problems.

Ok, now that I have caught up, I am in a better position to see if I cannot help with your currect issue.



I would agree that it is strange for the splotches/marks to go away and then come back. I suspect one of your two suspicions is correct...either 1) there are some "marks" on the drum unit or 2) there is a roller in the printer creating the marks. Typically, with laser printers, it is the former that causes the most problems of this nature, although I have personally had a problem with a set of rollers "melting" from use on my LaserJet 6MP and leaving rubber marks on the sheet as it printed. This resulted in the marks, but also caused the paper to bind frequently. I ended up buying replacement part from HP and installing it myself.



Now, if you are getting roughly equal size marks that are equally spaced at some fixed distance, then that further suggests that there is some mark/defect on the drum. If it was a roller issue, then it would likely be streaks rather than discreet marks. There are two possible ways to try to verify that this might be the case (i.e. that it is a drum issue)...1) take the drum out and open up the drum shield and look at the drum as you rotate it or 2) get a new drum unit if possible. You would need to be very careful with the first option as drums are sensative to light. The second option could be expensive (assuming you can even still get a drum unit...it does appear that you can order one through Amazon...here is the link), especially if it does not solve anything. If you want, here is a link to how to deal with a drum unit from the Brother page.



And that does not even touch the issue that you have with the USB port. A side note, it does appear that Brother does make a WiFi (only 802.11b) server for use with your Brother laserprinter. Here is the link to it on the Brother site. It appears that you might have difficulty finding it, if you want to pursue that option. But, it suggests that a typical printer server might work. Here is a link to a bunch of network print servers on NewEgg. It is possible that one might work with your printer.

[dabigkahuna]

The marks are equal distance (though seems to be that would fit a roller too since each rotation covers a set distance) and they seem to be about the same size. They also look as close to the same as I can tell.

I took the toner cartridge out and I'm not sure if I understand how this works.

Oh, wait, looking at an animation on the Brother link you gave, apparently when I pull the cartridge out, I'm actually pulling out the drum section too - at least I think so.

Don't know about a shield, but I did see a place where I could look through and see a long roller which I assume is the drum. Turning some sort of gear mechanism made that turn and I saw a mark that was about the same size as the paper marks.

I decided to try wiping it off with a tissue. Didn't seem to want to move and I didn't want to press hard. But when I put it back in and printed again, the marks were much smaller so I guess somethnig came off. Considernig how solidly the flaw seemed to attached (or actually part of) the roller, I can't imagine why it completely went away before!

Is there anything I can safely do to try to see if I can get more off - assuming it actually did partly come off this time?
> And that does not even touch the issue that you have with the USB port.
A side note, it does appear that Brother does make a WiFi (only
802.11b) server for use with your Brother laserprinter. <

Server? Is this different from a router?

I'm thinking when I buy new stuff, I'll go with the "N" stuff just to maximize everything, but I understand that most routers that have antennas for both frequencies will usually slow down if a slower device is attached. Linksys has one that lets both be used at once, but apparently many or most do not.

So, is a print server a different thing?

Apparently all this is a wireless thing - my computer doesn't have that capability and I'm not sure if it is worth adding it - I had a PC card for extra USB ports that never worked so it is possible the port is messed up. Maybe not, but there are other things about this computer that I think are a bit flakey so it wouldn't surprise me.

But my next computer will be wireless so I need to find out if this is something that may still be useful if I ALSO have a router (assuming they are different).

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

The marks are equal distance (though seems to be that would fit a roller too since each rotation covers a set distance) and they seem to be about the same size. They also look as close to the same as I can tell.

I took the toner cartridge out and I'm not sure if I understand how this works.


Oh, wait, looking at an animation on the Brother link you gave, apparently when I pull the cartridge out, I'm actually pulling out the drum section too - at least I think so.


Don't know about a shield, but I did see a place where I could look through and see a long roller which I assume is the drum. Turning some sort of gear mechanism made that turn and I saw a mark that was about the same size as the paper marks.


I decided to try wiping it off with a tissue. Didn't seem to want to move and I didn't want to press hard. But when I put it back in and printed again, the marks were much smaller so I guess somethnig came off. Considernig how solidly the flaw seemed to attached (or actually part of) the roller, I can't imagine why it completely went away before!


Is there anything I can safely do to try to see if I can get more off - assuming it actually did partly come off this time?

You want to be VERY careful with the imaging drum. I am not aware of any ways to clean them, but then I have never really looked. I found this link that offered some ideas. Use it at your own discretion. Be aware that such things could make the situation worse and further damage the drum, so if you do try them be prepared for worse. In general, when stuff happens with the imaging drum, your best bet is a new imaging drum (which usually means a new toner cartridge for most consumer level printers...enterprise level printers are the ones that tend to have seperate toner cartridges and imaging drums...consumer level laser printers tend to have the imaging drum in the toner cartridge...that is the case with my LaserJet 6MP).

dabigkahuna said:

Server? Is this different from a router?


I'm thinking when I buy new stuff, I'll go with the "N" stuff just to maximize everything, but I understand that most routers that have antennas for both frequencies will usually slow down if a slower device is attached. Linksys has one that lets both be used at once, but apparently many or most do not.


So, is a print server a different thing?


Apparently all this is a wireless thing - my computer doesn't have that capability and I'm not sure if it is worth adding it - I had a PC card for extra USB ports that never worked so it is possible the port is messed up. Maybe not, but there are other things about this computer that I think are a bit flakey so it wouldn't surprise me.


But my next computer will be wireless so I need to find out if this is something that may still be useful if I ALSO have a router (assuming they are different).

A print server is different than a router. A router's purpose is to negotiate network traffic between two networks (i.e. it "routes" the traffic). In practical terms, many broadband routers will include additional device function. Typical included functions are network switchs and wireless access points. Some broadband routers will also include a print server function (an example of this is the Apple Airport Extreme that you mentioned). A print server is a network device that allows your printer to be connected to the network and in essence turns your printer into a network printer. There are print servers that allow wired connections and some that allow wireless connections. The one that Brother had on their page that I linked to is a wireless one that uses 802.11b. The second link to the various printer servers on the NewEgg should have had both wired and wireless printer servers, I believe. You could easily try out a wired printer server (they are more prevalent anyways) and then connect your printer to the print server and then either connect your computer directly to the print server with a crossover cable (since we don't know if you have an autosensing ethernet card) or connect the computer to the print server by way of a network switch (or broadband router) and a couple of standard ethernet cables. If this setup worked, then it would also work for a new computer, if/when you got one.



How do you connect to the Internet? Cable modem service or DSL or dial up or something else? You might have mentioned it in other post WAY back, but I forget.

[dabigkahuna]

> In general, when stuff happens with the imaging drum, your best bet is
a new imaging drum (which usually means a new toner cartridge for most
consumer level printers <

I'm not completely sure what I have. Looking at the link you gave me, they listed a drum and a cartridge as separate items, but it wasn't actually my model of printer (the HL-1440). Also, a little video for what the link did show had a cartridge being inserted into the larger drum section. I recall it pointing to a blue lever or button. Well, I've only replaced my toner once and it was years ago so I don't remember the details, but when I pull out the whole mechanism, there is a blue lever or button on it so I'm guessing there is just a toner cartridge that separates from the drum mechanism. As I recall, the replacement I got when I replaced the toner was around $65-75 at Circuit City so I don't know if that would be enough to cover both toner cartridge and drum.

> Some broadband routers will also
include a print server function (an example of this is the Apple
Airport Extreme that you mentioned). <

If I go with a Mac, I'm definitely looking at that one, especially now that they have the Time Capsule hard drive. But reading a review of the prior version, it said it didn't have or had removed security they used to have and so, if you had a PC attached to it too, it would lack needed protection. I'd always heard that a router was a good extra level of protection so this really concerns me.
I can see I have plenty of stuff to sort out with all these options on the printer though.


> How do you connect to the Internet? Cable modem service or DSL or dial
up or something else? You might have mentioned it in other post WAY
back, but I forget. <

Cable.

Forgot something I did long ago. As I recall, this printer does have parallel connection too and I had a port replicator (with it's own power plug) I had bought for my laptop to supply that port. That's how I originally connected the printer at first. However, the replicator plugged into the USB port and when I later added the wireless keyboard/mouse, I switched the printer to plug in directly into the other USB on the computer.

The problem with going back to that is that the USB ports on the replicator were only 1.1. A potential problem is that my camera which has a cable to plug into the USB port did say that it recommended a direct connection too, not a hub. So that's what I've done, unplugging the printer each time (or the port replicator which amounts to the same thing).

But since the camera only made that as a recommedation, not a requirement, maybe it isn't much of a problem? I wouldn't want data screwed up in the transfer though! Also, wouldn't it be painfully slow with USB 1.1? Those pictures and videos can be pretty big.

I guess I could check for replicators that have USB 2.0 and a parallel connector, though that still leaves the possible problem with the indirect camera connection.

Also, by any chance are USB ports on a replicator better than on a hub? I assume not, but I don't know.

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

I'm not completely sure what I have. Looking at the link you gave me, they listed a drum and a cartridge as separate items, but it wasn't actually my model of printer (the HL-1440). Also, a little video for what the link did show had a cartridge being inserted into the larger drum section. I recall it pointing to a blue lever or button. Well, I've only replaced my toner once and it was years ago so I don't remember the details, but when I pull out the whole mechanism, there is a blue lever or button on it so I'm guessing there is just a toner cartridge that separates from the drum mechanism. As I recall, the replacement I got when I replaced the toner was around $65-75 at Circuit City so I don't know if that would be enough to cover both toner cartridge and drum.

This page for the DR-400 drum is what I found when I went searching for your printer (HL-1440) on the Brother site. In addition, I will note that the title of the page (at the top of the brower window) does list your printer...it lists HL-1230/1440/1450/1470N. Thus, it would appear to be appropriate for your printer. If so, then there was this link from Amazon that provided a potential way to get a new drum unit. It would appear to cost about $120 or so. The toner cartridge from Amazon would be about $60 or so.

It appears from the DR-400 page from Brother that the drum unit and toner cartridge come out of the printer as one combined unit. You then remove the toner cartridge from the combined unit to replace the drum unit.

dabigkahuna said:

If I go with a Mac, I'm definitely looking at that one, especially now that they have the Time Capsule hard drive. But reading a review of the prior version, it said it didn't have or had removed security they used to have and so, if you had a PC attached to it too, it would lack needed protection. I'd always heard that a router was a good extra level of protection so this really concerns me.

I can see I have plenty of stuff to sort out with all these options on the printer though.

> How do you connect to the Internet? Cable modem service or DSL or dial
> up or something else? You might have mentioned it in other post WAY
> back, but I forget it;Cable.

Do you have a router now? Or do you just connect the computer to the cable modem?



I ask because even if you only use one computer, a router can be useful. A router will act as a hardware firewall. If you are NOT using a router, then you definitely should have a software firewall running on that computer, even if it is only the built one that comes with XP, as crappy as it is.



As to the AirPort Extreme, I don't know what that review said, but it will provide the same level of protection to Mac or a Windoze computer. Its firewall like function is completely independent of what type of computer is attached to it. The only other type of security that they could be talking about that I can think of is WiFi encryption, but that again is independent of Mac vs. Windoze...but can be dependent on what type of WiFi adapter or included WiFi you might have with your computer. Older WiFi adapters might not support the newest WiFi encryption protocols (such as WPA or WPA2). But this again has zero to do with Mac vs. Windoze.



Point is an Airport Extreme should work just fine with any Windoze PeeCee. I am not as clear how attaching a USB disk or USB printer may or may not work with a Windoze PeeCee, but I believe they both should work as well. But, as I don't have a Airport Extreme basestation, I have never tried it...and I have never researched the issue. I don't have a need for 802.11n, thus I have never been tempted by an Airport Extreme basestation (my MacBook Pro is a first generation version, which did not come with 802.11n). So, I stick with my Linksys router with 802.11g, which works just fine for me.

dabigkahuna said:

Forgot something I did long ago. As I recall, this printer does have parallel connection too and I had a port replicator (with it's own power plug) I had bought for my laptop to supply that port. That's how I originally connected the printer at first. However, the replicator plugged into the USB port and when I later added the wireless keyboard/mouse, I switched the printer to plug in directly into the other USB on the computer.


The problem with going back to that is that the USB ports on the replicator were only 1.1. A potential problem is that my camera which has a cable to plug into the USB port did say that it recommended a direct connection too, not a hub. So that's what I've done, unplugging the printer each time (or the port replicator which amounts to the same thing).


But since the camera only made that as a recommedation, not a requirement, maybe it isn't much of a problem? I wouldn't want data screwed up in the transfer though! Also, wouldn't it be painfully slow with USB 1.1? Those pictures and videos can be pretty big.


I guess I could check for replicators that have USB 2.0 and a parallel connector, though that still leaves the possible problem with the indirect camera connection.


Also, by any chance are USB ports on a replicator better than on a hub? I assume not, but I don't know.

Depends on what you are calling a hub vs. a port replicator. I think you are talking about powered USB hubs vs. bus powered USB hubs. USB hubs come in two "flavors": 1) it only plugs into a USB port and does NOT have a seperate power adapter...such USB hubs are powered by the power from the USB port...as such, they will only work with rather low powered USB devices or USB devices that don't require power from the USB port to operate; and 2) it will plug into the USB port AND has a power adapter...these are needed for the use of devices that require more substantial power from the USB port that they plug into. The short and sweet comment is that a hub is in essence a port replicator.



Generally speaking, a printer should be able to plug into a USB hub of either type since a printer typically has its own power supply. Things like a bus powered external hard drive will NOT work with a non-powered USB hub, but could work with a powered one. If you have too many "low powered" USB devices (i.e. keyboard, mouse, etc) plugged into a non-powered USB hub, you might run into problems as the one USB port is providing power to that non-powered hub and if that power is less than what is needed by all the devices, then things will not work properly.



As to the camera, it should not matter, in general, if you plug directly into the computer or into a hub, powered or not. Generally speaking, if you use the cable that came with the camera, then it is the camera's battery that is supplying the power for the camera while it is plugged in. Thus, it should not matter if it is getting enough power from the USB port or not. And this is why I tend to recommend getting a card reader rather than using the camera itself. When you transfer files from the camera, you are using your camera battery. If you have a card reader, then you save the charge on your camera's battery for better things...i.e. taking pictures.



Now, assuming if you continue to use your camera rather than a card reader and it supports USB 2.0, then you definitely don't want to use a USB 1.1 hub/replicator. If nothing else, it will be SLOW. You don't need to worry about data corruption (other than if you get impatient with the transfer and improperly discount the camera before it is done transfering). Speed is the only concern.



So, back to your problem...if you have strictly been trying to use the printer with a non-powered hub, then you might want to try a powered hub and see if it will work with the printer. They are not that expensive typically. And if you buy from some place with a good return policy, then you can always return it if it does not work. You could also try your camera with it (make sure it is a USB 2.0 powered hub) or even a card reader.

[dabigkahuna]

Seems to me that it may not be worth the cost of a new drum. Considering the costs of a new printer and the fact that if I really need a "clean" copy, I can always have it printed at school (most of my copies are for my job at school anyway.

I don't have a router - the cable plugs right from the cable modem. One of the reasons I've considered a router was because of the security issue. And that's why I was wondering about the Mac router taking off security. I'm do NOT know exactly what that means. You mention a hardware firewall. Does that mean that even with zero software firewall on the router that there is still some level of protection I wouldn't get just by having security software on my computer? And I assume, at least with PCs, that no matter what the router has for protection, it is still good to run something on the computer itself?

Right now I use Zone Alarm Security Suite.



> As to the AirPort Extreme, I don't know what that review said, but it
will provide the same level of protection to Mac or a Windoze computer.
<

Of course, the windows NEEDS more protection, which I think was the point of the review.

> The only other type of security that they
could be talking about that I can think of is WiFi encryption, but that
again is independent of Mac vs. Windoze...but can be dependent on what
type of WiFi adapter or included WiFi you might have with your
computer. <

Well, while I'll probably get draft-n, I also expect to plug into the router directly at home. There may be some odd situation where I wouldn't, but it would be a major exception. More likely to have a visitor come over with a laptop to use it wirelessly than anything else!

> Older WiFi adapters might not support the newest WiFi
encryption protocols (such as WPA or WPA2). But this again has zero to
do with Mac vs. Windoze. <

That is something I don't know about too, other than I think I've read about certain ones being much better, but don't know which is which.

Anyway, here are the key points in what I read about the Airport Extreme (don't know if the Time Capsule version is different:

"Good performance with WPA2/AES"

Don't know how good that is.

"No firewall. Awful performance with security other than WPA2"

Related to the above, it also says, "opting for WEP encryption—and you can see a shocking performance drop of more than 85 percent. That's not a typo."!!!! But it also says WEP is easily cracked and has been supplanted by WPA2 - so I don't see how this matters. Apparently using WPA2/AES results in almost no overhead losses.



> The short
and sweet comment is that a hub is in essence a port replicator. <

I expect that is the case - but someplace in this thread, I think someone mentioned the reason my printer won't work with an external hub (including powered ones I've tried) is that they typically (never?) are designed well enough. Maybe something like how a USB port on some routers may be set-up for a hard drive, or a printer, but often not both (though I think the Mac can do both).


I do have a card reader, but whether I plug the camera into the port or the hub, either way I have to unplug the printer.
But I'm glad you think I can plug it into a hub first. Maybe I should look for another replicator that has a parallel port but which also has USB 2.0. Then my wireless keyboard could still plug into the computer, the printer into the parallel port, and everything else (probably not more than one or two things - either camera or card reader at this point) could be plugged into the replicator USB ports. Assuming the price isn't too bad. Any recommendations on a replicator like that?

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

Seems to me that it may not be worth the cost of a new drum. Considering the costs of a new printer and the fact that if I really need a "clean" copy, I can always have it printed at school (most of my copies are for my job at school anyway.

I don't have a router - the cable plugs right from the cable modem. One of the reasons I've considered a router was because of the security issue. And that's why I was wondering about the Mac router taking off security. I'm do NOT know exactly what that means. You mention a hardware firewall. Does that mean that even with zero software firewall on the router that there is still some level of protection I wouldn't get just by having security software on my computer? And I assume, at least with PCs, that no matter what the router has for protection, it is still good to run something on the computer itself?


Right now I use Zone Alarm Security Suite.

A router (technically it is referred to as a NAT router) will provide some firewall like protections. It is not techinically a hardware firewall, but it does produce some firewall results. It can "hide" your computers from outside traffic. A NAT router cannot, however, prevent malicious code that might get on your computer from "phoning home". That is why it is usually recommended to also have a good software firewall installed. Many people, however, just go with a router and no software firewall. Personally, I use both on both my Windoze computers and Macs.



Some routers also include an actual firewall function. I don't recall if the Airport Extreme does or not.

dabigkahuna said:

Of course, the windows NEEDS more protection, which I think was the point of the review.

Yes, Windoze computers have more virii and other malware actually out in the wild. And some will argue that Windoze is more vulnerable to such attachs. Thus, in practical terms, Windoze does need more protection.

dabigkahuna said:

That is something I don't know about too, other than I think I've read about certain ones being much better, but don't know which is which.


Anyway, here are the key points in what I read about the Airport Extreme (don't know if the Time Capsule version is different:


"Good performance with WPA2/AES"


Don't know how good that is.


"No firewall. Awful performance with security other than WPA2"


Related to the above, it also says, "opting for WEP encryption—and you can see a shocking performance drop of more than 85 percent. That's not a typo."!!!! But it also says WEP is easily cracked and has been supplanted by WPA2 - so I don't see how this matters. Apparently using WPA2/AES results in almost no overhead losses.

The Time Capsule is basically just an Airport Extreme basestation with a hard drive included.



WEP and WPA can be slower than WPA2 because both are "software based", meaning they take up computer processing for the encryption/de-encryption process. WPA2 does not use your computer to process the encryption, but uses the actual WiFi hardware. Thus, there is less processing "overhead" to use WPA2. But, you have to have both a wireless access point/router and an WiFi adapter that is compatible with WPA2. And anyone who visits your house and wants to use your WiFi connection will have to have a WPA2 compatible WiFi adapter.

dabigkahuna said:

I expect that is the case - but someplace in this thread, I think someone mentioned the reason my printer won't work with an external hub (including powered ones I've tried) is that they typically (never?) are designed well enough. Maybe something like how a USB port on some routers may be set-up for a hard drive, or a printer, but often not both (though I think the Mac can do both).





I do have a card reader, but whether I plug the camera into the port or the hub, either way I have to unplug the printer.

But I'm glad you think I can plug it into a hub first. Maybe I should look for another replicator that has a parallel port but which also has USB 2.0. Then my wireless keyboard could still plug into the computer, the printer into the parallel port, and everything else (probably not more than one or two things - either camera or card reader at this point) could be plugged into the replicator USB ports. Assuming the price isn't too bad. Any recommendations on a replicator like that?

I don't know if your printer will work with a powered hub or not. I don't see why not, but some devices are "picky". The only thing than I can recommend is to try one.



As to recommendations, not really. You will just have to try one and see if it will fit your needs.

[dabigkahuna]

If a router isn't technically a hardware firewall, what is a hardware firewall? And if a router does have an actual firewall function, is that something that will be clearly stated or is there some sort of terminology I need to look for? For example, when I saw the references to WPA2, I really didn't know if that was a firewall item or not.

Which software firewall do you use on a Mac? I've heard some people use none, but even if there are fewer threats, it seems to me that using something would be wise.



> And anyone who visits your house and wants to use your WiFi
connection will have to have a WPA2 compatible WiFi adapter. <

Would most laptops sold recently probably have this - assuming they have wireless? Or can this be a serious issue for compatibility? More importantly, would this possibly affect me if I took my laptop to someone else's home?

> I don't know if your printer will work with a powered hub or not. I
don't see why not, but some devices are "picky". The only thing than I
can recommend is to try one. <

I've tried two without success.



I've looked a port replicators last night online. Can be fairly costly in most cases but I was especially surprised that the mostly seem to only work with specific computers and the universal ones may or may not work properly. Makes no sense to me. I mean, they plug in with a USB port, it seems the ports on the replicator should have some sort of standard which would be compatible. Heck, all I need is one with a parallel port to handle the printer and then have at least two USB ports on it to handle things which probably don't need a direct computer USB connection (like the card reader). I would think that would be simple and easily compatible, but I guess not.

I'll probably check at the local Circuit City or Best Buys to see what they may have, but it doen't look like this approach will work unless I use the one I have with the slow USB.

Well, I hear USB 3.0 is supposed to come out this year. Maybe that's when I'll buy a new computer after waiting to make sure there aren't problems with it.

Thanks.

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

If a router isn't technically a hardware firewall, what is a hardware firewall? And if a router does have an actual firewall function, is that something that will be clearly stated or is there some sort of terminology I need to look for? For example, when I saw the references to WPA2, I really didn't know if that was a firewall item or not.

Which software firewall do you use on a Mac? I've heard some people use none, but even if there are fewer threats, it seems to me that using something would be wise.

A firewall actually "inspects" the packets of network traffic and will block stuff that it is supposed to block. A NAT router just routes network packets. It will actually close off all the ports and only allow incoming network packets either on ports that you open up by adjusting settings in the router OR incoming packets that you requested by establishing some sort of connection with an outside source (i.e. you connect to a website with your broswer and "ask" for a web page...the router will allow that incoming network traffic from that website since YOU established the connection and made the request). The point is that a "true" firewall is somewhat of an more active process than an NAT router. But, in many ways they can serve very similar functions.



As to routers with true firewalls, they will usually say that they have a firewall with "stateful packet inspection". Here is such an example (read the last paragraph). I am pretty sure that the Airport Extreme does NOT have such a function...which might be what that review was talking about.



WPA2 has nothing to do with firewall or firewall like functions. It is an encryption method for encrypting your wireless connection between your computer and the router. If you don't use an encryption method, then someone could intercept your wireless traffic and "read" your stuff as it is transmitted with ease. Thus, you want to encrypt the connection. With it encrypted, such a person intercepting your traffic would just get jibberish unless they crack the encryption.



As to Mac firewalls, I use Intego's NetBarrier, but the built-in firewall in the Mac OS is pretty good. It is MUCH better than the one built into XP (the one in Vista is much better than XP's as well).

dabigkahuna said:

Would most laptops sold recently probably have this - assuming they have wireless? Or can this be a serious issue for compatibility? More importantly, would this possibly affect me if I took my laptop to someone else's home?

More that likely, any new computer that you got that has WiFi included would more than likely have support for WPA2, but you would want to read the specs on the laptop to make sure...assuming that you want to use WPA2.



If you get a laptop with WPA2, it would certainly not affect you when you travel. You would have the most current wireless encryption methods as well and the older methods (such as WEP). In fact, most likely most people will still be using WEP or WPA. You likely won't find a whole lot of people using WPA2.

dabigkahuna said:

I've tried two without success.






I've looked a port replicators last night online. Can be fairly costly in most cases but I was especially surprised that the mostly seem to only work with specific computers and the universal ones may or may not work properly. Makes no sense to me. I mean, they plug in with a USB port, it seems the ports on the replicator should have some sort of standard which would be compatible. Heck, all I need is one with a parallel port to handle the printer and then have at least two USB ports on it to handle things which probably don't need a direct computer USB connection (like the card reader). I would think that would be simple and easily compatible, but I guess not.


I'll probably check at the local Circuit City or Best Buys to see what they may have, but it doen't look like this approach will work unless I use the one I have with the slow USB.


Well, I hear USB 3.0 is supposed to come out this year. Maybe that's when I'll buy a new computer after waiting to make sure there aren't problems with it.


Thanks.

Do you have an example of the port replicators that you are talking about? Are you maybe talking about what some refer to as "docking stations"?



If you have tried a couple of powered hubs with out success with your printer, then you might be outta luck. Some devices are just so picky that they "demand" to be connected directly to the computer's USB port. The only other thing that I could think to suggest is to try buying a USB to parallel port cable (like this) and connect the printer to a USB hub by way of the parallel port. Maybe the parallel port on the printer is a little less picky.

[dabigkahuna]

So, if one gets a router without a hardware firewall, is there something one can add that provides it?

I scanned throught the router on the link you gave - seems there are issues with working with some stuff. Not that I understood what they were talking about with all those abbreviations they use! Things were a lot simpler when I used an Apple IIgs!



> More that likely, any new computer that you got that has WiFi included
would more than likely have support for WPA2, but you would want to
read the specs on the laptop to make sure...assuming that you want to
use WPA2. <

Is there any reason I might not want to - other than maybe someone else having trouble if my router and stuff is using it and they don't have it? - but even then, doesn't the router let me switch the these other systems if I need to (just slows it down)?



> Do you have an example of the port replicators that you are talking
about? Are you maybe talking about what some refer to as "docking
stations"? <

Well, that's confusing too. In my searching, I saw them referred to as the same thing (I thought a docking station was something the whole computer was plugged into like my first laptop did while a replicator was much smaller and attached with a cord). Anyway, I was looking for the smaller item that just attaches with the USB. Don't have anyone in particular to consider. I just did searches fro replicators and other keywords ("Dell", "Inspiron", etc to see what came up and then scanned what they said).



> The only other thing that I could think to suggest is to try buying a
USB to parallel port cable (like this)
and connect the printer to a USB hub by way of the parallel port. Maybe
the parallel port on the printer is a little less picky.
<

Well, if I understand that item (certainly cheap enough), it wouldn't solve the problem. Sure, I could plug into the parallel port it provides, but it still takes up a USB port without providing another one. Now, if instead of just having a parallel port it had a box with a parallel port AND one or two USB 2.0 ports, it would probably be perfect. Might have to be a powered device though, like the one I have now which only has USB 1.1. It has its own power cord.

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

So, if one gets a router without a hardware firewall, is there something one can add that provides it?

I scanned throught the router on the link you gave - seems there are issues with working with some stuff. Not that I understood what they were talking about with all those abbreviations they use! Things were a lot simpler when I used an Apple IIgs!

That is part of the reason why I run a software firewall on all my computers. Any SPI (stateful packet inspection) firewall in a router is not at the level of a dedicated hardware firewall (such as some of these), but it is in theory better than just a plain old router. The reality is that a plain old router will likely do fine for most people. This is especially true if you use a good software firewall in addition to a router. I would not worry overly about whether or not a router you are considering has a SPI firewall or not. After all, you are not using a router at all right now, correct? You can very easily survive with just a software firewall and be fine. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of a router is to allow you to use multiple computers at the same time with your Internet connection. The whole firewall effect is a secondary benefit.

dabigkahuna said:

Is there any reason I might not want to - other than maybe someone else having trouble if my router and stuff is using it and they don't have it? - but even then, doesn't the router let me switch the these other systems if I need to (just slows it down)?

Precisely. If you find that you are having trouble with WPA2, you can always "downgrade" to WPA or even WEP. Even WEP is generally OK for home use. Since you live in an apartment/condo (if I recall correctly), you would likely want to be using WPA at a minimum since people will likely easily get in range of your wireless network (an advantage I have is that my house is far enough from other houses and the road that someone trying to tap into my network would likely look rather suspicious because they would have to move to get close enough to my house, especially out front...my signal barely makes it to my front living room, so it likely does not make it to the road).

dabigkahuna said:

Well, that's confusing too. In my searching, I saw them referred to as the same thing (I thought a docking station was something the whole computer was plugged into like my first laptop did while a replicator was much smaller and attached with a cord). Anyway, I was looking for the smaller item that just attaches with the USB. Don't have anyone in particular to consider. I just did searches fro replicators and other keywords ("Dell", "Inspiron", etc to see what came up and then scanned what they said).

The terms tend to be used interchangeably. The intent behind either is to allow you to have the dock/replicator sitting on your desk with all your peripherials attached on a regular basis and then you just attach the computer when at home with one connection...rather than having to plug in several different plugs. Then when you need to leave with the laptop, you unplug just one thing and it stays sitting there with everything attached ready for when you get home.

dabigkahuna said:

Well, if I understand that item (certainly cheap enough), it wouldn't solve the problem. Sure, I could plug into the parallel port it provides, but it still takes up a USB port without providing another one. Now, if instead of just having a parallel port it had a box with a parallel port AND one or two USB 2.0 ports, it would probably be perfect. Might have to be a powered device though, like the one I have now which only has USB 1.1. It has its own power cord.

My suggestion for this was to try this type of cable WITH a hub. It is possible that it might work with a hub while the actual USB port on the printer might not. It can be the difference between how the printer "handles" the USB port vs. the parallel port. I have no clue if it will actually work, but it might be worth a try.

[dabigkahuna]

I guess at some point I'll get a router and if I really want more security, add a firewall later, assuming it isn't included in the router I get.

I live in a highrise condo. On one side is an interstate (even though it is Hawaii!), but since that traffic can't very well stop, that wouldn't be an issue. The exit driveway is just over 0.1 miles from the front door. Don't know the range of these things, especially since I'm up 11 floors. Also don't know about whether the concrete walls will have an effect (though there is about a 12 feet or so which is either window or other material on the outside wall).

> My suggestion for this was to try this type of cable WITH a hub. <

Ah, I understand now. Well, I guess I can try that this weekend with my present replicator. If I can find the printer's parallel cable, I'll first make sure it still works if I plug the replicator straight into the computer's usb port. If that works, I'll put a hub in first and plug the replicator into that and test again.

[smax013]

dabigkahuna said:

I guess at some point I'll get a router and if I really want more security, add a firewall later, assuming it isn't included in the router I get.

I live in a highrise condo. On one side is an interstate (even though it is Hawaii!), but since that traffic can't very well stop, that wouldn't be an issue. The exit driveway is just over 0.1 miles from the front door. Don't know the range of these things, especially since I'm up 11 floors. Also don't know about whether the concrete walls will have an effect (though there is about a 12 feet or so which is either window or other material on the outside wall).

It is possible that someone in a condo next door could get your WiFi signal, especially with 802.11n. It does help if the wall seperating the units are reinforced concrete. The concrete with the reinforcing will hamper the ability of the wireless signal to spread. That is part of the reason why my wireless signal had trouble making my living room...I have a honkin' big masonry chimney between my wireless router upstairs in my office and the living room.

[dabigkahuna]

Yeah, I figured there was at least some chance a neighbor could get the signal. Well, when the time comes, I be sure I get everything set correctly. Thanks. I'll report back if I can find that parallel cable to see if the printer can work with my replicator off a hub.