The PocketPro USB stands out from other network print servers for two reasons. First, it will work with most USB-equipped printers and, second, it can connect to the network wirelessly. Despite being pocket sized, it can be used to share a printer on mixed Windows, Unix/Linux and Novell networks and is compatible with a wide range of industry-standard Lan management tools.

The software needed to install and configure the PocketPro USB comes on CD-Rom with a thick manual to help with the process. This is relatively straightforward, although we did have a few problems when entering Wep encryption keys via the custom setup utility. These were fixed using the alternative web-based interface, which we used to configure the PocketPro USB to attach first to an 802.11b access point then a single wireless notebook in peer-to-peer (ad hoc) mode.

Both setups worked well and we were also able to print wirelessly to a number of different printers. No changes are required on the PocketPro to do this, but you have to use the correct client driver. The printer needs to support either PCL or Postscript emulation, ruling out some of the cheaper inkjets.

If you attach a multifunction device, you won't be able to use the scanner/fax facilities. A fixed 10/100 Ethernet port is also built into the device so you can use the PocketPro on conventional wired networks. However, the fixed and wireless interfaces can't be used together.

The 802.11b wireless interface is relatively slow (11Mbps), which could be a concern when printing large or complex documents, but in our tests with 'typical' office documents the PocketPro USB performed well.

Troy 01427 753 653
www.troygroup.com

Specifications:

• Multiprotocol print server
• USB 1.1 interface for printer attachment
• 10/100 Ethernet port & 802.11b wireless Ethernet interface
• 64/128bit Wep encryption
• 802.1x authentication support