Customer Reviews

TRENDnet 1-Port Parallel Print Server TE100-P1P (Blue)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This is a great little gadget to allow the conversion of my HP DeskJet 895 CSE to a network printer at home. I did encounter some bumps during the setup and hope my listing of what I did can help you in setting yours up. I have an average background on networking, as I work in the IT industry as a computer programmer. My hardware settings are:
1) Work Laptop with Windows XP
2) Personal Laptop with Windows 7
3) D-Link 802.11g Router
4) HP DeskJet 895 CSE
5) TrendNet TE100-P1P

To setup my network, these are what I had to do:
1) Prior to plugging the network cable to the TE100-P1P, I went to my main router setting, and changed the address from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.2; the reason being, the print server has 192.168.0.1 as it's default IP address. By not changing it initially, I was having difficulty reaching the print server and my router.
2) After the router re-started, I plugged the network cable to the print server, and was able to immediately reach the print server by typing in 192.168.0.1; I followed the directions on how to change the print server's IP address (I used 192.168.0.200) and named my print server.
3) Both laptops were now able to ping the new print server address and even the print-server {Open a Command Prompt window, and type "ping 192.168.0.200" or "ping <the_print_server_name_you_used>"}.
4) For the Windows XP laptop, I followed the directions posted in TrendNet's website [...] which has something similar on the installation CD under the "Manual" folder.
a) I opened up the "Printers and Faxes" window, clicked on "Add a printer", and chose "Local printer attached to this computer"... I know it sounds weird since it's a network printer, but clicked "Next",
b) I had to select "Create a new port" and chose the "Standard TCP/IP Port" option. Clicked "Next";
c) The TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard came up, I clicked "Next" again;
d) The next window allowed me to type in the IP address of the print server and the port name (I used P1), then clicked "Next";
e) The next window had a "Standard" and "Custom" Device Type as a selection, I chose "Custom" then clicked "Settings";
f) The next window pops up, and I had to make sure that my Port Name and Printer name/IP Address were what I configured, the "Protocol" had to be "LPR", and under "LPR Settings", my Queue Name had to be "P1". Clicked "OK", the window closes, then clicked "Next";
g) The final window appears, and I clicked "Finish".
h) The next window allowed me to select the Printer Manufacturer and Model #. I chose "HP" and "DeskJet 895 cse". The next couple of windows are straightforward when setting up a new printer, but in the end this allowed me to print a test page successfully.
5) For the Windows 7 Laptop, I had to basically do the same thing as I did for the XP.
a) I opened up the "Devices and Printers" window, clicked on "Add a local printer", and clicked "Next",
b) I had to select "Create a new port" and chose the "Standard TCP/IP Port" option. Clicked "Next";
c) The next window allowed me to type in the IP address of the print server and the port name (I used P1), then clicked "Next";
d) The next window had a "Standard" and "Custom" Device Type as a selection, I chose "Custom" then clicked "Settings";
e) The next window pops up, and I had to make sure that my Port Name and Printer name/IP Address were what I configured, the "Protocol" had to be "LPR", and under "LPR Settings", my Queue Name had to be "P1". Clicked "OK", the window closes, then clicked "Next";
f) The next window allowed me to select the Printer Manufacturer and Model #. I chose "HP" and "DeskJet 895 cse". The next couple of windows are straightforward when setting up a new printer, but in the end this allowed me to print a test page successfully.

You can see there are similarities to the Windows 7 and Windows XP. This took me about 4 hours of trial-and-error, and eventually had to resort to their instructions manual which I'm sharing here. At one point, during the Windows 7 setup, I forgot to select "LPR" when configuring the TCP/IP port, and something as small as that, won't make the print server respond.

I hope you have the same success and I have, and am very happy with this neat gadget!

I converted my LaserJet 5MP (what a workhorse!) to wireless with this unit. It communicates well with the Ubuntu and Windows Vista laptops in the house. Wireless printing is much more convenient than print sharing since you don't have to turn on an extra machine to act as a server.
The documentation could be better and you need a Windows computer (or WINE) to get this running because the web interface doesn't work out of the box. But it's been running fine for weeks now that I've installed it.
I haven't had a problem with signal strength at all and my printer is upstairs while my computer is often downstairs.
I would recommend this adapter with the caveat that it's easy to set up if you know the basics of home networks. From the other reviews and comments, I'd say that if you don't know what an IP address is or how to install a networked printer on your OS, you might want to look elsewhere for something simpler to install.

The setup instructions are not adequate - important things for some installations are left out. If the device doesn't work the first time, there is no troubleshooting help in the documentation. My call to the support line was answered quickly by a polite gentleman who knew nothing. But he promised to "escalate my ticket" and have a "level 3 technician" call me at an appointed time. The call never came. A second request for a help call also never happened. After more than a week my request for setup help remains unanswered.

This item was extremely easy to install and works as advertised. It is a workable alternative to having a built-in network print server. The only unaesthetic aspect is the requirement for an external DC supply ("wall wort").

This print server works as expected, but be aware of one minor caution: the device is designed to connect directly to your older style printer via Centronics connector. Therefore, if your printer's Centronics connection is recessed within the printer case, the device may not be able to fit and you will have to use a 36-pin male-to-female Centronics extension cable. Such is the case with my HP LaserJet 6P. My old cable was, of course, Centronics on the printer end but DB25 male on the "computer" end. I returned to Fry's where I purchased the TEW-P1PG for $59.99+tax, but, as expected, had no luck finding such an outdated cable in the store. Had to find and purchase Centronics cable online (Cables to Go / TripleNet) which delayed my installation by another week or so and added $10.07 including shipping to the cost of the solution. It would have made more sense to me if TRENDNet had designed this with a DB25 female connector on the print server.

I encountered no difficulty with the setup or documentation. Yes, you do have to temporarily connect to a wired connection for initial configuration. Following assignment of static IP via wired connection and web interface, the TEW-P1PG joined my wireless 802.11b network comprised of a fairly old Linksys router/switch/WAP. Range is good as the TEW-1P1G is at the opposite end of a long first floor from the Linksys.

The HP LJ6P is in the list of supported printers included with the software for configuring Windows clients. After a month+ of use, I have discovered one trivial problem with printing. When printing an Avery label form from witin MS Word 2003, the print server seems to take the LJ6P offline and does not print the form. Not a big deal for me as I just formatted a table within a Word doc to print labels rather than use the "built-in" Avery template. All other basic printing from Word, etc. seems to work. I did check to see if there was a firmware update, but the version 3.39 on my print server is newer than the version 3.38 listed on TRENDNet website???

Knocked a star off because of the Centronics connector design, otherwise it's recommended for basic home use.

This print server was simple to install. The low price and network speed were major factors in the purchase but the ease of installation was a major benefit. I also like the fact that it is so small. I didn't have to find a location for the box, it just plugs into the back of the printer. Getting it operational on the network was no problem at all. I would definitely buy it again.

The TRENDnet parallel Print server solved a problem for me. The new Vista machine that we had gotten for my son had no parallel port connector. When he moved out, our network printer did not go with him, so I gave him an older personal laser printer. However, he could not connect it to his computer since he had no parallel port. The TRENDnet print server was easy to set up and now, after connecting it to his wireless router, he can print his school work from his main computer or from his laptop anywhere in his apartment. This unit is easy to set up has operated as a "set it, forget it" part of my son's network.

The print server was shipped promptly by Amazon.

This print server was relatively easy to install and has, so far, operated flawlessly. We use it to print from our wireless laptops to an old but excellent HP laser printer (HP Laserjet 4 Plus....which uses a parallel port interface, not a
USB port interface)

It should be noted that this IS NOT a wireless print server. It must be connected with a RJ45 network cable to the router.

Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) couldn't see the 5MP via AppleTalk, and the HP print servers were discontinued long ago. Read positive reviews of this unit and figured it was worth a shot. Installation using the supplied CD from Windows XP (running in VM Ware Fusion) was a piece of cake, took about 5 minutes. About a minute at each computer in the network switching the default printer to the print server. The native printer drivers on the various Macs in my network (OS 9, 10.4.11, 10.5, and 10.6.2) recognized the 5MP and provided access to all the functionality built into it.

This is a fairly basic print server with both Wired & Wireless capabilities. However, it is not exactly a simple plug it in, turn it on, and print sort of deal. It's a little more complex, but with some basic understanding of networks it's simple enough to get to work. After configuring the print server for my network & printer I still had an issue where it would not even print test pages from the device. However, this was easily fixed by changing the printer speed from High to Low for my LaserJet 6P.

I found the included software very lame and didn't work exactly correct under Win7 x64. I was able to get everything working by manually installing the printer.
1) Devices & Printers > Add a Printer
2) Add a LOCAL printer (You must select Local and NOT networked.)
3) Create a new port: Standard TCP/IP Port
4) Type the IP address you manually assigned the print server when you set it up.
The Port name can be whatever you want it to be. In my case I named it" LaserJet6P"
5) Select the correct printer driver. In my case I had to click "Update Windows" to have Win7 look for new printer drivers before I listed the correct one. If updating doesn't find the driver you require consult the manufacturer's website to acquire a Windows 7 driver for it.
6) Finish up and you should be good to go once it finished installing.