Hi all !

I'm having problems with my US Robotics 8022 wireless router.

In short : the integrated printer server doesn't work. All other things about it work just fine.

This is already the second router of this type that I'm trying and both show the same problem. Both routers were new.

This is the exact problem : I connect the printer to the router via the parallel port. I install the printer server driver from the CD (I've also tried the one that is online, but they are the same). I want to print, but the printer doesn't print anything but funny lines, stripes and garbled text on the paper. Certainly not what was meant to be printed. A windows test page also doesn't print. (only a line or two is printed on the paper, that's all). During this process the power led of my printer keeps blinking like it's still waiting for data to be sent.
No matter how long I wait, this blinking never stops until I reset the printer by switching it off.

I've already checked the following (but nothing helped) :

1) I've changed the printer. Both printers I've used are in good working order and function without a problem on the LPT1 port of the PC.
2) I've replaced the printer cable.
3) I've reinstalled the OS on the pc I'm using.
4) I've tried another PC with a different OS (winXP instead of windows 2000) -> same problem
5) I've replaced the 8022 router with an identical model. Both have the same problem !!!

and this I find most curious :

6) I've switched the wireless 8022 router with my original (non wireless) USR8000 router, and I've tried it again : with the USR8000 router, everything works as it is supposed to be.

Note : I haven't changed ANYTHING in software when I switched these routers (the 8022 was removed from the network, the 8000 plugged in in it's place - that's ALL), so the USR8000 is actually working with the printer server driver that is provided with the USR8022. This works flawlessly)

What could be causing this problem ?

I can't help but think that there is a design flaw of some sort in this router, especially since I've already tried two completely new routers of this type on my network and both show the exact same problem. This suspicion is strengthened by the conclusion that my old USR 8000 router works with the USR8022 printer server driver without any software modification of any kind
FYI : my network consists of one desktop PC and one notebook. The notebook works wireless, the desktop pc doesn't. The used printers are a HP 895CXi and a HP 5550.

Am I correct that this could be a design flaw, or could it be something completely else that I haven't thought of?

In any case, any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks!

edit : if I can't seem to be able to solve this problem, I might consider keeping my old USR8000 router and using a wireless access point with it instead. Only question I have then is : how many wireless devices can I connect to my router through this wireless access point ? Normally I only need one anyway, but sometimes my girlfriend also brings her portable over, and it would be nice then if she could also connect to the network as a second wireless device without too much hassle.
And also : what is the average range of these networks ? 10 meters ? 50 meters?
These might seem like a stupid question, but I have little or no experience with these things.

Thanks!

Does that router have a firmware upgrade available for it?

Does that router have a firmware upgrade available for it?

No, there's no firmware update yet.
The website makes mention of a pending firmware however. This firmware upgrade should enable 54Mbps performance with the existing 22Mbps USR networking products.

There's no mention that this firmware upgrade will fix anything else than this 54Mbps upgrade, but I guess that it's possible.
The upgrade is already available for all the other USR 22Mbps products, but no yet for the router. So I expect it any day now.

And we all know that those numbers should be divided by five (roughly) to get realistic close range numbers, right?

Right. Besides the fact that the added speed gain that 54Mbps would give me over 22Mbps is totally wasted on me because I only use that wireless connection for internet use. So in my case even 11Mbps would be more than sufficient.

OK, update.

When I made the initial post on the board, I've also basically sent the same post in an email to USR support.

I received their answer today. I don't know why I even bothered contactting them. Did they even read my mail?

This is what they answered :
****************
Thank you for contacting U.S.Robotics.
Sending you Information regarding printserver Issue with Router.
Some printers are not happy to work as a LAN network printer. First of all before using a printer on the Broadband Router you have to check with the printer manufacturer whether it is compatible to work with the LAN (Network Printer) or not. If yes, then try to obtain the latest driver from the printer manufacturer and also you can download the printer server from the USRobotics web site. Uninstall the printer. Restart the computer. Make sure that everything has been uninstalled from the previous printer then Install the printer once again.

Then a link to the printer server driver

USRobotics Technical Support Department

Note: Sending you a example about how to setup printer 'Printer HP DeskJet 720C Printer Windows 95 & 98 Print a Test Page.zip' which you are going to follow and configure it. It would be highly apprecisted, If you could provide us some feedback.
*************

Well, that was a big help.
First of all, I KNOW that the printer works on a LAN. If they had bothered to read my entire mail they would have noticed that I wrote that the printer works just fine on a USR8000 router (it has done so for more than a year). That's exactly the same router as the 8022, except that it's not wireless. That 8000 router is even their own brand for crying out loud!

Second : why did they send me that link to the online version of the printer server driver ??? For one, it's the exact same driver that is on the CD that came with the router. This isn't so surprising since the last version of that driver dates august last year and that wireless router has only been available since last fall.

Third : Why the hell have they sent me a how-to document for connecting a HP 720C printer using windows '95 & '98 while I have written in my initial email that I'm using a HP 895CXi with win2k?????

I dispair sometimes, I really do.

Another update :

USR support has asked me to "disable Bi-directional Printing" to solve this problem. I should do this by unticking this option in the printer properties.

But no matter where I look : I can't seem to find this option. Does anybody know where I can find it (in win2k)? Does it really exist? Or is USR support pulling my leg here?

Thanks!