NetGear PS101 (PS101NA) Print Server

Pros: Somewhat undocumented features are pretty powerful
Cons: Not for the faint of heart, requires some trial and error

This solution seemed to be the one I've read the most positive reviews about. I have a PC and an iMac at home and have been wanting to share my HP LaserJet 5MP between the machines. Another issue was that my iMac didn't support the older style ...

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to configure
Cons: Limited technical support

While pricing made this product very attractive, and configuration was a breeze, the slightly larger ...

Pros: Small size. Out of sight, out of mind.
Cons: Configuration loss after power reset.

Well it sounded too good to be true.. and it is.

I will tell you why I'm returning this product:

when you unplug it, let's say, to move the device and printer to another location in the office..

IT LOSES ITS CONFIGURATION.

Then - you have to weed through the router's DHCP clients table to look for the IP Address it was assigned because the default setting is to use DHCP and reconfigure it all over again! Ridiculous!

You may wonder - how often do you move a printer? The better question is, how often does a user turn the power bar off in her office overnight or before a weekend?

Not impressed.

Pros: easy installation, technically sweet.
Cons: unknown windows/drivers problem on some machines.

My printer is an Epson Stylus C82. The Netgear PS101 is
a wonderful technical solution to the problem of turning
this into a network printer, where it performs much better
than it did as a USB printer connected to a Windows XP
Home Edition PC.

From two (2) of my Windows XP Home edition PC's the printing works great. But from one (1) of the machines only and Administrator is able to print.

Pros: Small and inexpensive.
Cons: Failed way too soon.

I've used a significant amount of Netgear equipment and I was very disappointed that the PS101 failed. Even though the lights Look OK, it doesn't respond over the network. Switched out with known working cable and printer. Still didn't work. NOT impressed! Old SOHOWare still works....
Server Administrator software buggy, doesn't work and freezes up under Windows XP Pro.

Pros: Price
Cons: Reliability Support

After purchasing this print server 73 days ago, it quit working with Windows XP Professional 59 days after installation. I contacted NetGear support and the only solution they could find to make it print was to reinstall the print server after every reboot. A print server is supposed to be an always on device, but it has not worked for me!

I grant you that the price is attractive, but the support and reliability have become a major issue for me. I am so unhappy with this product that I plan to replace it as soon as possible. Unfortunately the print servers that have excellent reviews are at least twice the price. NetGear has made it quite expensive to reach support after 90 days and their support does not offer solutions, only temporary fixes.

You need to make a decision based upon your needs. For my needs, NetGear has become an unacceptable choice.