This unit only gives you two USB ports at 100mbps? Fine for a single purpose like a scanner, not so good for anything else.

USB2 goes at aroundabouts 480mbps, perhaps they should have opted for Gigabit ethernet.

Its cheap I suppose.

.

But this can already be done in software without buying more cable clutter-

http://www.eltima.com/products/usb-over-ethernet/

Costs aroundabouts £50. The advantages are that you can use somebodys existing PC, or even a server. Use a system with a Gigabit net adapter plus 6 or more USB ports, Id opt for this instead.

I've heard its very good.

So a device advertised as being a USB server can only have 2 usb devices connected and they cannot be audio or video...... cant see the point?

While this hub has some really nice features, it is very dissapointing to see something that is to be used with storage and connectivity devices only have a built in 10/100 card with no support for a 10/100/1000.

If you're just "fed up plugging stuff in your laptop", then buy a hub. The end.

I have 7 permanently connected things plus a few variable ones like memory sticks, and lo, with a single usb plug it all connect to my laptop.

Stu - nice idea! It still needs another PC on the network tho, costing money, consuming power & generating heat & noise.

Jeremy - maybe make one of those "2 devices" a hub? (-;

Matthew - ho yus! These days it ought to be Gig, tho that would add a few quid to the price.

Marvin - yeah, but if the printer, scanner and hub are all in the house, and the laptop's with me in the garden....?

...can do this. They're reasonably cheap, and you can connect a very, very wide range of USB devices to them (and you can daisy-chain through a USB hub, too) - and it's also a very good wireless router.

Far more versatile

GB Ethernet would make this a nice cheap NAS ...

... and you can run openwrt on a lot them, so you can do what you like.

One user at a time sharing, according to the pdf. Does not mention if more than 2 ports can be supported thru a hub.

I think this is more limited than the Linksys NSLu2

Can this remote a smartcard reader?

You can try USB Redirector from

http://www.incentivespro.com

http://www.usb-redirector.com

This is a very simple and yet powerful program what help you connect a wide range of USB device over Ethernet!

This is a question I've been asking ever since wireless pre-N products hit the market.

The Asus WL-500W (draft N) even mentions on the blurb page that it 'achieves speeds higher than 100Mbps' and yet it only offers fast ethernet on the wired side. USB 2.0 hard drive transfer rates easily exceed 100Mbit/s - the LaCie Mobile Drive, for example, claims from 25MB/s (200Mbps) up to 30MB/s (240Mbps). Most motherboards and home PCs these days come with gigabit ethernet as standard. A gigabit switch can be purchased for around £30 (retail). So why only fast ethernet on this type of device (USB network server)?

Products I'd like to see:

- ADSL2+ modem/router with SPI firewall, GbE 4 port switch, wireless-N

- ADSL2+ modem/router with SPI firewall, GbE 4 port switch, wireless-N, USB print & storage server

- ADSL2+ modem/router with SPI firewall, GbE 4 port switch, wireless-N, USB print & storage server & all the other frills

you still need to have MORE THAN ONE PC on to be able to do something like print from laptop to a printer that is currently connected to desktop pc

though it has its floors, this is ideal! means that ANY PC is able to print to its chosen printer, over the network, even if its the ONLY pc thats turned ON!

same with NAS etc