still disconnected - sort of
I'm shopping for a new WiFi router. The semi-dead router has a printer server, and I think we would find it terribly inconvenient now to carry our laptops down to the printer's USB cable to print anything. So limiting my search to routers with print servers, I have a lot less to scrutinize. I've found 802.11g versions of what I saw when I was shopping for an 802.11b router, and many of those were familial extensions of pre-WiFi routers from all the same companies. But I just stumbled across something a little different - the Compex NetPassage 27G.
Many of the new print/routers now have a USB port for the printer instead of a parallel port. (Our printer has both parallel and USB ports, and our last router has a parallel port, which conveniently left the printer's USB port open for wandering laptops.) This Compex router has 2 USB (1.1) ports, and can do network sharing of a printer and a USB disk device. Neat idea. I'm not finding the kind of detail that makes me comfortable with the product, though. (Can I use 2 printers? Or 2 disks? Or a printer, and a hub with 4 disks?) The company appears to be in Singapore.
I was just doing a Google search for 'Netgear FM114P died'. I found mention of a 5-year warranty, so I should look for paperwork. We've had this one 3 years and 3 months. Apparently people get refurbished units back, and I suppose it must take a least a couple of weeks. So we'll still have to buy something else, because we can't go without. (Even if we didn't need multiple ports, I insist on having a firewall.) Then I can send this off under warranty to have for a spare later.