USB hub printers

Is there a problem with printing with Bonjour when you have a couple printers hooked up via USB hub? I have 2 printers attached to Airport Extreme Base Station via USB hub and they don't work very well (if at all) until I unplug from Station and then replug in DIRECTLY to computer.

Can AE be hooked up to a powered 4 port USB hub to which three printers are connected?
Sorry, but no. The USB port on the AirPort Express Base Station (AX) can only accept a single USB printer. (ref: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107857)

Similar Messages

Multiple Printers on USB Hub with Airport Express

I have been testing all day and I think my question is already answered. However, I would like to confirm with the gurus in here: Can AE be hooked up to a powered 4 port USB hub to which three printers are connected?
In the hardwired situation, there seems to be no problem. All three individual printers are recognized by Printer Setup Utility on the computer to which the USB hub is attached. When I attach the USB hub to the AE and restart the hub, only the first (closest to the USB out cable) is recognized, no matter which one I place in that first socket. And only that first one is seen over the wireless network.
I was looking for a way to allow other computers in the house to be able to utilize these three different speciality printers (labelmaker, DVD printer and LaserWriter), without having to have the connected computer always on as host.
Any suggestions would be appreciated-short of buying two more Airport Express units.
g5 dual 2.0 Mac OS X (10.4.8) multiple monitors, internal RAID 6GB SDRAM

Can AE be hooked up to a powered 4 port USB hub to which three printers are connected?
Sorry, but no. The USB port on the AirPort Express Base Station (AX) can only accept a single USB printer. (ref: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107857)

Multiple Printers off USB Hub

I run a complete variety of macs as a home network and am thinking of buying a new Airport principally so that I can use it as a server hub with the external drives I have (holding backups, photos, music etc).
I'm quite happy setting up the network (mixed wire and wireless) but am wondering if I can run multiple USB drives and multiple printers (colour and cheap laser).
If I place these in one location running a powered usb hub, will all the drive show up ? and If they are switched on, will all the printers show up as available ?
Any helpful hints, I'm looking to hide backup drives and printers leaving a minimal desktop and laptop footprint.
(PS buying new macbook soon to get the speed benefit from AE, but the network disk/printer is what interests me most)
Lloyd

I'm quite happy setting up the network (mixed wire
and wireless) but am wondering if I can run multiple
USB drives and multiple printers (colour and cheap
laser).
Yes you can
If I place these in one location running a powered
usb hub, will all the drive show up ?
Yes, if the drives are externally powered you may not need a powered hub.
and If they
are switched on, will all the printers show up as
available ?
Yes
iFelix

AirPort & USB Hub and Two Printers?

The AP Exp. manual says I can print to multiple printers connected via a USB hub. However, I have a Brother Laser Printer and an HP Inkjet printer. When I connect either directly to the AP Exp. they are instantly recognized and installed and I can print to each one directly.
However, when I connect the hub and attach both printers to it, the only printer recognized is the HP Inkjet. When I switch them on the USB ports (i.e. 1&2), the result is the same. Even if I unplug the HP, the Brother is still not recognized as the only printer connected to the hub.
What could be causing this?

Nope. According to Apple the specifically recommend it: per the following Tech note:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1487
"AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n
Single powered USB printer directly into the USB port, or several printers to the base station via a powered USB hub"
Either way, it wouldn't explain why only the HP printer shows up when connected via the hub.

Multiple printers by Airport Extreme & USB hub

Is it possible to connect two printers to the one Airport Extreme with a USB hub (not the power-over-ethernet version)? I want to use a Canon iP5200 and a Dymo Label Writer 310, without repeatedly exchanging USB cables or switching on both computers at the same time.
iMac G5 & iBook G3 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107857

Time capsule doesn't see printer through USB hub

I can't seem to get the TC to see my USB printer if it connects through a hub. I have an external drive plugged into the hub and I can plug it into any of the ports and the TC log file shows the disk plug in and unplug. The disk works great.
So far, the only way I've been able to print via the TC, is to connect the USB cable direct to the TC. But there's no indication in the AirPort utility that the printer even exists. Using System Preferences printer setup, I'm able to see the printer, add it and print a test page. At no time did the AirPort utility indicate that the printer was indeed attached to the Time Capsule and functioning correctly.
How do I get the AirPort to give me more log information? I can't believe that I'm able to print via the TC, yet the printers pane is empty, and nothing in the system log.
After doing this test, I again tried using the hub, and the printer is no longer visible on the Mac, but the disk on the hub is there. I unplug the hub and plug the printer direct, and it's again visible on the Mac. At no time does the TC indicate that the printer exists.
I do Linux system admin all day and bought a mac because it runs Unix for command line, and is supposed to be a "no brainer" to manage - a big plus as I really don't want to bring my work home and just use the computer. Sigh....
Macbook is running 10.7.2
Time Capsule is a new 2T unit
Printer is Canon iP4300

The thing that really bothers me is that when I connect the printer direct to the TC, the Mac sees it, but not the Time Capsule... ***?!?
Resetting the print system may...or may not....help here.
See the last step in this Apple Support Document
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1253
You are power cycling the entire network after you make a change in the USB connections, correct?
A powered USB hub will run $15-20 or so. Highly recommended.

Setting up a USB external Drive with USB Hub on Airport Extreme

I have successfully hooked up the Airport Extreme Base Station (n) with two printers using a USB Hub. I am now trying to hook up an external hard drive(acomdata 250 gb). When I plug the hard drive into the Hub and turn the drive on the Airport Extreme Base station resets to amber and flashes green for a second then resets to amber again and it keeps doing that until I shut the drive down. I have a Mac Book Pro and an iMac on the network as well as a HP pavilion a730n on the network. I am able to share files between the PC and the Macs; however I can't seem to share the external hard drive. I tested the external hard drive by hooking it up directly to the Mac book and after a few seconds it mounted correctly and I was able to read and write.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Nick

I have successfully hooked up the Airport Extreme
Base Station (n) with two printers using a USB Hub. I
am now trying to hook up an external hard
drive(acomdata 250 gb). When I plug the hard drive
into the Hub and turn the drive on the Airport
Extreme Base station resets to amber and flashes
green for a second then resets to amber again and it
keeps doing that until I shut the drive down. I have
a Mac Book Pro and an iMac on the network as well as
a HP pavilion a730n on the network. I am able to
share files between the PC and the Macs; however I
can't seem to share the external hard drive. I tested
the external hard drive by hooking it up directly to
the Mac book and after a few seconds it mounted
correctly and I was able to read and write.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Nick
What version of the AE firmware are you running? If you upgraded to 7.1, LOTS of people have discovered that Apple broke the USB connectivity for both disks and printers big time. With the 7.1 firmware version a few people can see the disks, but most people CANNOT see the printers.

Using USB hubs on airport express

I discovered that by using an airport express with the 802.11n network (most recent update model as of this post) is capable of using a third party USB hub for multiple printers. I have an all in one EPSON as well as a wide format EPSON and two DYMO thermal printers. All work fine using the Kensignton PocketHub 7-Port USB which includes an AC adaptor to power devices. I previously had an older Airport express on 802.11g network that could only handle a single printer and was NOT able to support the USB hub. I hope this helps anyone that is searching for network solutions.

Hi spwolfman,
Thanks for posting this, this is exactly what I was needed to know, as I need to make 2 usb-based printers wireless.
I have 3 addtional questions........
1) You mentioned you have a powered USB hub. Do you need a powered hub to make this work?
2) Are there any special settings that need to be made to get this to work, or is it straightforward in the airport setup utility?
3) I have a Linksys Wireless-G hub, will the 802.11n airport express work with this hub?
Thanks

Can i connect to a 'belkin USB Hub' so i can print and save images direct from my ipad 2..

I have just bought a 'Belkin USB Hub' so that i can have my printer and external hard drive in a home office rather than carting them around the house or having to sit in my back room when i want to print from my mac lap top, works fine , but my question is, is it possible to connect my ipad 2 to the hub so i can edit and print directly from that rather than having to re-sync to my laptop.

The only solution to enable printing with the iPad is via WiFi or by using one of the HP AirPrint compatible printers.
AirPrint-enabled printers
HP Envy e-All-in-One series (D410a)
HP Photosmart Plus e-AiO (B210a)
HP Photosmart Premium e-AiO (C310a)
HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-AiO (C410a)
HP Photosmart e-AiO (D110)
HP Photosmart eStation (C510)
HP LaserJet P1102w Printer
HP LaserJet P1606dn Printer
HP LaserJet Pro CP1025nw Color Printer
HP LaserJet Pro M1212nf MFP
HP LaserJet Pro M1213nf MFP
HP LaserJet Pro M1214nfh MFP
HP LaserJet Pro M1216nfh MFP
HP LaserJet Pro M1217nfw MFP
HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf Multifunction Printer
HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fn Color Multifunction Printer
HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fnw Color Multifunction Printer
HP LaserJet Pro CP1525n Color Printer
HP LaserJet Pro CP1525nw Color Printer
HP Officejet 6500A e-AiO
HP Officejet 6500A Plus e-AiO
HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-AiO
HP Officejet Pro 8500A e-AiO
HP Officejet Pro 8500A Premium e-AiO
HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus e-AiO
If you don't own of these printers you will need a third party app that will allow you to print. Print n Share, Print Central, and others are available in the App Store. Some of these apps will work only if your computer is turned on and may need a helper app for the computer as well. if you have a Mac you can use Printopia. The computer must be on for this app as well. Print Magic has been mentioned on this site a few times. Google or check the App Store.

Can I connect USB hubs instead of printer or external disk?

I plan to get a MacBook Pro and set up a wireless network. I currently have a couple of USB hubs connected to a PC. To these hubs are connected three printers, two external disks, and several other things. I want to be able to get rid of the PC and access these devices from the MacBook wirelessly. Is the AESB the right thing to use for this setup?
The MacBook Pro will have Snow Leopard as OS.

Hello granitewall. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
I plan to get a MacBook Pro and set up a wireless network. I currently have a couple of USB hubs connected to a PC. To these hubs are connected three printers, two external disks, and several other things. I want to be able to get rid of the PC and access these devices from the MacBook wirelessly. Is the AESB the right thing to use for this setup?
Most likely yes. The 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station's (AEBSn) USB port is capable of supporting a USB hub with multiple USB printers and/or USB hard drives.

Possible/Safe to use a usb hub on Airport Express?

I'm about to purchase my second external hard drive for backups and I was wondering if it is safe/plausable/possible to plug a usb hub into the USB port of the Airport Express to connect my two hard drives (and maybe a printer) to connect all three of these devices to my local network? Has anyone tried this? I'd to know before I get the usb hub

I was wondering if it is safe/plausable/possible to plug a usb hub into the USB port of the Airport Express to connect my two hard drives (and maybe a printer) to connect all three of these devices to my local network?
Unfortunately, the AirPort Express will not support a hard drive connected to its USB port. Only compatible printers are supported.
So, while you could connect a powered USB hub to the AirPort Express, it would only function correctly with multiple printers.
To support a hard drive, you would need an AirPort Extreme.

Add USB hub to Time Capsule

If I add a USB hub into a Time Capsule, can I add HDD and printer(s) into the hub at the same time?
Thanks.

Is there a limit on the number of devices (printers, HDD's) the can be accessed via the Time Capsule if I connect them through the Time Capsule's USB port via a powered USB hub?
Thanks,
Rick

Attaching USB hub to Aiport Express

I'm considering the purchase of an Airport Express and was just curious as to whether I could plug a USB hub into the USB port and then connect multiple printers?

If I plug in my USB 2.0 external Hard Drive to the Airport express's USB port will this drive now be a NAS?
No.
Read What kind of USB devices...?

USB hub kills laptop

I have a Belkin 4-port USB hub that I plug my external harddrive, ipod, and printer into, which I then connect to my powerbook, all via USB. But, whenever I leave the hub plugged into my laptop and then shut my computer's monitor, putting it to sleep, later, when I open it, it won't wake up. The screen stays black and, though the computer IS on, the monitor won't light up and the only way I can fix this is by rebooting the computer.
I've ascertained that the USB hub has to be the issue because this problem never occurs when I eject all the devices and unplug the hub. Though I know the powerbook has problems with hubs that mix USB 2.0 and 1.1 - that's buried deep in the manual - I have made sure to have only 2.0 devices plugged into the hub, so I know that isn't the issue.
The hub was bought new, as was everything connected to it, so I really doubt that the issue is defective hardware on that end. I would assume that Apple makes their computers so they actually work when USB devices are plugged into them and left there - I use my laptop as my home computer, so it's often in this state - so what's the deal? Apple won't help because it's a third party device that is triggering the problem. The USB hub is the one that Apple sells on their website, so I know it's supported! Any ideas?

Ian, I am not sure if this will help explain about USB connections or not.
USB connections are temperamental and can sometimes cause several different disruptions.
I will give you a few of the anomalies that I am sure USB connections to peripherals can cause. This includes just about any including Camera's Scanners, Printers, and External Zip Drives.
More often than not You need to have the devices plugged in before you start your computer before it can be recognized. This is not always true but it happens, so this is a contradiction, It can work either way but this is the reason they recommend not to disconnect a USB devise while your devise is plugged in. There seems to be a disruption in the connection and if you do unplug it and then plug it back in it will not remount unless you, re- boot, or restart your computer before it will work again and recognize the devise.
It appears that USB devices are normally good in there operation when plugged in directly to your computer, rather then a HUB.
After reading the different posts in these forums on the inconsistency, and from personal experience in there use.
It is know wonder that there is such poor performance in the use of USB Modems, and everyone recommends Ethernet or Firewire connections over USB.
USB is and can be functional, if you remember the simple rules to follow on connection and disconnection of the devises, and special care is taken.
Yes I know we as users feel that we should be able to just plug and play but this is not always the case.
Don

Wireless USB Hub?

Does anyone know if there are any wireless USB hubs available that are supported by Mac OS X? Even working with VMware Fusion would be helpful. I have one of the IOGEAR units but my iMac crashes when I plug the adapter into a USB port.
Thanks,
Keith

saxman81 wrote:
Well, my computer is already bluetooth enabled so theoretically wouldn't I just need a "receiver" of some kind to plug in to the USB hub?
They seem to be few and far between saxman.
One is shown here, but no details of manufacture are given.
The major issue, I think, for any practical use over bluetooth is speed. BT is very, very, slow.
BT 2.1 with EDR, (the version on your MBP) supports theoretical transfer rates of up to 3 Mbit/s. 802.11n Wireless networking supports theoretical speeds of up to 100 times faster. USB2 supports theoretical rates up to 160 times faster than BT.
People already complain about the slow speed when transferring to USB drives attached to their 802.11n Airport extreme base stations. Can you imagine what it would be like accessing a drive over something 100 times slower! BT just won't cut it for the sorts of purposes you are speaking of.
Using 802.11n makes much more sense, and you can do this with an Airport extreme or Airport Express Base Station, to connect to devices like printers and HDs. You can even attach a hub to them, but they won't support other sorts of USB devices like scanners etc. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2421 for details
Cheers
Rod

USB hub printers

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