USB hub with Aiport Express printing?

December 24, 2005 11:28 PM

Can I connect to several printers via a USB hub through an Airport Express?

(Running Mac OS X 10.4.3, plus all the latest updates, etc)

I would like to connect three printers (a Canon i960, an HP Deskjet 930 and a Brother MFC-8420) to an Airport Express via a USB hub so they can be accessible over my wireless network. I'm ready to accept the limitation that no more than one printer can be used at once, but I'd like to avoid the hassle of having to change the plugged-in printer, everytime I need to use a different one.

At most, when I just plug everything into the USB hub (just an old trashy Macsense unpowered "Minihub") which is hooked to the Airport, only the printer that is in the first port nearest the outgoing wire to the Airport is seen by any computer on the [Bonjour] network.

Do I need a powered/different/better hub, use a different wireless networking method, or is this simply not possible as hinted at, but not directly stated, by this Apple Support article?

posted by DannyUKNYC to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Have you tried powering up one printer at a time and then configuring each one? Once you configure all the printers you can manually turn on the printer that you want to use.

Why not hook up one printer to the Airport Express and have two printers hooked up to your mini hub directly to your computer?
posted by plokent at 8:17 AM on December 25, 2005

AirPort Express
You can connect one USB printer at a time for base station printing. Do not connect multiple printers through a hub. Additionally, with AirPort Express firmware 6.1 or later, you may use the Keyspan Express Remote. If you want to use the remote and a printer at the same time, it's OK to use a USB hub to make that possible -- just don't use more than one printer at a time.

It sounds like the AirportExpress isn't designed for use with more than one printer.

You might want to add something like the DLink DP-G321 for your other two printers.
posted by b1tr0t at 11:07 AM on December 25, 2005

or, if you don't need the print server to be wireless, the Linksys EFSP42.
posted by b1tr0t at 11:12 AM on December 25, 2005