circa 4/23/04 0:41, Tyler Blessing <email@hidden> wrote:
> From various sources, I have seen many reports of USB printing `problems' when
> an external USB hub sits between the printer and the host PC. Most often the
> problems disappear when the printer is connected directly to a host port.
> Users sometimes wonder aloud why all of their other devices seem to work fine
> with the hub (perhaps implying that there is a `printer problem' of some
> sort). For what it's worth, the problem is not specific to Macs, although the
> symptoms may change on other platforms. By experience or belief, can anyone
> recommend a reliable USB hub for use with USB printer class devices? Or
> possibly some general guidelines such as "USB 2.0 conformant hubs generally
> perform more reliably ..." or something along those lines. More interestingly,
> can anyone provide an explanation for why many hubs provide intermittent
> service for USB printers? Is the problem strictly an issue with the particular
> model of hub not performing to spec., with the failure simply unnoticed except
> under the heavy data load that a printer requires? Or is it a failure in the
> host or the device? Or is it something more insidious, like a failure in the
> specification?
I can only corroborate your reports. We get similar ones regarding audio and
MIDI devices. The last time I said "hubs suck" on this list, I got some
objections from people who know way more about USB than I do. But the net
effect is that I personally avoid them whenever possible and we tell our
customers to avoid them, too. I have found that the driverless PCI cards are
better than the average outboard hub, but they still have issues. There
ain't nothin' like a motherboard port.
--
Pete Gontier
http://www.m-audio.com/
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