Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 05/09/09 11:11, Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom Some are better, some are worse. What ISP do you use, and what router did they give you? With regards to your printer, you could get a wireless printer server such as http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150600, or setup your computer to do it. Will the other computer's connecting to it be Windows or Linux (or Mac)? If they're just Linux, you could maybe use CUPS (does it support wireless printing?), but if some of the clients are using Windows you could use SAMBA. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SettingUpSamba for help. Thanks. - -- Many thanks Harry Rickards (a.k.a l33tmyst) - -BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK- Version: 3.1 GAT/GCM/GCS/GCC/GIT/GM d? s: a? C UL P- L+++ E--- W+++ N o K+ w--- O- M- V- PS+ PE Y+ PGP++ t 5 X R tv-- b+++ DI D G e* h! !r y? - --END GEEK CODE BLOCK-- -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkoFWUAACgkQ1kZz3mRu0Gp/ggCfVLPzNdahD/DmDJSVUGrjEFTh 7pAAn1Cz1lewrSgOY/+RRZqA8rWbpJ5P =3zVq -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Different routers can reach different lengths and also speed differs, there are also many features within the routers firmware that differ, just have a look around to see which is best, however for normal use the router provided should do the trick. You can buy a wireless print server (similar to a router) such as: http://www.netgear.co.uk/wireless_print_server_wgps606.php Which should connect to your router so you can print from any PC connected to the network. On Sat, 2009-05-09 at 11:11 +0100, Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- Rik Boland 15 Stanley Place, Lancaster, LA1 5NP 07866439588 -- Darius Huntly dar...@dariushuntly.co.uk -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom It depends on the model you got. For instance when I signed up with Virgin 20Mbit broadband I got a basic Netgear cable router which has 54 Meg wireless on it and it does the job fine. However I could if I choose to replace this with a faster router which supports the Wireless N which IIRC is about 270MBit (although I doubt I'd get that sort of speed and I'd have to upgrade the wireless adaptor on my notebook). What router did you get from your ISP? With regards to making your wired printer wireless, I presume it connects via USB? You may find that some models of printer have optional wireless adaptors (I found a HP one which appears to be specifically for HP printers at about £25 doing a Google search). Another option may be this Belkin wireless print server at about £45 - *http://tinyurl.com/rbvr8o Rob * -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 11:11 AM, Rik Boland rik_bol...@btinternet.com wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- Rik Boland 15 Stanley Place, Lancaster, LA1 5NP 07866439588 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ . The router that ASDL companies give you are often very basic, with little control of more advanced functions. They can also be a bit flaky(Depends on who the router was made by), so purchasing a new one can give you more features such as advanced firewall rules and VOIP functions. If you are happy with the stability and don't use the advanced features then the one you have should be fine. If the printer has an ethernet port, just plug it in to the router(Which I assume is wireless?) and you can print over the network wirelessly- Depending on the printer it may take a bit of fiddling around with, but Ubuntu is usually good at picking up printers- far better than the windows printer setup. If the printer only has a USB/Parallel port then you have two options. The cheapest in the short term is to plug the printer into a desktop machine, and share it across the network. Printing does require the machine to be switched on when you need to print though. The second option is to get a print server, which is basically a box with a USB/parallel port at one end and an ethernet at the other. Plug the printer in one end and the router in the other. You can get wireless versions, but they are pretty expensive. Some routers are also starting to have a built in printer server, so one of these may be an option. Some printers can be a bit fussy about this, so it's probably best to have a google before buying anything to check that it will work. HTH, Matt. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Hi Rik Most routers, both wired and wireless, are pretty much standard models that you can buy in the shop. The emphasis being on the word standard - if you have some fancy-fandangle adapter running an uncertified wifi standard to squeeze some more speed out of the connection (supposedly) then its likely you'll want a compatible router. Which on the whole wouldn't be a router issued by an ISP. My advice, if they're giving it away free then give it a go - likely its pre-configured and ready to rock-n-roll. If you want a bit more out of your wireless, like you're streaming media throughout your house and several devices then do some research and get the most appropriate router for your needs - be prepared to give your wallet a severe bashing. And remember, chances are your internet connection is less then 20meg, and 802.11g is supposed to be 54meg, so there's really no need to go for an all-singing all-dancing super-fast wireless router just for browsing the net. One caveat to this. If you are running services behind your routers, like web hosting, and you want additional control and security then you might want to look at a more funtional router. As for your printer, I concur with Harry's comments. Cheers, Steve Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- Rik Boland 15 Stanley Place, Lancaster, LA1 5NP 07866439588 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Hi I with Plus.net and have a bt voyager 1141o modem/router Harry Rickards wrote: -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 05/09/09 11:11, Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom Some are better, some are worse. What ISP do you use, and what router did they give you? With regards to your printer, you could get a wireless printer server such as http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150600, or setup your computer to do it. Will the other computer's connecting to it be Windows or Linux (or Mac)? If they're just Linux, you could maybe use CUPS (does it support wireless printing?), but if some of the clients are using Windows you could use SAMBA. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SettingUpSamba for help. Thanks. - -- Many thanks Harry Rickards (a.k.a l33tmyst) - -BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK- Version: 3.1 GAT/GCM/GCS/GCC/GIT/GM d? s: a? C UL P- L+++ E--- W+++ N o K+ w--- O- M- V- PS+ PE Y+ PGP++ t 5 X R tv-- b+++ DI D G e* h! !r y? - --END GEEK CODE BLOCK-- -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkoFWUAACgkQ1kZz3mRu0Gp/ggCfVLPzNdahD/DmDJSVUGrjEFTh 7pAAn1Cz1lewrSgOY/+RRZqA8rWbpJ5P =3zVq -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- Rik Boland 15 Stanley Place, Lancaster, LA1 5NP 07866439588 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Isnt there something about companies restricting you from buying routers apart from theirs. I belong to Sky, and if Sky found out I had a different Router than theirs they would cut me off. There is a way to get the username and password that comes with my router, but I am afraid to actually go into that just in case I mess it up. I am sure that most companies wont allow you to change routers. Which is stupid really considering the ones they give you are so basic. John. Steve Archer wrote: Hi Rik Most routers, both wired and wireless, are pretty much standard models that you can buy in the shop. The emphasis being on the word standard - if you have some fancy-fandangle adapter running an uncertified wifi standard to squeeze some more speed out of the connection (supposedly) then its likely you'll want a compatible router. Which on the whole wouldn't be a router issued by an ISP. My advice, if they're giving it away free then give it a go - likely its pre-configured and ready to rock-n-roll. If you want a bit more out of your wireless, like you're streaming media throughout your house and several devices then do some research and get the most appropriate router for your needs - be prepared to give your wallet a severe bashing. And remember, chances are your internet connection is less then 20meg, and 802.11g is supposed to be 54meg, so there's really no need to go for an all-singing all-dancing super-fast wireless router just for browsing the net. One caveat to this. If you are running services behind your routers, like web hosting, and you want additional control and security then you might want to look at a more funtional router. As for your printer, I concur with Harry's comments. Cheers, Steve Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
thanks Matt Matt Jones wrote: On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 11:11 AM, Rik Boland rik_bol...@btinternet.com wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- Rik Boland 15 Stanley Place, Lancaster, LA1 5NP 07866439588 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ . The router that ASDL companies give you are often very basic, with little control of more advanced functions. They can also be a bit flaky(Depends on who the router was made by), so purchasing a new one can give you more features such as advanced firewall rules and VOIP functions. If you are happy with the stability and don't use the advanced features then the one you have should be fine. If the printer has an ethernet port, just plug it in to the router(Which I assume is wireless?) and you can print over the network wirelessly- Depending on the printer it may take a bit of fiddling around with, but Ubuntu is usually good at picking up printers- far better than the windows printer setup. If the printer only has a USB/Parallel port then you have two options. The cheapest in the short term is to plug the printer into a desktop machine, and share it across the network. Printing does require the machine to be switched on when you need to print though. The second option is to get a print server, which is basically a box with a USB/parallel port at one end and an ethernet at the other. Plug the printer in one end and the router in the other. You can get wireless versions, but they are pretty expensive. Some routers are also starting to have a built in printer server, so one of these may be an option. Some printers can be a bit fussy about this, so it's probably best to have a google before buying anything to check that it will work. HTH, Matt. -- Rik Boland 15 Stanley Place, Lancaster, LA1 5NP 07866439588 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 11:37 AM, John jake...@sky.com wrote: Isnt there something about companies restricting you from buying routers apart from theirs. I belong to Sky, and if Sky found out I had a different Router than theirs they would cut me off. There is a way to get the username and password that comes with my router, but I am afraid to actually go into that just in case I mess it up. I am sure that most companies wont allow you to change routers. Which is stupid really considering the ones they give you are so basic. John. Steve Archer wrote: Hi Rik Most routers, both wired and wireless, are pretty much standard models that you can buy in the shop. The emphasis being on the word standard - if you have some fancy-fandangle adapter running an uncertified wifi standard to squeeze some more speed out of the connection (supposedly) then its likely you'll want a compatible router. Which on the whole wouldn't be a router issued by an ISP. My advice, if they're giving it away free then give it a go - likely its pre-configured and ready to rock-n-roll. If you want a bit more out of your wireless, like you're streaming media throughout your house and several devices then do some research and get the most appropriate router for your needs - be prepared to give your wallet a severe bashing. And remember, chances are your internet connection is less then 20meg, and 802.11g is supposed to be 54meg, so there's really no need to go for an all-singing all-dancing super-fast wireless router just for browsing the net. One caveat to this. If you are running services behind your routers, like web hosting, and you want additional control and security then you might want to look at a more funtional router. As for your printer, I concur with Harry's comments. Cheers, Steve Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ Not for most ISPs, they give you a Username/password that you know. I don't know why Sky does that, do they try to upsell routers? Matt. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 05/09/09 11:37, John wrote: Isnt there something about companies restricting you from buying routers apart from theirs. I belong to Sky, and if Sky found out I had a different Router than theirs they would cut me off. There is a way to get the username and password that comes with my router, but I am afraid to actually go into that just in case I mess it up. I am sure that most companies wont allow you to change routers. Which is stupid really considering the ones they give you are so basic. John. Steve Archer wrote: Hi Rik Most routers, both wired and wireless, are pretty much standard models that you can buy in the shop. The emphasis being on the word standard - if you have some fancy-fandangle adapter running an uncertified wifi standard to squeeze some more speed out of the connection (supposedly) then its likely you'll want a compatible router. Which on the whole wouldn't be a router issued by an ISP. My advice, if they're giving it away free then give it a go - likely its pre-configured and ready to rock-n-roll. If you want a bit more out of your wireless, like you're streaming media throughout your house and several devices then do some research and get the most appropriate router for your needs - be prepared to give your wallet a severe bashing. And remember, chances are your internet connection is less then 20meg, and 802.11g is supposed to be 54meg, so there's really no need to go for an all-singing all-dancing super-fast wireless router just for browsing the net. One caveat to this. If you are running services behind your routers, like web hosting, and you want additional control and security then you might want to look at a more funtional router. As for your printer, I concur with Harry's comments. Cheers, Steve Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom My current ISP is Plus.Net, and they don't really care what router you use, as you have to pay extra for theirs. They even have support for some third-party routers on their site. I used to be with AOL (terrible service, after escalating my issue about 10 times I finally got to talk with a 'Senior Support Manager', who told me that the reason my net connection was downloading at 3 kb/s was Firefox. I tried Internet Explorer, no difference, so he told me to clear my cookies. Of course, clearing my cookies cut me off the live support!), and they too didn't care which router you used, but if you complained about anything they'd just say it was your router. - -- Many thanks Harry Rickards (a.k.a l33tmyst) - -BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK- Version: 3.1 GAT/GCM/GCS/GCC/GIT/GM d? s: a? C UL P- L+++ E--- W+++ N o K+ w--- O- M- V- PS+ PE Y+ PGP++ t 5 X R tv-- b+++ DI D G e* h! !r y? - --END GEEK CODE BLOCK-- -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkoFX9cACgkQ1kZz3mRu0Gox+QCg4DdsS7NAxpwby/LUrVOYPbzz NgIAn0tp+AAxBeppHQlc7N5MMLSGe1hc =A7bI -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
John wrote: Isnt there something about companies restricting you from buying routers apart from theirs. I belong to Sky, and if Sky found out I had a different Router than theirs they would cut me off. There is a way to get the username and password that comes with my router, but I am afraid to actually go into that just in case I mess it up. I am sure that most companies wont allow you to change routers. Which is stupid really considering the ones they give you are so basic. John. Not usually, in most cases the ISP will let you choose your own equipment. Sounds like Sky is an exception to the rule. I know with BT Broadband they say you can use your own router but it's unsupported (especially if using something like BT Vision). I also believe that with O2 they let use use any router and again just don't support it. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 05/09/09 12:22, Rob Beard wrote: John wrote: Isnt there something about companies restricting you from buying routers apart from theirs. I belong to Sky, and if Sky found out I had a different Router than theirs they would cut me off. There is a way to get the username and password that comes with my router, but I am afraid to actually go into that just in case I mess it up. I am sure that most companies wont allow you to change routers. Which is stupid really considering the ones they give you are so basic. John. Not usually, in most cases the ISP will let you choose your own equipment. Sounds like Sky is an exception to the rule. I know with BT Broadband they say you can use your own router but it's unsupported (especially if using something like BT Vision). I also believe that with O2 they let use use any router and again just don't support it. Rob - From the looks of http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/sky-router/5710-can-i-use-my-own-router-sky-broadband.html, you could use your own router and tell Sky you were using it as an 'experiment to test your connection'. - -- Many thanks Harry Rickards (a.k.a l33tmyst) - -BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK- Version: 3.1 GAT/GCM/GCS/GCC/GIT/GM d? s: a? C UL P- L+++ E--- W+++ N o K+ w--- O- M- V- PS+ PE Y+ PGP++ t 5 X R tv-- b+++ DI D G e* h! !r y? - --END GEEK CODE BLOCK-- -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkoFaFkACgkQ1kZz3mRu0Gqy9gCfcwWih/K4ZT8Emtj64u/A40cR /dEAn23E0+TDqUycNrRA/z63SdQaEuGf =cZnp -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Matt Jones wrote: On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 11:37 AM, John jake...@sky.com wrote: Isnt there something about companies restricting you from buying routers apart from theirs. I belong to Sky, and if Sky found out I had a different Router than theirs they would cut me off. There is a way to get the username and password that comes with my router, but I am afraid to actually go into that just in case I mess it up. I am sure that most companies wont allow you to change routers. Which is stupid really considering the ones they give you are so basic. John. Steve Archer wrote: Hi Rik Most routers, both wired and wireless, are pretty much standard models that you can buy in the shop. The emphasis being on the word standard - if you have some fancy-fandangle adapter running an uncertified wifi standard to squeeze some more speed out of the connection (supposedly) then its likely you'll want a compatible router. Which on the whole wouldn't be a router issued by an ISP. My advice, if they're giving it away free then give it a go - likely its pre-configured and ready to rock-n-roll. If you want a bit more out of your wireless, like you're streaming media throughout your house and several devices then do some research and get the most appropriate router for your needs - be prepared to give your wallet a severe bashing. And remember, chances are your internet connection is less then 20meg, and 802.11g is supposed to be 54meg, so there's really no need to go for an all-singing all-dancing super-fast wireless router just for browsing the net. One caveat to this. If you are running services behind your routers, like web hosting, and you want additional control and security then you might want to look at a more funtional router. As for your printer, I concur with Harry's comments. Cheers, Steve Rik Boland wrote: Hi I got a router free when I got my broadband but shops sell routers. Why and what the difference - r they better? Also is there a way to make my wired printer wireless? Shalom -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ Not for most ISPs, they give you a Username/password that you know. I don't know why Sky does that, do they try to upsell routers? Matt. Getting support on that forum isnt easy, they are not very friendly. Plus, sky are really strict when it comes to their policies, I do know one person on that forum that does have a different router, and he's managed to hide it from sky. The username and password you are given, is different to the username and password for the router. I did look at the instructions on how to retrieve the information, and for me it is really complicated, and I just trust myself, just in case. Its only recently that they have been able to after your 1 years guarantee made it possible to get a new router if the old one broke, it just wasnt possible. There is a long thread on there somewhere with disgruntled users not being able to get a new router. I had one break just before the years guarantee ran out, but not since. That was hard work trying to get them to change it, I only managed to change it because they sent me two, when I first joined. I have not really had many problems with sky broadband, thank goodness. John. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Routers and printers
Sky's broadband is Easynet, I quite happily used my own wireless router for ages with their UKOnline service. I think the issue with using your own router is likely to be more to do with support - if something goes wrong they may simply say sorry, can't help - we don't know anything about that router. But I don't think they could cut you off for using your own router - unless it's in the TCs when you signed up, which seems distinctly unlikely. Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
