-------- Original Message -------- From: Tom Waddell <[log in to unmask]> > Thanks. I do not have any ports left on my Linksys 4 port router. I have done a little research and think I > have found what I need. > 1- Get the Linksys - PSUS4 - USB 1.1 Print Server with Built-in 4-Port Network Switch. Free up one router port, > attach switch to existing router and I have 4 more ports and a USB 1.1 printer port. My only concern is the 1.1 > USB. Is it going to be Slow? Should I look for a printer switch with a USB 2 or maybe a USB 3? > > With extra ethernet ports I can attach my laptop to an open port and backup as needed. It's not very obvious, but these sorts of routers are actually two devices in one small box -- a two-interface router and a 4- (or sometimes 8-) port switch attached to one of those interfaces. In general, you can cascade one switch off another using a crossover (a crossover cable, or a crossover adaptor with a standard cable, or some switches will auto-sense that a crossover is needed and reconfigure the port internally). Each switch adds a little latency, but probably not such that you'd notice it. As has already been pointed out, USB1.1 should be plenty fast enough for printing. These are probably 10/100 Mbps Ethermet ports, so I think they'll be the bottleneck for drive access, too. Dell recently had a Cisco "Small Business" switch for $76 with 8 gigabit (10/100/1000) ports, about the size of an external hard drive. Far smaller, quieter, and (not that I often need it) faster than my 12-port 10/100 (Cisco model 2912) switch which was state-of-the-art about 12 years ago. Note that common WiFi standards top out at 54 Mbps under ideal conditions, so for things like backups a wired connection is usually a better choice than wireless. David Gillett PCBUILD maintains hundreds of useful files for download visit our download web page at: http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml