Hp JetDirect 310x USB Print Server

When you buy a print server like the HP jetdirect 310 you are paying a premium for what has become a print server industry standard. HP have established themselves as the print server market leader. The print server administration software has become the norm with many of the other print server manufacturers adopting Hp Jetdirect Compliance as a standard.

The HP Jetdirect 310x costs too Much

The HP Jetdirect print server family is somewhat overpriced and at $220 the HP Jetdirect 310x continues the trend. I'm not sure why HP keep overpricing their print servers but they do. If I was buying a usb print server for my home or small office network and had $220 to spend I'd want more than SSL encryption, a usb and a network port. For $220 I'd want a wireless access point and an extra 10/100 network port or two at the least and if I'm forking out more than $200 for a print server it better have more than one usb port.

The HP Jetdirect 310x has a space aged look to it. It's not shaped like many of the other jetdirect print server series. The standard print server status lights are there with a test / print server config page print button for diagnosing print server problems. The unit is a little on the large side at 5" * 3.5" * 1.5". Mini Print Servers have shown how small print servers can be.

If you can ignore the high price what's there to like about the HP 310x?

Hp JetDirect 310x Printer Compatibility

The HP 310x is compatible with a wide range of HP LaserJets, DeskJets, Photosmart and Officejet printers as you'd expect. Nobody knows HP printers better than HP. Check the print server links area for information on further print server support information.

If you use HP Printers in your home or business then you have an added incentive to stick with HP and choose one of the jetdirect Range. For a price you'll get a single point of contact for support, repair and replacement issues. Better to be made to hold for 30 minutes with a single company than with two!

The HP 310x has a large 4mb of programmable memory which it uses to store firmware updates. Firmware updates can easily be pplied to many jetdirects with a few clicks. Unlike Linksys print servers where you have to locate the print server firmware update files yourself HP's print server firmware managers will find your jetdirects, identify the model and if you have an internet connection download the latest firmware upgrade for you. Easy peasy.

If you are administering hundreds or thousands of print servers then the attraction for instant or scheduled enterprise wide print server firmware updates is obvious. Large networks or networks that require maximum print server uptime may be attracted to Print Servers like the HP 310x.

Print Server Performance

The Print Server is fast - we didn't see any speed problems during our testing.

Advanced Security Features

If the secure transmission of print data around your network is a must then the HP310x is perfect - supporting SSL encryption and Transport Layer Security to protect your print server data from network sniffers. Banks, Finance Houses and medium to large businesses that print sensitive or confidential documents may require this kind of data protection.

HP have a strong hardware support network throughout the world. Combined with the reliability, configurability and the three year warranty this gives the 310x and other hp jetdirects an edge over other print servers. They are also the most available print server globally and have always kept their products backwards compatible.

In 4 years time the 310x will still be dutifully serving your print jobs and whatever version of jetadmin or webjetadmin software that is around in four years will be able to find, configure and upgrade the firmware of your HP310x. If you can see the benefits of HP's in terms of years of lower total cost of ownership then perhaps the HP 310x Jetdirect USB print server is for you.

USB is 1.1 only which is a little disappointing. USB2.0 would have futureproofed the print server and made it useful beyond its three year hp jetdirect warranty period.

Macintosh Users will be pleases to find that the HP 310x has full appletalk support. Linux and Unix print server buyers are also well supported. Many of the popular linux printing sites have excellent isntructions on configuring Hp Jetdirect Print Servers under Linux - Check out our Apple and Macintosh Print Server Guide for more info. IPX / SPX support is there so Novell users still using IPX will be able to use the HP 310x.

If you know know your pings from pongs then the setup and configuration of the hp 310x should be quick and painless. From discovery of the usb print server to advanced configuration the hp310x install is both intuitive and well documented.

• Hp Model No. : J6038A
• Printer Ports : 1 USB 1.1 Port
• Network Ports : 1 10/100 Mbps network port
• Supported Operating Systems : Windows, Linux, Unix, Macintosh. Support for most network protocols and connection methods
• special functions : Advanced security features include SSL and TLS

Hp JetDirect 310x USB Print Server Conclusion :

Unless the added security features attract you then the high price should make you look wireless or elsewhere. Hp are reliable, dependable, easy to install and a dream to configure when there are hundreds of them on a large printing network but none of this is worth the price, especially not to a first time print server buyer.