NETGEAR 5 port unmanaged Gigabit Desktop Switch Essentials Edition (GS205) - $16.99

Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

For same price you can get the tp-link one which I find more reliable imho (TL-SG1005D) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_A12JNWT9W99968ZMJ5RP?psc=1

And 8 port is on sale for 19.99$

simplypop wrote: ↑ Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

Simple answer is no

fayfayfay wrote: ↑ Simple answer is no

Of course it can. How did you come up with your response? I'm curious.

simplypop wrote: ↑ Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

If you're plugging that printer via usb to one computer and sharing it for the other computer and having problem, then yes this could help.
Since the printer is network ready, has a ethernet port, and technically could be used wirelessly as well via wifi.
You need to change how you connect the printer, to be via network instead of local printer.

fayfayfay wrote: ↑ Simple answer is no

^^^
Don't listen to this guy

simplypop wrote: ↑Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

I think you will need a router that has built in print server.

You can never have too many ports .... you'll eventually regret the 5 port version, so just get the 8-port version now.

simplypop wrote: ↑ Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

That printer has a built-in wireless card so you don't even need this to share the printer. Connect it to your network then find out the IP address of the printer. Install the printer drivers on your machine and create a TCP/IP port for the printer driver pointing to the printer IP. If all is done right then you will be able to print from any machines you install the drivers on.

Nitram wrote: ↑For same price you can get the tp-link one which I find more reliable imho (TL-SG1005D) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_A12JNWT9W99968ZMJ5RP?psc=1

And 8 port is on sale for 19.99$

Fyi - Your first link doesn't work.

Thanks. Purchased the tp link. Not sure why it is better but went with it!

jasonchewy wrote: ↑ ^^^
Don't listen to this guy

Well, let's review the facts before making our decision.
The original question was: "Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers"
We don't really know anything else about the case. If the person had already connected this printer to
his home router and still had problems sharing the printer then it is unlikely an unmanaged switch
is going to be helpful.

fayfayfay wrote: ↑
Simple answer is no

r/ConfidentlyIncorrect

...this is why we still need thumbs down on here.

dodgybackhand wrote: ↑ Well, let's review the facts before making our decision.
The original question was: "Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers"
We don't really know anything else about the case. If the person had already connected this printer to
his home router and still had problems sharing the printer then it is unlikely an unmanaged switch
is going to be helpful.

So there can be no possibility of user error?

This should absolutely work, and it's simple as plugging in the printer's ethernet into the switch, I know, cause I've done it with a Brother printer multiple times.

One thing to note though I believe Brother printers will only work if one of the network options is disabled. As in if using Ethernet for sharing then the Wifi on it must be turned off.

TeddyPants wrote: ↑ Fyi - Your first link doesn't work.

Thanks. Purchased the tp link. Not sure why it is better but went with it!

I am also wondering why it would be better...

Trying to do a quick comparison, I see on Amazon that the TP-Link 8 Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch (TL-SG1008D) only consumes 1.6 watt while idle (they don't mention that in the decription, but found that on the user reviews, so take that with a grin of salt, whereas the official site says Max Power Consumption=4.6W), while the NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS208) on Amazon reports Wattage = 3.64 watts (is that Max ?) even though they mention it has energy-efficient technology, but can't find any details about that, even on the Netgear site.

I would not mind buying the Netgear event if it's a few bucks more expensive... because all my network components are currently Netgear (router, switch, extenders etc), and I have nothing to complain about so far...

fayfayfay wrote: ↑ Simple answer is no

Wrong, you can share anything that has a wired or wireless connection on the same flat network, when you have a managed or unmanaged switch or access point in between..that's just basic without making it too much complicated for a normal user.

dodgybackhand wrote: ↑ Well, let's review the facts before making our decision.
The original question was: "Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers"
We don't really know anything else about the case. If the person had already connected this printer to
his home router and still had problems sharing the printer then it is unlikely an unmanaged switch
is going to be helpful.

If you don't have the necessary info then the simple answer is "I don't know".

simplypop wrote: ↑ Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

You need MFCL2710DW to wire it to the network via a switch or a router
https://www.google.com/search?q=MFCL271 ... tKOWuAVNZM
The top port is on the right.

jasonchewy wrote: ↑ If you're plugging that printer via usb to one computer and sharing it for the other computer and having problem, then yes this could help.
Since the printer is network ready, has a ethernet port, and technically could be used wirelessly as well via wifi.
You need to change how you connect the printer, to be via network instead of local printer.

MFC 2710 does not have an ethernet port.

TranT14 wrote: ↑ MFC 2710 does not have an ethernet port.

Only "MFC 2710" I can find is the MFCL2710DW.

Here's the spec:
Standard Interface(s) Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Ethernet, 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet, Wi Fi Direct, Hi-Speed USB 2.0

simplypop wrote: ↑ Can these things be used to share a printer ?
I have a brother laser printer MFC 2710 abs having trouble sharing it with 2 computers.

Yep. Using ethernet assign it a static IP. If you DHCP range is like 192.168.1.100-256 give it a static IP like 192.168.1.50 and keep track of it in a spreadsheet or something. As long as the other IP4 specs are correct (subnet mask, etc.) it should work. You may have to change the Printer Properties on all the clients so that the static IP is reflected.

In this configuration it wouldn't need to be shared from a PC. It would be on the network directly by ethernet.

Any device/host on the Ethernet or Wifi network would be able to talk to each other as long as long as the all connect to the same router. Router -> Ethernet -> Switch -> Printer and other PCs would work.