Wireless-N Router / Print Server / Storage + Printer: what to buy?Server

[kickFlip]

Hello der,

I just bought an MBP 15" and am actually moving to Japan very soon. Since all the menus and manuals in Japanese hardware is in, well, Japanese, I'm needing to purchase a couple things, namely a wireless router and a printer. I've read reviews on the Airport Extreme Base Station and, although the wireless functions are apparently very good, the USB network storage transfer speeds are very slow. If you would, please check out my requirements below for each of the items I require and post your recommendations.

The Router
- Wireless-N (preferably dual-channel)
- built-in print server capability (or not, if opting for a wireless printer is a more ideal solution)
- built-in network USB storage sharing
- Mac compatible (of course)

The Printer
- wireless connectivity
- laser monochrome
- multi-function (printing, scanning, copying [no fax])
- Mac compatible (of course)

Any suggestions on either of these? Thanks very much!

 

[miles01110]

I'm using a Netgear WNDR3700 router with a Brother MFC-7840W printer here in the states, which have been working very well for me.

What region of Japan are you moving to? The Netgear will handle pretty much any voltage/frequency as it has a brick that does the conversion, but the printer doesn't. Japan is weird in that they have two different standards depending on where you live in the country.

 

[kickFlip]

I'm using a Netgear WNDR3700 router with a Brother MFC-7840W printer here in the states, which have been working very well for me.

Awesome. I'll check into both of those units. How was your experience with setup of the Netgear router? I'm experienced in setting up networks in a Windows environment, but, as this is my very first Mac, I'm unsure of what to expect in OS X. Was the Netgear easy enough for a person of intermediate network knowledge? Also, how was the setup of the Brother printer? I'm going to be including my wife's Windows 7 laptop to the network, so I hope that the setup CD for the printer has OS X and Windows 7 software/drivers.

What region of Japan are you moving to? The Netgear will handle pretty much any voltage/frequency as it has a brick that does the conversion, but the printer doesn't. Japan is weird in that they have two different standards depending on where you live in the country.

That's a great question and one that I wasn't even regarding before you asked. I'll be moving to Tokyo -- hopefully, the voltage stuff there is on-par with that of North America.

Thanks for your quick and insightful response, Miles01110.

 

[miles01110]

How was your experience with setup of the Netgear router? ...Was the Netgear easy enough for a person of intermediate network knowledge?

It's very easy to set up. Took me 5 minutes tops.

Also, how was the setup of the Brother printer? I'm going to be including my wife's Windows 7 laptop to the network, so I hope that the setup CD for the printer has OS X and Windows 7 software/drivers.

I literally pulled it from the box, plugged it into the USB port on the router, and it showed up in the Printer list. It can also run stand-alone without being hard-wired to the router, but that takes a more involved setup that I didn't bother attempting. I'd imagine it'd be pretty easy, though.

That's a great question and one that I wasn't even regarding before you asked. I'll be moving to Tokyo -- hopefully, the voltage stuff there is on-par with that of North America.

Tokyo is 100 VAC / 50 Hz. The sticker on the back of the printer says 110-120 VAC / 50/60 Hz... it should work fine. You'll need a 3-to-2 prong plug adapter, though, as the printer ships with a grounded plug.