Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I thought I would use this as an easy home print server... since I have a wireless network (using a belkin wireless router that was easy to set up and has worked flawlessly - hence my pre-disposition to their product) and several USB printers..I consider myself fairly adept and computer savvy.. after reading several reviews this looked like a good way to set it up without too much trouble.
Note - one unit is a multifunction device, but I anticipated not being able to use the scanner capability wirelessly, so I Was not worried if it would not work.
Instructions are very succinct and straight forward (1 single sided sheet)... plug in the unit. plug in to network... install the software.. then connect the printers or drive.. VOILA!!!.. you have a print server and an easy connection for a hard drive to share on the network.
Plugged in a 24GB USB drive - both computers found it easy and connected to it with no problem.Excellent. so far, so good.
The home base found both printers, had some trouble with the drivers for one.. so I downloaded them and reinstalled.. no problem.. it found the driver and continued with installation.
Home Base found and connected to both printers, upon demand... Great, I thought... Went to try and use it... opened MS Word...Windows could not find the printers... they do not exist, as far as windows (and any apps) is concerned.It turns out their software is not talking to XP or Win 7...
Try help screen on Home Base.. not much help there...
Call up tech support... "heavy call volume.." blah, blah (the usual).. I knew it was not going to be an easy answer when it took them nearly 10 min to find the device / product and the support info in their system (after the automated directory supposedly sent me to a "Home Base Specialist").Spent close to 3 hours on the phone with multiple people at technical support with typical useless suggestions (restart computer, unplug the unit, reset unit, reinstall software). Got to someone with some technical knowledge.. (he actually had me ping the IP address assigned to the printer by the network to determine if Windows knew it existed - it did)Finally.. "there is a problem with our software.. we have assigned a person here to further investigate and we will call you tomorrow with an answer."That was two days ago.. no call back to me.. When I called them.. it took 15 min to find my ticket number.. after telling me that it was an invalid ticket number 2x..
Their answer?"We don't know what is wrong... it must be your computer...It installed properly and it finds the printers.. so your computers must have the error.. we recommend you contact Microsoft."
In short... Don't expect help from Belkin technical support (in India) if the product does not work the first time...The vast majority of the people there are simply reading steps from a computer screen and don't really know what they are doing, speak barely understandable english, and can't answer if you ask them a technical question.. As a customer, I should not know more about their product than their technical experts (one of whom asked me to hit the RESET button, but did not know where it was located on the unit)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Belkin Home Base - Device server - Ethernet, USB, Fast Ethernet - 802.11b/g/n (draft 2.0) - external
Product Description:
Belkin's Home Base allows anyone on your network to wirelessly share external hard drives, printers, or other devices - wherever and whenever.
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