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E P S O N
®
Winter 2002
H o w d o E p s o n ' s w i r e l e s s p r i n t i n g c o n n e c t i o n s c o m p a r e ?
A n s w e r s
Epson offers two wireless printing devices, allowing supported Epson printers to print without cables
through a radio connection. One supports the IEEE 802.11b standard, and the other supports the
Bluetooth™ standard. What are the differences between the Bluetooth Print Adapter from Epson and
the EpsonNet 802.11b Wireless Print Server?
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D i d Y o u K n o w ?
WiFi™ is a standard compatibility test protocol established by the Wireless
Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). Epson's EpsonNet 802.11b Wireless Print
Server has passed this test, which allows Epson to use the WiFi logo.
▲
C o n n e c t i v i t y
802.11b technology is a wireless Ethernet standard which supports transfer rates of up to 11
Mbps, and network printing up to a distance of 300 feet (depending on environmental
conditions.)
802.11b technology is a network cable replacement, which allows multiple users to share
a printer using wireless technology similar to using a wired network.
The EpsonNet 802.11b Wireless Print Server is only available bundled with the EPSON
Stylus C80WN and is currently not sold separately.
Bluetooth technology offers printer-to-computer connectivity via low power, short-range radio
frequency up to a distance of 33 feet.
This technology is a USB/serial cable replacement and does not allow printer sharing.
The Bluetooth Print Adapter from Epson is an external device that plugs into the parallel
port of many Epson's printers.
These are the main differences between Bluetooth and 802.11b:
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❍
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Feature Bluetooth Print
Adapter from
Epson
EpsonNet 802.11b
Wireless Print Server
Speed
Range
Connection
Printing applications
Impact on battery life
Target platforms
Compatible Epson
printers
721Kbps (1/16 as fast as USB 1.0)
Up to 33 feet
Point to point
Text, low-res graphics
Small: impacts battery life by less
than 10%
Handhelds (PDAs), cell phones,
laptops, cars, radios, headsets,
etc.
EPSON Stylus C60/C80, EPSON
Stylus Photo 820/890/1280
11Mbps (about as fast as USB 1.0)
Up to 300 feet (depending on
environmental issues)
Full network
Anything
Large: is recommended for use
with stationary devices or those
with high capacity batteries
Networked computers, primarily
laptops
EPSON Stylus C80WN
I n t e r e s t i n g N o t e
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Printing Specifications
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