Portable adapters quickly connect via the parallel port to portable and desktop computers, which may not have an available expansion slot for a standard adapter. Because you connect these adapters to the parallel port, there are no I/O or interrupt conflicts, and there's no need to reset jumpers or switches.
The portable adapters we tested automatically detect which parallel port of the system is being used, and many automatically configure the adapter to run in the highest performance mode. All but six of the portable adapters we looked at came with connectors for both twisted-pair and thin coaxial cable.
But the trade-off for the convenience of a portable adapter is slow performance. For example, the fastest one we tested, the CLI PE-EPPct, has throughput similar to that of an 8-bit ISA NIC, even w
hen using an EPP.
Unidirectional parallel ports send 8 bits of data at a time, but they receive only 4 bits of data at a time. Bidirectional parallel ports send and receive 8 bits of data at a time, which can improve performance by as much as 50 percent over that of unidirectional ports. EPPs can approximate the performance of a standard 8-bit internal network adapter. For EPP mode to function, it must be supported by both the system and the portable adapter.
Rankings for This Category Considered:
PERFORMANCE 50%
FEATURES 25%
EASE OF USE 25%
Portable Ethernet Adapters
When you can't sacrifice your printer port...
BEST OVERALL
Compex Para Port-E
This fast adapter uses a National Semiconductor Ethernet controller and comes with twisted-pair and BNC connectors. The Para Port-E supports standard, bidirectional, and EPP parallel ports, and it draws power from the system's keyboard connector (an external power adapter i
s available as a $70 option). This and the Longshine LCS-8834P-M (see the low-cost winners, below) are the only adapters that provide parallel pass-through ports, which let you attach a printer along with the portable adapter. The Para Port-E comes with a Novell NetWare ODI driver that automatically detects which parallel port is being used and sets the adapter to the highest performance mode.
SPEED EASE
PRICE INDEX OF USE FEATURES
BEST Compex Para Port-E $209 0.53 ** ****
RUNNER-UP CLI PE-EPPct $199 0.54 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Xircom Pocket
Ethernet Adapter III $349 0.49 **** ***
RUNNER-UP GVC Technologies PE-002BT $229 0.52 *** ***
RUNNER-UP Kingston Dual
Interface Ethernet Adapter $245 0.52 ** ***
RUNNER-UP SMC ElitePort Combo $299 0.53 *** **
RUNNER-UP DEC Pocke
t Ethernet Adapter $299 0.52 ** **
RUNNER-UP Lancast 4107 Pocket
Ethernet Adapter EPP $295 0.49 ** ***
SUPPORTS PARALLEL WARRANTY STATUS
EPP PASS-THROUGH (YEARS) LIGHTS
BEST Compex Para Port-E X X 5 4
RUNNER-UP CLI PE-EPPct X 5 3
RUNNER-UP Xircom Pocket
Ethernet Adapter III X 5 2
RUNNER-UP GVC Technologies PE-002BT X 5 6
RUNNER-UP Kingston Dual
Interface Ethernet Adapter X 5 6
RUNNER-UP SMC ElitePort Combo X 5 4
RUNNER-UP DEC Pocket Ethernet Adapter X 1 2
RUNNER-UP Lancast 4107 Pocket
Ethernet Adapter EPP X 3 6
Key
Poor *
Fair
**
Good ***
Excellent ****
Yes = X
Portable Ethernet Adapters
Are speed and price important?
LOW COST
CLI PE-EPPct
This adapter's overall performance is by far the fastest in the under-$200 class, and it is second to no other adapter we tested at any price. It uses a Myson Ethernet controller and includes twisted-pair and BNC connectors. Powered by an external AC adapter, the PE-EPPct supports standard, bidirectional, and EPP parallel ports and provides automatic configuration. LEDs show power/link, reception, transmission, collision, and jabber.
SPEED EASE
PRICE INDEX OF USE FEATURES
BEST CLI PE-EPPct $199 0.54 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Longshine LCS-8834P-M $189 0.36 *** **
RUNNER-UP SVEC FD100 $129 0.32 ** **
SUPPORTS PARALLEL
WARRANTY STATUS
EPP PASS-THROUGH (YEARS) LIGHTS
BEST CLI PE-EPPct X 5 3
RUNNER-UP Longshine LCS-8834P-M X 1 3
RUNNER-UP SVEC FD100 5 3
Key
Poor *
Fair **
Good ***
Excellent ****
Yes = X
Portable Ethernet Adapters
For the best unidirectional performance...
STANDARD MODE
Xircom Pocket Ethernet Adapter III
A compact unit measuring roughly the size of a business card, this adapter provides above-average unidirectional performance and is among the easiest to use, thanks to a rubber grip that makes the unit a breeze to attach and remove from the parallel port. The adapter draws power from PS/2-style mouse ports, and an external AC adapter is included. You must install a driver to use the Pocket Ethernet Adapter III in EPP mode. The excellent documentation st
ands out for its clarity.
SPEED EASE
PRICE INDEX# OF USE FEATURES
BEST Xircom Pocket Ethernet
Adapter III $349 0.33 **** ***
RUNNER-UP CLI PE-EPPct $199 0.35 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Kingston Dual Interface
Ethernet Adapter $245 0.34 ** ***
RUNNER-UP GVC Technologies PE-002BT $229 0.31 *** ***
RUNNER-UP Longshine LCS-8834P-M $189 0.33 *** **
RUNNER-UP SVEC FD100 $129 0.32 ** **
RUNNER-UP Lancast 4107 Pocket
Ethernet Adapter EPP $295 0.31 ** ***
# Using unidirectional parallel ports.
SUPPORTS PARALLEL WARRANTY STATUS
EPP PASS-THROUGH (YEARS) LIGHTS
BEST Xircom Pocket Ethernet
Adapter III
X 5 2
RUNNER-UP CLI PE-EPPct X 5 3
RUNNER-UP Kingston Dual Interface
Ethernet Adapter X 5 6
RUNNER-UP GVC Technologies PE-002BT X 5 6
RUNNER-UP Longshine LCS-8834P-M X 1 3
RUNNER-UP SVEC FD100 5 3
RUNNER-UP Lancast 4107 Pocket
Ethernet Adapter EPP X 3 6
Key
Poor *
Fair **
Good ***
Excellent ****
Yes = X
Portable Ethernet Adapters
