Powering and positioning PrintGuardian

Power PrintGuardian from its own USB power supply. Do not plug PrintGuardian into the printer USB port.

Important: do not use the printer USB port

DO NOT plug PrintGuardian into the printer USB port for power.

If there is a power failure and PrintGuardian is powered from the printer, the printer can try to connect to PrintGuardian as if it were an internal device during startup. This can cause a board failure message on the printer.

Use any other reliable USB power supply instead. A wall USB adapter, powered USB hub, or backup-power USB source is fine as long as it provides stable power.

Use backup power when possible

The ideal setup is to keep PrintGuardian and your Wi-Fi/network equipment on a backup power supply.

If the printer loses power but PrintGuardian and the network stay online, PrintGuardian can help track that the printer went offline and make power outages easier to diagnose later.

If the printer, PrintGuardian, and Wi-Fi all lose power together, PrintGuardian cannot report during the outage because it is offline too.

Where to place PrintGuardian

PrintGuardian does not need to be next to the printer.

PrintGuardian and the printer only need to be on the same network. The printer may be connected by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. PrintGuardian must be connected by Wi-Fi, so place it somewhere with strong signal.

PrintGuardian is designed to stay connected to the printer 24/7. A weak Wi-Fi spot can cause unnecessary disconnects or missed status updates.

Mounting options

The back of PrintGuardian has magnets. The printer itself is not magnetic, but the Automatic shaker oven is.

If you mount PrintGuardian magnetically to the oven, make sure the USB cable is not pulling it downward. A heavy or stiff USB cable can cause PrintGuardian to slide down over time.

Other good placement options:

• Hang PrintGuardian from the screw hook on the back.

• Place it on a small stand.

• Stick or mount the stand somewhere stable near your desk, network equipment, or printer area.

Quick checklist

• Do not power PrintGuardian from the printer USB port.

• Use a reliable separate USB power supply.

• Put PrintGuardian and Wi-Fi on backup power if possible.

• Keep PrintGuardian on the same network as the printer.

• Place PrintGuardian where Wi-Fi signal is strong.

• Mount it so the USB cable cannot pull it down.