Some devices are not connected to the local network, so a network scan will never find them. You can still track these by connecting the device directly to a computer that has Print Tracker installed.
Print Tracker supports two methods, and they are not equivalent. Choosing the wrong one is the difference between full meter and supply data and a bare page count.
Use USB+ whenever possible. Standard USB is supported only on Windows and returns very limited data.
The Two Methods
USB+ connects the device using a USB-to-Ethernet adapter. The adapter plugs into the computer by USB, and an Ethernet cable runs from the printer to the adapter. Using patent-pending technology, Print Tracker collects full meter readings and supply information, because it is genuinely talking to the printer over Ethernet.
Standard USB connects the device with an ordinary USB cable. Print Tracker can only count pages the computer sends to the printer. It cannot read the printer MIB, so it cannot collect real meters from the device or any supply information.
Comparison
| USB+ (recommended) | Standard USB |
Meters | Full meter readings, including total, black and white, color, copies, and scans, counted since the machine was manufactured | Limited. Total, black and white, and color pages printed only since the device was discovered by Print Tracker |
Supplies | All supplies the device reports, including toner, drums, fuser, and maintenance kits | None |
Alerts | Yes | Volume alerts only. No supply alerts, because there is no supply data. |
Remote Technician | Yes | No |
Operating systems | Windows, macOS, and Linux | Windows only |
Additional hardware | Yes, a USB-to-Ethernet adapter costing around $10 | No |
Setup | More involved | Simple |
A Print Tracker agent must be installed on each computer that has a locally connected device, because the device is only visible to the machine it is attached to. Note also that a Print Tracker Cube cannot monitor locally connected devices at all; these methods require a Windows, macOS, or Linux agent.
Setting Up USB+
Step 1: Buy a USB-to-Ethernet adapter
Any off-the-shelf adapter works, as long as it matches the port on the computer. Some computers have USB Type A ports and others have USB Type C. Most adapters cost about $10.
Step 2: Install and register Print Tracker
Install the agent on the computer that will be connected to the device, then register it with the entity's datalink code. See Installing and Managing Agents for the full procedure.
Video walkthrough: registering with an Ethernet adapter
Step 3 on Windows: Configure the adapter and device
Windows requires one extra manual step that macOS and Linux do not, because Windows does not support automatic printer configuration here.
Video walkthrough: configuring the adapter on Windows
Open localhost:1301 on the computer where Print Tracker is installed.
Under Managed Ethernet Adapters, click Find your adapter.
Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the device and the other into the USB-to-Ethernet adapter.
Plug the adapter into the computer and wait for Print Tracker to recognize it. If it was already plugged in, unplug it, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in.
When the adapter appears, click Select.
Print Tracker assigns its own IP address to the device. You can change it, but you do not need to. Click Done.
Follow the on-screen instructions to manually configure a static IP address on the printer.
Click Done once the printer is configured.
Discovery can take a few minutes. When the device appears, click Finish.
Step 3 on macOS and Linux: Configure the adapter and device
Video walkthrough: configuring the adapter on macOS
Open localhost:1301 on the computer where Print Tracker is installed.
Under Managed Ethernet Adapters, click Find your adapter.
Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the device and the other into the USB-to-Ethernet adapter.
Plug the adapter into the computer and wait for Print Tracker to recognize it. If it was already plugged in, unplug it, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in.
When the adapter appears, click Select.
Print Tracker assigns its own IP address to the device. Click Done.
Discovery can take a few minutes. When the device appears, click Finish.
No manual printer configuration is needed on these platforms.
Setting Up Standard USB
Only use this when USB+ is not an option. It is Windows only.
Download and install the generic installer on the computer connected to the device.
During registration, select the option to monitor devices connected by Local (USB).
Enter the entity's datalink code.
Click Activate.
Print Tracker automatically looks for devices connected to the host computer by USB and adds them to your account. It then tracks total, black and white, and color pages printed from the time the device was added.
Locally connected devices cannot read the printer MIB, so they cannot report supply information or collect meters directly from the device. Expect page counts, not meters.
Setting a Starting Page Count
Because standard USB counts only from the moment Print Tracker discovered the device, a printer that has already been in service will look brand new. If you know its real page count, enter it as a starting value so totals reflect the machine's actual life.
Using the sidebar, click Devices, then View devices.
Open the device.
Click the Starting Page Count tab.
Enter the number of total, total black, and total color pages.
Click Save starting page settings.
Take the starting values from the device's own control panel or configuration page before you rely on them for billing.
Related Articles
Installing and Managing Agents
Discovering and Managing Devices
Print Tracker Cube, which cannot monitor USB-connected devices