Airport Extreme: regular print disconnection
I have an Airport Extreme, 2008 series, running 7.6.1. Over the last two week I have witness regular print problems. Initially, printers (HP P1005 and HP 2460 connected via a USB hub) began to not be recognized from time to time, yesterday this became constant. The workaround is simple: unplug power and replug, wait for a minute or so, print works. Then, several minutes later, again lost. Unplug power, replug, works.
Initially I thought there was something connected to the last HP printer driver, posted end of October, but now I think it may be something with the Airport router. I reset it, the same. Chose channel manually, no change.
Is this a symptom of a defective router? Repairing it seems useless after so many years. Internet connection is OK, though, just print is tantalizing. Even if the workaround is simple, I find it unacceptable. Is there a way to test whether this AirPort has an issue with USB printer connection?
Any help appreciated.