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Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
HP Recommended

All,

 

This problem of my Officejet 8600 becoming "not connected" has plagued me on and off for years now.  At times the printer worked well, but recently it got to the point that it would barely connect (possibly because I switched to a Mac).  I could not connect even after toggling the network connection on/off in setup or even powering the printer on and off.  I was ready to buy a new one!

 

I found the answer to be turning IPv6 off and using only IPv4.  This change was like a light going on!  I already had a static IP address set and that did not solve the problem, though at one point it seemed to be the solution.  My energy saving mode is 10 minutes.  I am connected wirelessly.

 

To turn off IPv6, I did the following:

  1. I got my printer's IP address by printing out its configuration page: [network icon] > settings > print config page.  It's listed under IPv4 IP Address.
  2. Go to a browser and enter this IP address in the address field.  This should connect you to your printer (I had problems doing this because my printer would barely connect at all).
  3. Under "General" go to "Network Protocols"
  4. Select "IPv4 only"

I assume that using a static IP address is better.  You can check that by:

  1. Connecting to you printer via your browser as above and going to the "Network" tab.
  2. Go to "IPv4" under "Wireless" (I'm not sure what to do if you are hard-wired; likely similar)
  3. Info should be filled in under Manual IP (see other posts if you need to do this from scratch)
  4. Under "Network Protocols, IPv6", my info was all blank

So far this has worked very well for me and ended an infuriating problem.  If it changes, I'll post.  Let me know if it helps others.

HP Recommended

All,

 

My problem is not solved after all, though much improved.  Turning off IPv6 seems to make connecting to my printer much more reliable (it was to the point that the printer was almost unusable), but it is not fixed.  After a couple of days, the problem is back: I need to go into setup and toggle "wireless" on and off to get it to reconnect.  

 

So if anyone has any more info, I am very interested.

 

Brian

HP Recommended

Finally! All I did was #8: disable UPNP, and that did the trick. I have been talking to HP support for 2 weeks and although they were very thorough and concerned, they never aske me to do this. Very grateful to you. 

HP Recommended

A few more things for all to try.

 

These settings are for setting up your wireless printer to stay connected to your router, keep wireless devices better connected and makes your router secure and hack proof.

 

While DHCP is convenient, devices such as printers should always be assigned a static (fixed) IP address manually to avoid conflicts on your wireless network.

 

  1. Set a static IP in the printer (click here) outside the DHCP range of the router (check your manual). This is for Linksys routers but can be used for all routers. Verify your DHCP range and change this first if needed. More Wireless Printing help is here (Windows solution 4, static IP).
  2. Verify in the printer that 'Auto Off/Sleep/Energy saving mode' is disabled and/or the System Mode Time Out is set to zero (0). Use the Embedded Web Server (EWS) by going to the printers IP address in your browsers address bar, click Settings Tab/Auto Off. Or use the Printer Assistant, Printer Home Page (EWS). Also check your Printers Properties.
  3. If the printer supports and has IPv6 enabled, turn off IPv6 in the printer.
  4. If needed and you assigned a static IP address, try using 8.8.8.8 for the Preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 as the Alternate DNS server. 
  5. Wireless printers only work on the 2.4Ghz wireless band not the 5.0Ghz band.
  6. Verify the printer is on the latest firmware by checking with the HP Support site.
  7. Check all wireless devices in your home for interference. Check microwaves, baby monitors, wireless phones and wireless alarm systems are a big culprit.  Any of these will knock out your wireless printer intermittently.
  8. Make sure your printer and router are at least 6 feet apart from each other.

 

In the router: (Refer to your router manual for information) 

 

  1. Use a fixed wireless channel like 1, 6 or 11, never 'auto', try channel 1 first then the rest. 
  2. Set router to 20Mhz only, or 145Mbps depending on router. 
  3. Always use WPA2-AES (Personal) encryption, but you can try ‘mixed’ mode. 
  4. Disable WPS and never use it and disable UPnP for the routers security. Nobody can hack your system now and helps with wireless connectivity (if you want to know why, search the web).
  5. If you have a dual band router (2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz bands), make sure the SSID’s are NOT the same, they must be different for all bands, even for any Guest networks.
  6. SSID broadcast must be enabled.
  7. Save all settings. Power off both, wait 2 mins.  Power on router wait 2 mins. 
  8. Power on printer and verify it reconnects to router. 

Windows 7/8/8.1   Is Network Discovery on or off?

 

  1. Control Panel/Network and Internet/Network and Sharing Center/Advanced sharing settings.
  2. Under Home or Work (current profile) / Network Discovery.
  3. Select "Turn on network discovery" and save changes.

 

Now last thing to do once all the above has been tried and you still have the same issue, fully de-install and remove the printer and all its software. 

 

Use http://www.iobit.com/en/advanceduninstaller.php and use Powerful Scan at the end and delete all registry entries.

 

Now go back and reinstall the Full Featured Software and Drivers from the HP web site.

 

Last ditch effort - If your printer has an Ethernet connection, suggest you get some Power Line Adapters and convert your house wiring to Ethernet for your printer.

HP Recommended

I followed the suggestion about setting a static IP address for the printer and found a step-by-step instruction video on YouTube to do that. Seems to be working.

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