HP LaserJet P1606dn loses their IP address in DHCP mode

[ukio]

Hi,

We are currently encountering what seems to us to be a strange behavior with the HP LaserJet P1606dn printer. The behavior is that, while in DHCP mode, when it goes into sleep mode, it loses its IP address.

It shouldn't be bad because it should wake up when something is sent to it and get back its IP address, but it doesn't. It get stuck in the printing queue and we need to do an "ipconfig/ flushdns" on the appropriate server so it get back its address. This is kinda annoying because we can't even desactivate this sleep mode function, the best we can do is put it to 1 hour which is temporary because it still gonna loses its IP address anyway.

I have searched all over the net for an answer to our problem and the closest one I have find is one on HP forum where the P1606dn loses its IP address in manual mode and switch to DHCP. Even though it wasn't our exact problem, the recommanded solution was to update the 1606dn firmware, which we did. It sadly hasn't solve our problem. At least, we aren't forced to do a flushdns everytime this time and we can force it to print by printing the configuration page...

An other thing we have found is that, it always or well, very often create a second entry in the inversed zone of the dns with an IP adress it won't even use... It is probably important to note that when the printers loses its ip address, the information of the ipv4, the dns and the rest of the address are all 0.0.0.0.

It seems to me that when the printers enters in sleep mode, it loses its ip address so it can save energy, which would be a good thing, but then, it cannot get back its ip address and well, its like the printers says to himself "well, I am lost and I don't know where I am neither at which address I live but hey, it's ok, everything is just fine."

Our configuration :

Windows 7 professional 64 bit on users end

Windows server 2008 r2 enterprise

The printer is connected in LAN

Anyone has stumbled accross a problem like this before with this model?

Thank you

[sabretooth04]

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.

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.

2. Verify in the printer that 'Auto Off' is disabled.  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).

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 Manual DNS server and

     8.8.4.4 preferred DNS server.

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

5. Use a fixed wireless channel like 1, 6 or 11, never 'auto', try channel 1 first then the rest. 

6. Set router to 20Mhz only, or 145Mbps depending on router. 

7. Always use WPA2-AES (Personal) encryption, but you can try ‘mixed’ mode. 

8. 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).

9. 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.

10. SSID broadcast must be enabled.

11. Save all settings. Power off both, wait 2 mins.  Power on router wait 2 mins. 

12. 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.

[ukio]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your quick reply.

I am sorry to say this but it seems to me that this is a solution for a wireless problem though our printers in our business are connected via cables to our network, we don't use any wireless services on theses printers.

Does the solution stays the same?

[sabretooth04]

Sorry I missed it was connected via LAN.  If it looses the IP you have a router problem or the printer is defective  Just make sure you turn off sleep mode so it never powers down.  It may be called 'auto off'.

[ukio]

The "Auto Off" is set to "Never" like suggested since two days now, and it still loses its ip address because of the "sleep after" parameter. The best we can do with this parameter is put it to one hour, which in one hour, it's going to lose its ip address again. The fact that it loses its ip address isn't a big deal, it's the fact that it doesn't wake up when a user send its file to print.. one told me it could take up to 4 hour for its file to start printing.

Also, if it would be a defective printer, then we would be really unlucky because our 30 P1606dn has the same issue. It's the only model in our network that has this issue. Every other printers from HP or other brands are ok and work just fine.

We are also looking in our routeur config and such, everything seems to be ok.

Any idea of what we should check in our router?

[sabretooth04]

I can't think of anything that would do this with a hardwired connection.   Will have to wait to see if someone else will see this post to offer any more, sorry.

[poste]

I am having this same issue and need to reboot my router each time it goes into sleep mode in order to get it to print again.  

[ukio]

Hi,

Finally, it was our switch that had a problem. We tried to disconnect one of our two switch for a while and the problem hasn't occured again. The one we disconnected was the one we thought we had a problem with.

We fixed it by changing the switch since it was due anyway.

I hope it helps!

[sabretooth04]

---

@ukio wrote:

Hi,

Finally, it was our switch that had a problem. We tried to disconnect one of our two switch for a while and the problem hasn't occured again. The one we disconnected was the one we thought we had a problem with.

We fixed it by changing the switch since it was due anyway.

I hope it helps!

---

Switch?  What switch?  You never mentioned any switch in any of your post?  That would have been helpful.

[oboyekawa]

My problem is that i have manual configured the printer and when you issue comand then it will pick a different thing and will print until you reset the whole printer to pick from a DHCP server. what will be the cause of this?