Verify account message after printing

[mmhmjanssen]

After finishing a print job the printer screen reported:

title: Verify your account

Message text (translated from Dutch to English by PO): "A problem occurred on your HP account. Soon you will not be able to print, unless the problem will be solved. For more information open the HP Smart app or go to www.hpsmart.com and log in to your account". OK button

When I checked my account I noticed that the Instant Ink status had not been updated since approx. 2 weeks. Later it appeared to be because the printer did not have internet access. Later on I also found out that an e-mail has been sent by Instant Ink, telling me that the connection with my printer had been broken.

My printer is connected to my Wi-Fi network as are the laptop and phones from which I could happily print. As the laptop and all devices on my network have no problem with the internet connection I was wondering why my printer did not find an internet connection. All devices are connected via the same Wi-Fi network. 

I decided to do a power cycle on the router. When the router was fully operational again with network connection, I disconnected the AC power plug from the printer, waited a minute or so and connected the power cord again.

When the printer was up and running again, I tried to print one page again. The page was printed successfully but again I got the same error message in the display. 

Checking the status of the printer I found that it still did not have an internet connection!

How is it possible that I can communicate with the printer and with the internet while the printer itself cannot communicate with the internet. When I compared the current network setting with older network settings, I noticed that the printer used to be configured to obtain its IP address from DHCP, while it was now configured with a fixed IP address outside the range of IP addresses available to DHCP. So there could not be an IP address conflict. 

I decided to change the IP address setting for the printer to Automatic (DHCP). The printer then said that it was taken out of the network, which I approved, as it would get a new IP address. After the printer got its new IP address, it recovered its internet connection! Problem solved.

I then wondered how come that the printer now has found a network connection. Is it simply because it was taken out of the network and added in later, which triggered something?

I know that a website such as the HP website that handles Instant Ink cannot access a network device such as a printer unless this device somehow connects to the server first. Once a local device sends IP traffic upstream, the local IP address is associated with the remote (global) IP address to which it communicates. A response from the server can then be routed back to the local IP address using something like NAT (Network Address Translation). So suppose that a connection has been established between the HP server and the printer. If I then reset the router (which did happen a couple of times due to power outages), the address translation tables get reset. If the printer does not initiate traffic upstream, the HP server will not be able to connect to the printer. If the printer has a fixed IP address it does not have to initiate traffic, so maybe this is why the HP server cannot connect. Does this make sense?

It also might be a matter of timing. When there is a power outage, both the router and printer will reset. Maybe it is a matter of time, which of the two is first in initiating a connection. If the printer initiates a connection before the router is fully operational, this connection might not be established. And this timing could be dependent on whether or not you use DHCP.

[Max3Aj]

Hi @mmhmjanssen,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

Yes, your reasoning makes sense! There are several factors at play here, and your experience aligns with common networking behaviors.

DHCP vs. Static IP:

• When your printer was set to a static IP address, it wasn't initiating traffic to the router like a DHCP client would when requesting an IP address.
• Since the HP Instant Ink service requires a connection to HP's servers, if the printer's network settings were misconfigured (e.g., static IP outside the DHCP range or incorrect DNS settings), it may not have been able to reach the internet properly.
• Switching back to DHCP forced the printer to re-establish a fresh connection, which triggered outbound communication and resolved the issue.

NAT and Connection State:

• When your router resets (e.g., due to power outages), its NAT (Network Address Translation) table gets cleared.
• If the printer doesn't actively send data after this reset, HP’s servers cannot re-establish a session because the router does not know how to forward responses back to the printer.
• Devices using DHCP typically send renewal requests to the DHCP server, forcing an outbound connection, whereas a static IP device might not immediately do so.

Router and Printer Boot Order:

• If the printer boots before the router is fully online, it might fail to establish a connection.
• Some devices retry immediately, while others do not attempt reconnecting until manually restarted.
• With DHCP, devices frequently renew their IP leases, increasing the chance of re-establishing connectivity even if they miss the first opportunity.

Why Switching to DHCP Fixed It:

• By setting the printer to obtain an IP dynamically (DHCP), it initiated a fresh network connection.
• This triggered an outbound request, updating the router’s NAT table and allowing inbound responses from HP’s servers.
• The router now knew where to route traffic between the printer and HP Instant Ink.

Best Practices to Avoid This in the Future:

1. Keep the printer on DHCP to ensure it consistently renews its connection.
2. Reserve the printer’s IP address in your router’s DHCP settings (so it always gets the same IP without requiring manual static configuration).
3. Check DNS settings—if using a static IP, ensure correct DNS servers are set (e.g., Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).
4. Ensure the router is fully booted before turning on the printer after a power outage.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[mmhmjanssen]

I had the same thoughts as you expressed in the reply, but I have some doubts.

When the IP setting of the printer is set to DHCP, the printer will indeed initiate traffic as you described. It will issue a request for an IP address. This request is sent to the DHCP server residing in the router, not to any DHCP server on the internet. The router will send a response to the printer giving the printer its IP address. I fail to see why or how the router would subsequently send any traffic to the HP server that manages Instant Ink. At least, not as a result of DHCP.

It is thoughout possible though that the printer is programmed in such a way that it uses the EVENT of receiving an IP address, as a trigger for initiating the "Instant Ink protocol". Thereby I mean that the printer might request the HP Instant Ink server for information about the Instant Ink subscription that the user of the printer has with HP.  This establishes a connection and from then onwards the HP server is able to communicate with the printer.

My second comment is this. 

In my case there could not be an IP address conflict, as the IP address of the printer was set to 192.168.1.5 and no other device on the network has a fixed IP address. The address range for IP addresses handed out by the DHCP server in the router was and is set to 192.168.1.10 ... 192.168.1.254.

Another thing that I do not understand is this. Why does the printer not establish a connection with the HP Instant Ink server before or after a (successfull) print job, before displaying an error message that there might be a problem with the Instant Ink account? Maybe it did, but then the question is why does it fail to reach the HP server? Moreover, why did the problem not get fixed after a cold boot of the printer. Surely it should attempt to make a connection with HP as part of the intialisation sequence. After all, it should only print using the installed Instant Ink cartridges if the user of this printer has an Instant Ink subscription. 

After giving it some more thought, I think that one of the problems might be this. Say both the printer and router reboot at the same time (due to a power outage). Both the printer and the router take some time to complete the power up sequence. Let's assume that the router takes more time to complete its power up sequence. If the printer has a fixed IP address, it can immediately try to establish a connection with some HP server. If the router doesn't have a working internet connection at that time, the connection will fail. 

With DHCP, the printer has no choice then to issue a DHCP request to the router and wait for the response, before doing anything else with the internet. Now suppose that the router only enables the DHCP server after or virtually at the same time that it has an internet connection. Then, when the printer receives its IP address and tries to establish a connection with HP, the connecton will succeed because internet is ready by that time.

[Max3Aj · Accepted solution]

Hi @mmhmjanssen,

Thank you for your response, 

Let's move on to some advanced steps to stabilize the printer’s connection to HP Instant Ink servers.
 

Set a Reserved IP Instead of Static IP

Even though your static IP is outside the DHCP range, a better approach is to reserve the IP address in your router’s DHCP settings instead. This ensures the printer always gets the same IP while still benefiting from DHCP lease renewals that keep the network session active.

Manually Configure DNS Servers on the Printer

Sometimes, even if the IP configuration is correct, DNS settings can cause connection issues. Try setting Google’s public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare’s DNS (1.1.1.1) on the printer instead of relying on the router’s default DNS.

Steps to Manually Set DNS:

1. Access the printer’s Embedded Web Server (EWS) via its IP address in a web browser.
2. Navigate to Network → TCP/IP Settings.
3. Set Manual DNS and enter:
   • Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
   • Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4
4. Save and restart the printer.

Extend Printer's Connection Retry Time

Some printers have a network timeout or retry interval setting. If your printer is giving an Instant Ink connection error too quickly, extending the timeout may help. Check under Network Settings in the printer’s EWS or on the printer itself.

Enable "Always On" Network Mode

Some HP printers have a setting like "Always On Wireless" or "Network Keep Alive", which prevents the printer from going into a low-power state that disrupts network connections.

Steps:

1. Open EWS (printer’s web interface).
2. Navigate to Network Settings → Advanced.
3. Look for "Keep Network Alive" or similar and enable it.

Check Router’s NAT Timeout Settings

Your router might be clearing inactive connections too aggressively. If possible:

• Log into your router.
• Look for NAT Timeout settings.
• Increase it to at least 120 seconds.

[Max3Aj]

Manually Force a Connection to HP Servers

If the issue occurs again, instead of rebooting the printer, try forcing an outbound request:

• Go to the printer menu → Settings → Printer Update → Check for Updates.
• This forces a connection to HP's servers and can reset the Instant Ink authentication session.

Packet Capture (Advanced Debugging)

If the issue persists, you might need to analyze the network traffic.

• Use a network monitoring tool (like Wireshark) on your PC while the printer boots.
• Check if the printer is successfully attempting to reach hpinstantink.com or related HP servers.
• If there are connection failures, the issue might be firewall-related.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Max3Aj

HP Support