HP Laserjet M1217 does not connect with my router using wifi.

[E-teck]

HI,

   I just installed my new router from Fizz and my printer do longer connects to my router which have 2.4GHz and 5G Hz bandwidths. I tired to manual connect but printer printer connection establish but it still does not work. Anyone have a solution to this problem?

Thanks

E-tech

[Dragora]

Hi E-teck

The most likely cause is that your HP M1217nfw printer only supports the older 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, not the faster 5 GHz band. If your new Fizz router is broadcasting both bands under the same network name (SSID), the printer might try to connect to the 5 GHz band, or the router's automatic band steering is confusing it, leading to a failed or unstable connection.

Here are the solutions, ordered by what you should try first:

1.  Verify and Separate the 2.4 GHz Network

The essential first step is to ensure the printer can specifically connect to the 2.4 GHz network.

• Check Router Settings: You will likely need to log into your Fizz router's settings (usually via a web browser using an address like 192.168.1.1 or similar, which should be in your router documentation).

• Separate SSIDs: Look for Wi-Fi settings and ensure the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands have separate, distinct network names (SSIDs). For example:

  • Old Name: MyFizzHome

  • New Names: MyFizzHome-2.4G and MyFizzHome-5G

• Connect Printer: Once you have a dedicated 2.4 GHz network name, try to connect your printer only to the MyFizzHome-2.4G network. This is the most effective solution for older, single-band printers.

2.  Connect via Ethernet for Configuration (Recommended)

If the manual connection on the printer's control panel fails, the most reliable way to re-establish the connection to a new router is to use a wired temporary connection to access the printer's internal settings.

1. Connect Temporarily: Connect your printer directly to your Fizz router using an Ethernet cable.

2. Print Configuration Report: On the printer's control panel, navigate to the menus (e.g., Reports > Config Report) and print the configuration report. This report will list the printer's new IP Address.

3. Access Embedded Web Server (EWS): On a computer connected to your Fizz network, open a web browser and enter the IP address from the configuration report. This opens the printer's configuration page (EWS).

4. Configure Wireless: In the EWS, navigate to the Network or Wireless settings and use the Wireless Setup Wizard to scan for and connect the printer to your newly separated 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network.

5. Disconnect: Once the connection is confirmed, you can disconnect the Ethernet cable.

3. Restore Network Defaults and Re-run Setup

If the first two steps are not possible or fail, try resetting the printer's network settings before attempting to connect again.

• Restore Defaults: On the printer's control panel, go to Setup > Network Setup > Restore Network Defaults.

• Re-connect: After the reset, attempt to connect again using either WPS (if your router supports it) or the Wireless Setup Wizard on the printer's control panel, making sure to select only the 2.4 GHz network name if you've separated them.

This video shows the general setup process for an HP LaserJet on a wireless network in Windows, which might help clarify the steps to set up the connection: Setting Up Your HP LaserJet Printer on a Wireless Network in Windows.

I hope the above is helpful

*If this helped you solve your problem, please mark my answer as the solution. Thank you.

[E-teck]

Hi Dragora, 

 Sorry for the delay in response to your solution. I tried to reassign the ssid of the router to distinguish between 2.4 and 5 G network but my printer still does not connect. Let me rephrase  the printer through software says it was able to connect to network but cannot communicate with my computer. It tells me to make sure that my computer is on the same network and try again. My computer is connected to the same network. My router see my laptop but not my printer. What can cause this issue and how can we fix it?

[Dragora]

Hi E-teck

It sounds like you are experiencing a "False Positive" connection. This happens when the printer software believes a link is established (perhaps via a direct "Ad-Hoc" or "Wi-Fi Direct" connection to your laptop), but the printer has failed to actually join your Fizz router's internal network table.

If your router cannot see the printer in its "Connected Devices" list, the printer does not have a valid IP address. Here is how to fix this, moving from the most likely software fix to a hardware reset.

1. Perform a "Clean Slate" Reset (NVRAM Init)

Older HP printers often "remember" the gateway and subnet settings from your previous router. Simply changing the SSID isn't always enough to clear these deep-seated settings.

1. Turn off the printer.

2. Press and hold the Cancel (X) button and the Start Copy button (the one directly below the X) at the same time.

3. While holding them, turn the printer on.

4. Keep holding until you see "Permanent Storage Init" appear on the small LCD screen.

5. Release the buttons. The printer will restart with factory-fresh network settings.

2. The "Truth Check": Print a Configuration Report

Before trying to connect again, we need to see what the printer thinks its identity is.

• On the printer panel, go to Setup > Reports > Config Report.

• Look for the IPv4 Address.

  • If it is 0.0.0.0, it is not connected.

  • If it starts with 169.254.x.x, it has a "self-assigned" IP and is failing to talk to your router.

  • If it has an address like 192.168.x.x, compare it to your laptop's IP address. Only the last number should be different.

3. Adjust Router Security (WPA2 vs. WPA3)

New Fizz routers often default to WPA3 or a "Transition Mode." The M1217nfw was built long before WPA3 existed and often cannot complete the "handshake" even if the password is correct.

• Log into your Fizz router settings (usually 192.168.0.1).

• Go to Wireless Settings for the 2.4 GHz band.

• Change the Security Mode from "WPA3/WPA2" to WPA2-AES (or WPA2-PSK) only.

• Ensure PMF (Protected Management Frames) is set to Disabled, as this often kicks older HP printers off the network.

4. The "Bypass" Method (Using Ethernet)

If the Wireless Setup Wizard keeps failing, use the printer's built-in web portal to force the connection:

1. Plug the printer into the Fizz router using an Ethernet cable.

2. Print the Config Report again to get the new wired IP address.

3. Type that IP address into your computer’s browser. This opens the HP Embedded Web Server (EWS).

4. Go to the Networking tab > Wireless on the left.

5. Select your 2.4 GHz network from the list, enter your password, and click Apply.

6. Once the blue Wi-Fi light on the printer stays solid, unplug the Ethernet cable.

HP LaserJet M1217nfw Wireless Setup

This video demonstrates the standard wireless setup process which can help you verify if the printer's control panel steps are being followed correctly during your manual attempts.

I hope the above is helpful

If this helped you solve your problem, please mark my answer as the solution. Thank you.