Deskjet 3050 loses connection after about 2 weeks of being reconnected to network

[sweetp267]

My printer has worked perfectly for quite a long time with the wifi in my house when I was a Verizon Fios customer.   Last year I was fed up with Verizons prices and switched to Comcast.  After I got all my preferences set and any of the little bugs that comes with a new cable/wifi setup I noticed that I would lose the wifi connection between my laptop and the printer.  The only differenece that I can see is that Comcast's router has two network connections that work together and separately.  There are 2.4ghz and 5ghz options.  To take advantage of the 400mbs connection speed that I have the laptop is connected to the 5ghz.  When I configured the printer to the network the only SSID it would recognize was the 2.4ghz.  I would have to take the laptop to where the printer was in another room where the desktop and router was located and reconnect the printer to the laptop via USB when using the configuration software.  It would reconnect no problem but after a couple of weeks I would print something, anything, and eventually it would come up with a message that it could not connect to the printer.  I have been doing this back and forth dance since October of last year and its getting a little tiresome.   I know it has to be the two network options but I dont know how to keep the printer connected over the network all the time.  I have completely removed the printer from the desktop and the laptop and started over from scratch but I still lose the connection after a couple of weeks.   I know that my printer is pretty old by today's standards but it still works great.  The only thing that I could see as a possible remedy is that I have to have the laptop connected to the 2.4ghz network when printing but then that means switching back and forth just to print one page most of the time.  I have already contacted Comcast and they were no help.

I hope someone here can do better.

Thanks

[Jeet_singh]

@sweetp267,

Thank you for posting your query on HP Support Community,

Did you check the wireless frequency - If the router is on b/g/n mode, then change it to b/g

Also have you tried to change the wireless channels to 11 to 6. 

Please note the printer supports only 2.4-GHz network.

Let’s start by performing a network power drain. Follow the steps below:

Turn off all the devices connected on your network including the PC, Smartphones, printer, modem (if present) and router. Make sure all the devices in the network are turned off / unplugged.

Wait for 2-3 minutes.

Now turn on the modem if present. Wait till all the lights are steady and idle.

Then turn on the router. Again wait for a couple of minutes so that the lights are all steady.

Then turn on the PC and other devices.

Use HP Print and Scan Doctor to check connectivity

Download a special version of HP Print and Scan Doctor specifically created to help with printer offline conditions.

1. Download HP Print and Scan Doctor.

2. Run HPPSdr.exe from the download location on your computer.

3. Once HP Print and Scan Doctor opens, click Start, and then select your printer.

   • If your printer in not in the list, turn it off and on, and then click Retry.

   • If there is a connection problem, follow the instructions in HP Print and Scan Doctor.

4. If a screen prompts you to turn on printer updates, click Yes.

5. If a screen prompts you to make your printer the default printer, click Yes.

6. Try to print. If the printer remains offline, continue to the next step.

If the issue persists, I would suggest here is to update the printer firmware - If your printer connected wirelessly, make sure to temporary connect the device with USB and then follow the link to install the latest firmware update on your printer from our HP support website. For more details on how to update, please use this link: HP Printers - Updating or Upgrading Printer Firmware.

Once done, restart the printer.

If the light is steady blue, then the printer is connected to the network. If the light is flashing, then the printer is not connected to the network. Go to Setup - Network - Wireless setup wizard to connect the printer to the network.

Once the printer is connected to the network, then assign a static IP to the printer:

• Obtain the IP address of the printer – You can touch the “wireless” icon on the printer control panel to get the IP address.
• Type the IP address on your web browser to obtain the printer EWS page on your computer.
• Go to "Network" tab - General - Select "Network protocols" - Select "Enable IPv4 only" (or similar) - Apply the settings.
• Go to the “Network” tab – Click on “Wireless (802.11) – Then click on “Network address (IPv4)
• Click on the radio button which says “Manual IP” and then click “Suggest a manual IP address” to give a manual IP address to your printer.
• Click on radio button which says “Manual DNS Server” and under manual preferred type 8.8.8.8 and under manual alternate type 8.8.4.4 (This is Google DNS server address)

Create TCP/IP Port: 

1. Search Windows for devices, and then select "Devices and Printers" In the list of results.

2. Right-Click the name of your printer, and then select Printer Properties.

3. Click the Ports tab, click on "Add port" select "Standard TCP/IP Port" and click "New Port"

4. Click next on the Add Standard TCP/IP printer port wizard, enter the printer IP address and click next and then click on "OK".

5. Now under the "Ports" tab you will find the newport with the printer IP address, click "Apply" and "OK".

6. Restart the computer.

For more details, please follow the steps suggested in the support document for - HP Printers - Printer is Offline (Windows)

Please click “Accept as 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!

[sweetp267]

Thank  you for taking the time to reply with the detailed instructions. I plan on following your directions to the letter but  I do have one question.  You mentioned that I should change the b/g/n settings to just b/g.  If I do that would that lower my wifi speed?  I know that if I connect my laptop to the 2.4ghz I only get a max of 15-20 mbps.  When I connect to the 5ghz my speed increases times 10.  If I change it to b/g would my speed suffer?

Thank you

[Jeet_singh]

@sweetp267,

When you connect to the 5GHz network the speed will definitely increase but the printer only supports 2.4GHz network.

Please try the steps suggested from the previous post and get back to us with the results for further assistance.

Take care now and do have a fabulous week ahead. 🙂
Regards,

[sweetp267]

Sorry I took so long to reply but I wanted to wait until the same amount of time has passed like before to see if the printer lost connectivity.  

I followed all  your instructions to the letter and as of today, 3/15, I lost my connection to the printer again.  It is the same symptoms as before so i cant say that my problem has been solved.  Do you have any other suggestions other than buying a new printer?

[Jeet_singh]

@sweetp267,

In this scenario, I would personally suggest you contact our HP support team for further assistance.

HP support team can be reached on www.hp.com/contacthp

I'm sure they should be able to go ahead and address your issue. 

Let me know if you need any further assistance. I'll be more than happy to help you.

Take care now and do have a fabulous week ahead. 🙂
Regards,