Is it necessary for my HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 printer to be online? Does it use a lot of data?

[lja74]

No error messages.  However, I use a Hot Spot and am going over my data alotment for the month.  I had not been doing that until I put my printer online. What is the benefit of having my printer be online?

[Kumar0307]

@lja74

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

• If you are enrolled/registered to Instant ink program from HP, then the printer should be connected to the internet to avail its features.
• If you are printing wirelessly to the printer from your Computer or mobile devices, then the printer should be on the wireless network.
• HP does not recommend the usage of Hotspot to connect the printer as there will be intermittent connectivity issues.
• The printer will not use too much data even if it is connected to the internet. It will be minimal.

Keep me posted for further assistance.

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!

[lja74]

Thank you for your response.  I do not use instant ink.  I am connected to my mac with a USB cord (it is not connected wirelessly).  I do use a hot spot because I live in a rural area and that is my only means to connect to the web.  I dearly wish I had true WiFi, but it is not avaliable where I reside.  There are connectivity issues with my printer and Mac.  I have called and contacted HP several times over this but no answer was helpful.  You are the first person to address the HotSpot issue.  Perhaps my connectivity issues are all related to that and that alone (my printer is only a little over 3 months old.)  I tried to block my printer from my HotSpot to see if I could print without having it online.  It would not print at all and told me that my printer was not connected to my Mac.  I am wondering if there is some way to sync my printer to my Mac WITHOUT connecting my printer to the HotSpot since I truly don't need it for instant ink and am using a USB cord??????????

[Kumar0307 · Accepted solution]

@lja74

If you have a USB cable, you can disable the wireless radio on the printer and connect the printer to the MAC using a USB cable.

Step 1: Disable Wireless on the printer

On the printer screen go to >  Setup > Network Setup > Wireless settings > OFF

Step 2: Prepare for the printer setup

1. Confirm the following requirements and items before you begin:

   • The printer is turned on and in a ready state.

   • Obtain a USB cable less than 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in length.

   • There is an available USB port on your computer: If you connect through a USB hub or docking station, the printer might not receive enough power to properly operate.

   • Connect the USB cable to a USB 2.0 port on your MAC

Step 3: Add the printer on MAC

Click here to download HP Easy Start. Once downloaded, make sure to run the file to start the installation.

1. If you are prompted for a printer connection type, select USB.

2. On the Install screen, make sure HP Scan or HP Easy Scan is selected if your printer has a scanner to enable full scan functionality.

3. If you are prompted to add the printer to the printer queue, click the name of your printer, click the Use or Print Using menu, select the name of your printer in the pop-up menu, and then click Add.

   NOTE: 

   Selecting a different driver from the Use menu can result in limited printer functionality.

   

4. Return to the HP installer to complete the installation.

5. Try to print.

Let me know how this goes.

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!

[lja74]

Thank you for your help. I went through all the steps.  I was able to print the test page.  I am going to try some more printing from several sources to make sure everything is good.  So far, it looks very promising.  I am hoping the connectivity problem has also been solved.  I will let you know if everything goes well.

[lja74]

Thank you again for the help.  You actually did solve the problem I was having with my connectivity even though that was not the mail reason for my question.  May I suggest that the technicians that answer the phone calls be made aware to ask people if they are wireless or connected with a USB?  No one asked that question.  I did not know that it was important.  Also, no one specifically addressed the issue of using a hub or plugging directly into my computer.  I was using a hub with no knowledge that it would intefere with the connectivity.  When I plugged directly into my computer, it was so much better.  I am now off line (I didn't need to have my printer online anyway) and the connectivity is good.  The qeue is acting normally.

[Kumar0307]

@lja74

Thank you for the feedback, it will be notified to the relevant team.

Glad to know that the issue is now resolved. Feel free to contact us with any concerns related to HP products.

Happy to help!