Instant Ink plan lagging behind because of connectivity issue

[calcool-ai]

The printer has been running for years with an Instant Ink subscription. The LAN runs fine: I always print and scan over WiFi and never had any issue until today, when the black cartridge ran out of ink and I found out that I do not have a spare. Having spare ink cartridges is what I am paying for, and I am not getting the expected service.

The contract is subject to the connection of the printer to the Internet. Over the last few months, HP sent me several messages about invoices, but no message about connecting the printer to their services. The printer is connected to the WiFi, to the LAN, and nothing blocks it from reaching out to the Internet. The message on the printer says: 

HP Instant ink Status

Printer is ready. For more information about HP Instant Ink, visit www.hpinstantink.com

The four cartridges are correctly identified as INSTANT INK cartridges, but the printer behaves like it's not connected.  Of course, without black ink, all the reports are useless, but the EWS page says:

"The printer could not connect to web services. The web services are busy or temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."

If I try the "Scan by mail" function, the printer tries to connect to HP Printables and fails. I cannot tell whether this is normal or not, given that HP Printables disappeared in 2016. The message says "DNS/Gateway problem".

If I activate IPv6 and set the DNS server to quad9 (9.9.9.9) or Google (8.8.8.8), I still have the "DNS/Gateway problem" message. There would be a gateway problem if the printer detects UPnP service and tries to use it. Previously, UPnP was disabled. Now it is allowed, but restricted to the 20000-30000 range of ports and the IP of the TV set top box. No other system is allowed to use it. But that's not the cause because UPnP was enabled two days ago, when the issue with the printer has certainly been silently going on for months.

The printer has no particular role in the architecture. It's treated like the Nintendo switch or the mobile phone when it is connected to the LAN. Both have been tested and found to have normal Internet connectivity.

When I capture network packets on the LAN side of the gateway 

What has gone wrong with the printer ?

[ShlomiL · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Could you please clarify your printer's firmware version? a such may happen due to an outdated printer version.

To find its version, click the Help icon on the printer screen (question mark) and select Printer Information, there you would see the Firmware Version listed.

Shlomi