Printer not connecting to wifi

[taralavell]

I have read many of the previous posts on this related topic and they either don't apply to me or are outside of my printer-education level. 

I have moved twice in the past 6 months, and each time, have renamed my internet to the same name and used the same password.

The past two times I have moved (so for the past 6 months...) I have been unable to connect my printer to the wifi. Every time I want to print (which is daily as I am in school) I have had to preselect all of the documents I want to print, send them to print, then open up HP Smart, press the wifi and cancel button together on my printer approximately three times until the wifi bars are slowly and progressively enlarging, ask HP Smart to find my printer, "Set Up" said printer as a new device, connect to my wifi, input my password, and wait for the items to print. HP Smart is supposed to then continue setting up the printer to use the wifi independently without my computer, but for some reason, it gets stuck on the first step ("Finding the Printer") and never progresses through the remaining steps. So I must then incapacitate my computer to go through this lengthy process every. single. time. I want. to. print. Because it is the only way I can seem to get the printer to produce any requested projects at all. Please. Take me out of my misery and explain how we can resolve this once and for all in the most simplistic step by step way possible. As if you were explaining something to a kindergartner who has never touched a computer before. 

[TEJ1602]

@taralavell, Welcome to HP Support Community!

To be able to assist you better, I would like to know the following:

• Are the printer and computer connected to the same network?
• Every time before you press the Wireless+Cancel buttons, is the wireless light solid or blinking?
• Is your router dual-band enabled i.e., both 2.4GHz and 5GHz?
• What is the distance between the router and the printer?
• Is there any antivirus software installed on your computer?
• Could you perform a ping test using the Mac Network Utility and let me know the results?

Use the printer IP address to perform a ping test, the printer IP can be located by selecting the wireless icon on the printer display.

The wireless status menu on your Mac should also give us quite a lot of information that would help us identify the issue. You can press and hold option-click the WiFi icon and then use shift-command-5 to take the screenshot. Press the space bar when the icon turns into a camera. Share the ping test results and the screenshot with us.

Also, check with your Internet service provider if your router is able to forward 'Bonjour packets'. 

Bonjour locates devices such as printers, other computers, and the services that those devices offer on a local network using multicast Domain Name System (mDNS) service records. The software comes built-in with Apple's macOS and iOS operating systems.

Keep me posted for further assistance.

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!

[taralavell]

Hello TEJ1602. Thank you for your help. In answer to your questions:

The printer is apparently not connecting to any network. When I push the printer projects through on HP Smart it asks that I connect the printer to a wif, it then shows the wifi that I use here on my laptop and it prompts me to type in the password for this wifi. Once I do this the laptop switches from being online to being connected to something that shows as "HP-Setup>D1-Deskjet3700 s..." when clicking on my computer's wifi icon. I am unable to use the internet at all while the laptop is connected to this printer set up wifi.

At first, the wifi button blinks with a blue light and there is nothing shown on the small screen except a large "0" and the level on my color and b/w ink cartridges respectively. Then when I hit and hold the wifi and cancel buttons a white light pops up below next to a button that looks like it has a picture of a tablet and a mobile device on it. Then this bottom button light will turn off and just the wifi button will remain on blinking blue and the wifi bars will progressively enlarge.

Yes, my router is dual band enabled. I have tried connecting both to the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz. Same issues each time. My router sits literally directly underneath my desk. There is nothing in the area that has previously (or should) impede the connection. Every other device in the house is able to connect to this router. Just not the printer.

Distance between router and printer is approximately 6". They sit on the floor next to each other. Touching.

I do not have antivirus software on my computer.

My printer does not provide me with a printer IP when I select the wireless icon on the printer display. When I do this, it prints out two pages on "Wireless Quick Start Guide". I did look up directions how to complete this with an HP DeskJet 3700 and it says to select the Wireless and Info button at the same time. Then it prints out the information you have requested. 

Please see attached.

Thank you again for your assistance. Hope we can get this figured out.

[TEJ1602]

@taralavell

Thanks for replying!

In the reports above I see that you connected your computer to the printer's network, by which the printer shows that it does not have any network connection.

Also, since the router is dual-band, ensure both 2.4GHz and 5GHz have different network names. The printer can only connect to the 2.4GHz network.

You may need to instead go into your router settings and try changing the channel manually. Experiment with different channels to see which one works best.

Refer to the document Connect to a Wireless HP Printer for help.

Keep me posted. 

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!

[taralavell]

Hello. Yes, I did connect my computer to the printer's network because this is the guidance I was given by HP Smart to set up the printer on my wifi. As I stated previously, it asks me on my computer which wifi I would like to connect the printer to and I am able to select my wifi from an active list, it then requests that I input my password. Then, it sits on the first step of the set-up process for an eternity and fails to progress. 

The only helpful guidance the link you provided me with was to attempt to connect the printer by holding down the wifi button for 6 seconds on my printer, and then hold the WPS button on my router to try and get them to connect that way. I tried this three times and it did not work. Since that did not work, the article then suggests using HP Smart to and follow the guidance there. Which is exactly what I have been doing......through HP Smart. Literally the exact same steps that I have been explaining previously. Feel like I'm going in circles now here...

My 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi do both have different names. 

[TEJ1602 · Accepted solution]

@taralavell

Thanks for replying!

Use the guided troubleshooter Troubleshooting | Wireless Printing Center for instruction to isolate and resolve the issue.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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!

[taralavell]

Hi TEJ1602. This worked!!

1) I followed the link you provided.

2) Went to the (+) next to "Your Printer Was Working Over The Network Before, And Now It Isn't"
3) Then went down to the (+) next to "Is Your Printer Connected To Your Network?"

4) Went to "Step 3. You may need to connect your printer to your network again. Follow these instructions"

5) Followed said directions for "HP Auto Wireless Connect" which ultimately prompted me to make sure the software was up to date.

6) So I went here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-deskjet-3700-all-in-one-printer-series/8954253/m...

7) Instead of downloading the recommended HP Smart (which I've been using with no resolution), I downloaded "HP Easy Start" under the "Driver" section.

😎 Then just followed the install process via HP Easy Start.

Totally worked. THANK YOU!!!!!

[TEJ1602]

@taralavell

Yayyy! 🙂 Glad to know!

Cheers!