Set up HP Deskjet 3637 to wireless network

[Natalia1111]

After following all instructions to connect the printer to the WiFi, the WiFi button is flashing but the HP Smart software does not find any printer, even though the laptop is next to the printer.

I have already tried:

• resetting the router, printer and laptop; 

• resetting the printer to Network Defaults;

• trying to connect it with a Windows laptop.

Solutions that don't solve my problem:

• Set the router to a fixed wireless channel like 1, 6 or 11: My router doesn't have channels.

• Make sure the printer and the phone are connected to the same wireless network: I cannot connect the printer to a wireless network.

My question is, Is the printer faulty or is there something I am missing? 

[sandytechy20]

@Natalia1111

Welcome to the HP support community.

I understand that you are getting wireless connectivity issues on the printer, I am glad to assist you.

Let's try the below steps to see if that helps -

1.) Remove All Barriers: Certain building materials can get in the way of weaker signals like Bluetooth. Metal, bulletproof glass, concrete, and plaster are particularly bad, and marble, plaster and brick aren’t great easy. So if you’re really struggling with interference, your first step should be to move your Bluetooth devices away from these materials. That means no brick walls between you and your devices, and definitely no metal desks!

2.) Change Router Channel: If you have an Apple router and you’re constantly getting interference with your WiFi, try rebooting it. Upon restart, the station will search for a new channel. Specifically, a different channel than the one your Bluetooth devices is using to communicate. If you don’t have an Apple router, 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.

3.) Move Closer to Your Router: If you often find that you’re getting interference when talking on a wireless headset while on a WiFi call (you’ll know because you’ll hear static), try moving closer to your router. This will give you a more robust WiFi connection, so the Bluetooth frequency can’t overpower it.

4.) Get Away From Microwaves and Fluorescent Lighting: Both emit frequencies of 2.4GHz, and moving away from them will distance you from the source.

I'd like to know the following to isolate the issue further-

1) Are the printer and Mac connected to the same network?

2) Is your router dual-band enabled i.e., both 2.4GHz and 5GHz? If yes, make sure the dual band has different SSIDs for 2.4G and 5G networks.

3) What is the distance between the router and the printer?

4) Is there an antivirus software installed on your Mac?

5) Could you perform a ping test  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.

Perform a ping test to check the connectivity

• Click Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
• type ping "IP address" and press enter

Wait until 10 pings have been performed and then press ctrl c on the keyboard and hit return. 

The results will appear .

Share the ping test results.

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.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several.

Cheers.

[Natalia1111]

1) Are the printer and Mac connected to the same network?

Please, let me know how can I tell which network is the printer connected to

2) Is your router dual-band enabled i.e., both 2.4GHz and 5GHz? If yes, make sure the dual band has different SSIDs for 2.4G and 5G networks.

Yes, they have different SSIDs

3) What is the distance between the router and the printer?

Next to each other, and I do not own a microwave that might interrupt connectivity.

4) Is there antivirus software installed on your Mac?

Yes, there is.

5) Could you perform a ping test 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.

I am unable to find the printer IP address, as it is not connected to the laptop. This is the main issue I want to solve.

[sandytechy20]

@Natalia1111

You might have to perform a semi-full reset on the printer to fix this issue.

The reset instructions are specific for your printer and performing those steps on a different printer may brick the device.  

I am sending you a private message with the steps to reset the printer. Please check the mailbox icon at the top-right corner of this screen.

I hope this helps resolve this issue completely.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.

[Natalia1111]

This is not solving the issue. As I stated in the first message, I have already tried many times resetting the printer.

Is there a cable that I can use instead of using the 'Wireless' functionality which clearly does not work?

[Natalia1111]

I found the solution; I threw away the printer; it is useless. HP has appalling customer service and products. I'll never buy from HP again.