stuck in ad-hoc? just want to connect to wifi HP LaserJet Professional CP 1520 Series PCL 6

[Ladynite]

printer will not connect to wifi.. stuck in ad-hoc mode I guess.  I cant find a setting in the tiny window for settings, its old printer by works fantastic.. until we moved and I cant get it on WIFI.. if I hook up to computer with usb works great, but most of the time I am on a laptop in another area of the house.  How can I find the fix for this.. HP site keeps sending me to the wrong product, or dead end instructions. 

Sorry HP.. I hate to complain but I have spent days trying to fix this. 

[BeemerBiker]

please first read the bottom notes about this older printer.

Watch the reset video or perform the steps. After resetting, you generally have 2 hours to complete the setup. Decide if you want to connect the printer to the router or to print directly to the printer and bypass the router.

Many HP and other OEM printers have problems with the router when the router has two bands and both bands have the same name (SSID). Log into the modem and rename one of the bands. Alternately, contact your ISP and have them rename a band.

Or simply use Wi-Fi direct (but read note below about Instant Ink).

If English is not your native language or if you wish to get additional information not covered below, then use the HP and Microsoft support assistants. The latest HPSA supports 36 languages and can be downloaded here. Microsoft's AI assistant is in the latest Windows 10 and 11 releases and there are instructions here on how to enable the AI. Microsoft's AI assistant (Copilot) has a microphone button and supports natural language processing.

Do not call any phone numbers shown in any of the videos or revealed by a Bing or Google search unless it is an HP site or video.

You may need to reset your printer.

Disconnecting the USB cable may still leave the printer in the wired or Wi-Fi mode. Connecting an ethernet cable may still leave the printer in Wi-Fi mode. The Wi-Fi reset is used to put Wi-Fi printers into setup mode. Some printers have a semi-reset, a full reset and a factory reset. Please refer to the user manual to find the difference. Some resets are simple and others require a video to understand. Factory resets cannot be revealed in this forum. To do a factory reset of your printer, you must contact HP.

Click here for world-wide contact info

Wi-Fi reset instructions and videos (if any) are shown below. Generally you have 2 hours to connect your printer after performing the Wi-Fi reset. Note that a reset video may show a slightly different model than yours.

The steps below are Wi-Fi only and do not perform a factory reset.
Microsoft's Copilot may provide alternate solutions.

1. On the product control panel, press the OK button.
2. Use the arrows buttons to select the Service menu, and then press the OK button.
3. Use the arrows buttons to select the Restore defaults option, and then press the OK button

Wi-Fi connection

Ideally, your Wi-Fi printer should connect to the modem or router. If your network has multiple boosters / repeaters, it is possible the printer may connect randomly to any of the units. The router needs to provide the same IP address on every connection. This rarely happens with random connects. An alternate Wi-Fi connection is Wi-Fi direct. Your laptop or smartphone prints directly to the printer and does not go through the router. Note that if you signed up for instant ink or internet printing your printer must also be online through the router.

This video shows how to connect to the router: Official setup steps
Wi-Fi Direct is explained on page 40 of the User Manual, this Wi-Fi setup avoids configuring the router.
A simple connection to the router can be done by using the WPS pushbutton method. This is explained on page 26 in this User Manual.

Software

HP updates software periodically. Downloads shown below may be old. You should always visit the Software and Download page to look for new releases. You may need to select an operating system (OS) first. If windows 11 is missing then use 10. You can go as far back as Windows 7, 64bit to get missing drivers. After selecting the OS click the blue Open all button to view all downloads.

You can find all of the software here: 1525. You should select the OS and then look for the phrase "Open All" and click that. Drivers from Windows 7 and up are usually compatible with the latest Windows OS.

Documents

All documents are available at the below HP site. The user and reference manuals show how to get status reports and analyze error indicators on printer that have no control panel.

All HP manuals are here: 1525

Printer Reference

One or more printer reference is listed below. Typically your printer may be part of a series and use the same software and manual. The exact spec may be different.

Specifications for your system: 1525

How to get a configuration report

This is an older printer. You cannot use Wi-FI and ethernet at the same time and I suspect the same problem with USB.

This discussion shows how to setup Wi-Fi but note that ethernet is connected to get an IP address and then the Ad-Hoc (Wi-Fi direct) is activated.

Holding down the red X and either the left or right arrow can provide some diagnostics as illustrated on page 7.

I recommend using ethernet cabling to the router and a powerline adapter might be useful.

Powerline adapters are explained here
Typical power line adapters are here