4158e won’t Connect to Wifi

[bjf123]

I’m helping a friend setup his 4158e printer. It was working fine and recently has stopped. We’ve downloaded the HP Smart app to both his iPhone running iOS 17.0.3 and MacBook Air running MacOS 14.1.1. We’ve rebooted everything multiple times. The printer simply won’t connect to WiFi. When the HP Smart is trying to set it up, it doesn’t see the right WiFi network. It either sees none, or randomly sees others in the building. The iPhone and laptop see the correct network and all of the other networks. We’ve moved the printer so that it’s about 18 inches from the router. 

I’ve printed the printer info page and it shows that WiFi is on, but it’s not connected. Help!

[Raj_05]

Hi @bjf123,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you've already taken some troubleshooting steps, but let's go through a more comprehensive approach to resolve the connectivity issues with your HP 4158e printer. Follow these steps.

1. Restart All Devices:

   • Turn off the printer, iPhone, and MacBook Air.
   • Power off the router.
   • Wait for about 30 seconds.
   • Power on the router and wait for it to fully initialize.
   • Turn on the printer and wait for it to complete its startup.
   • Turn on the iPhone and MacBook Air.

2. Check Network Settings:

   • Ensure that your iPhone and MacBook Air are connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.
   • Verify that the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password are correct.
   • On the printer, go to the Wi-Fi settings and make sure it is set up to connect to the correct network.

3. Printer Placement:

   • Keep the printer close to the router during the setup process.
   • Make sure there are no obstacles between the printer and the router that could hinder the Wi-Fi signal.

4. Update Firmware:

   • Check if there are any firmware updates available for your HP 4158e printer on the HP support website. If updates are available, install them as they may include fixes for connectivity issues.

5. Factory Reset the Printer:

   • Perform a factory reset on the printer to clear any existing network settings. Refer to the printer's manual for instructions on how to do this.

6. Reinstall HP Smart App:

   • Uninstall the HP Smart app from both the iPhone and MacBook Air.
   • Restart both devices.
   • Reinstall the HP Smart app from the App Store on the iPhone and the official HP website on the MacBook Air.

7. Connect Manually:

   • If the HP Smart app still doesn't detect the correct network, try manually entering the Wi-Fi network name and password on the printer.

8. Check Router Settings:

   • Access your router settings and ensure that MAC address filtering or other security features are not blocking the printer.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4
HP Support 

[bjf123]

I might not get over to my friend’s place to try this until this weekend, but I do have a couple of questions. You said to go to the Wi-Fi settings and make sure it is set up to connect to the correct network. There’s no way to do that on the printer. You can do it through the HP Smart app, but the app won’t connect to the printer. It is a new install of the app on his iPhone. You also suggested to check for updated drivers. I downloaded the latest driver / firmware file, but it won’t install because it doesn’t see the appropriate printer. Is there a way around that?

Thanks!