Firewall & HP Web services

[quincygjones]

when I turn on the firewall through the HP Embedded Web Server and add the rule for my mobile devices, it works fine, but I don't the rule setting to allow printer to communicate with HP Web services, which not knowing this cause printer to be offline with HP Web services, but it works fine on my network.

Is it recommended to turn on firewall on printer or just use the router firewall?

[Samrit26]

Hello,

This shows you’re thinking about the right trade-off between network isolation and cloud connectivity. The short answer:
For most environments (home, small office, or single subnet networks), it’s better to leave the printer’s internal firewall off and rely on your router or gateway firewall instead. But let me explain why, and when enabling the printer firewall does make sense.

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1. What the HP Embedded Firewall Actually Does

The printer-level firewall (under Networking → Firewall → Rules) controls which IPs and services can reach the printer’s web interface and printing protocols (IPP, LPD, SNMP, WS-Discovery, etc.).

When enabled, it does not automatically include rules for:

• HP Cloud Services (HP Smart / Instant Ink / Firmware Update servers)

• NTP or DNS resolution for HP’s endpoints

That’s why, after turning it on, the printer stays online locally but shows “Offline” under HP Web Services — its outbound communication to HP’s cloud is blocked.

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2. Why the Router Firewall Is Usually Enough

Your router’s firewall already isolates the entire LAN from the internet.
The printer’s embedded firewall is designed for enterprise subnets or segmented VLANs (for example, a print VLAN where inbound device access is limited).

For typical home or SMB setups:

• Your router provides NAT and inbound blocking.

• The printer doesn’t need additional restrictions unless it’s exposed on a public or shared network.

• Enabling the printer firewall without configuring HP’s service IPs can break ePrint, firmware updates, and scan-to-email.

So in your case — if the printer is only used inside your own secure network — leave the printer firewall Off.

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3. If You Want to Keep the Printer Firewall On (Optional Hardening)

If you do want that extra layer:

1. Enable the firewall in Embedded Web Server → Networking → Firewall → Enable.

2. Add these Allow Rules:

   • Your LAN range (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24)

   • HP Cloud Services domains (used for HP Smart / Web Services):

     • *.hp.com

     • *.hpeprint.com

     • *.hpconnected.com

3. Allow outbound HTTPS (TCP 443) and DNS (UDP 53).

4. Reboot the printer.

That will let HP Web Services work while still filtering other inbound traffic.

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4. Best Practice Summary

Environment	Firewall Recommendation	Notes
Home / Small Office	Router firewall only	Keep printer firewall Off; less maintenance, full HP Smart access.
Corporate / VLAN / Shared network	Enable printer firewall	Add allow rules for HP Cloud + LAN subnets.
Printer in public subnet	Enable + restrict	Limit to admin IPs only; disable HP Web Services if not needed.

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In your setup — since the printer connects fine on the LAN but fails HP Web Services when its firewall is on — I recommend turning off the embedded firewall and letting your router handle perimeter protection.