HP 8610 printer says it can't connect to Instant Ink, but it does :-)

[jperaita]

Hi,

Lately, Instant Ink is unable to connect to my printer to get ink levels. However, it correctly shows the number of printed pages. How can it do that without a connection to the printer?

I am running low on ink and, until this problem is solved, there's no way I will get replacement cartridges.

The printer is connected to the LAN with a fixed IP: 192.168.2.90. The IP mask and gateway IP are correct (triple-checked).
I have tried both wired and wireless connection. 
Both HP Smart and a direct connection to its IP via a web browser can access the printer, but Instant Ink still says that there's no connection, while it flawesly keeps on updating the number of printed pages.

Is that a bug or a HP feature?
Counting the number of pages will, eventually, force me to pay for additional pages, while not accessing my ink levels allows HP to stop sending me ink cartridges...

Best whishes

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @jperaita,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Instant Ink connection issues with the HP OfficeJet Pro 8610!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

Try these steps:

Check Network Connection Settings:

• Verify that your printer is correctly connected to your LAN and using the IP address 192.168.2.90.
• Ensure the IP mask and gateway settings are correct. It appears you've already triple-checked, so this may be more about confirming any other network configurations that could affect connectivity.

Printer Firmware Update:

• Ensure that the printer firmware is up to date. Firmware updates can resolve connectivity issues.
• Go to the HP website to download and install the latest firmware for your model.

HP Connected Account:

• Log in to your HP Connected account (hpconnected.com).
• Verify devices registered under your account to ensure that your printer is correctly associated with the Instant Ink program.

Re-register Instant Ink:

• Sometimes unlinking and re-registering Instant Ink under your HP Connected account can resolve connectivity issues.
• Follow any prompts in your account to check for connectivity issues.

Network Configuration Restart:

• Perform a network configuration restart:
  • Turn off the printer.
  • Disconnect the power cable.
  • Restart your router and computer.
  • Once your network is back online, reconnect and restart your printer.

Check Firewall or Security Software:

• Ensure that no firewall or security software settings are blocking communication between your printer and HP Instant Ink services.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[jperaita]

Thanks Kuroi.

Network settings

All seems correct. The printer can be seen from anywhere in the LAN, both wired and wireless. The gateway is correctly configured. There are about 8-10 devices (PCs, tablets, phones...) on the same LAN and all can connect to the web.

Firmware
My version is FDP1CN2022AR. This appears to be the latest for the HP 8610. I get an "Up to date firmware" when trying to update

HP Connected Account
The registered s/n (CN59NFXxxx) as read in portal.hpsmart.com matches what the actual printer's s/n.

Re-register Instant Ink

You say "Sometimes unlinking and re-registering ... can resolve connectivity issues." I have tried doing that but I first need to cancel my subscription to Instant Ink. I've already made significant payement for the current period and I would not like to mess with that, just to see if the connectivity probems disappear.

Network Configuration Restart
Done that a few dozen times in the last couple of weeks.

Check Firewall or Security Software
Printer's firewall is disabled. The router's firewall lets all bidirectional traffic go through.
However,

• how does the printer connection to HP Instant Ink work?
• Who initiates and controls the data interchange?
• What IPs and ports are involved?
• Does the HP Instant Ink page count mechanism work the same way as the ink level control? Why are pages counted (about once every 24 hours, more or less), and ink level is not read?

I have resorted to buying standard "Non Instant Ink" HP cartridges and I am printing using that, _while paying_ a significant fee to Instant Ink...

Thanks for your help.

J

[jperaita]

As a follow up...
Instant Ink just told me that the cyan cartridge is not an Instant Ink cartridge. This is true... I have been forced to buy standard cartridges to be able to print, and I just mixed them up to see the results.

Now, its really interesting that HP tells me, at the same time, that it cannot connect to my printer and that it has detected a non-Instant Ink cartridge installed.

It also tells me that until the printer is connected, no Instant Ink cartridges will be sent.

When did Kafka become team leader of the Instant Ink development team at HP?

J

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @jperaita,

Thank you so much for your detailed follow-up. I truly appreciate how clearly you’ve explained what you’ve tested and your observations. I completely understand how confusing and frustrating this situation is, especially when the printer clearly is communicating some data (like page counts and cartridge status) while still claiming it’s offline for Instant Ink ink level tracking.

Let me help clarify a bit:

How Instant Ink connectivity works:

Your printer initiates secure outbound connections to HP’s Instant Ink servers to report page counts, ink levels, and supply status.

These connections typically use standard HTTPS ports (port 443) and contact HP’s cloud servers (which may include various regional domains and IPs).

The page count data is stored locally in the printer and then synced periodically, that’s why page usage can still update even if a real-time ink level check fails.

Why page counts but not ink levels?
It’s unusual but possible for the page counter and cartridge status flags to sync independently from detailed ink level data. This sometimes happens when:

A firewall or router rule blocks specific outbound destinations or breaks SSL inspection.

There’s a mismatch between the printer’s secure web services configuration and your HP account.

Non-Instant Ink cartridges are mixed with Instant Ink ones, which can confuse the reporting mechanism.

Next best steps:
Restart Web Services:

On the printer’s Embedded Web Server (EWS) page (access it via the printer’s IP in your browser), go to the Web Services or HP ePrint section.

Turn Web Services off, wait 2–3 minutes, then turn them back on.

This forces the printer to re-register with HP’s Instant Ink servers.

Reinstall Instant Ink cartridges only:

Make sure you only have active Instant Ink cartridges installed, mixing standard ones can interrupt reporting.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[jperaita]

Hi Kuroi,

Thank you very much for your detailed and personalized answer.
First of all, I must say that I have been able to solve my problem, but not with any of your suggestions...!
I really appreciate your technical explanation of the connection process. Knowing these details will, no doubt, help other users.

Let me explain the details of my problem and how I've solved it.

I have been using Instant Ink with this printer for almost three years, with exactly the same setup within my LAN, with no changes in the router or any other network element.

About one month ago, a ran out of magenta ink and I had not received the replacement cartridge so I inserted the previous (Instant Ink) magenta cartridge, which had some ink left.

The printer recognized this fact and gave the usual message about a previously used cartridge, etc. 
Inmediately after that I got a printhead failure message. I don't know if the cartridge change had any relation.
I went through all the recommended procedures after a printhead failure message, but it was clear that it was a "real" printhead failure.
I bought and installed a new HP printhead replacement, which came with its own install cartridges.

All went well, except that Instant Ink was unable to connect to the printer from then on, although nothing had changed in the network or the connection setup.
After all this time and numerous changes, firewall rules updates, antivirus checks, and many other tests, etc. yesterday, I got the weird idea that it was possible that the printhead change had affected the connectivity process with Instant Ink. This was the only change to the printer before the problem started. So I deleted the printer from Instant Ink (Not an easy procedure!) and reinstalled it as a new printer. 

After that, the connectivity has been restored.

So, the problem is that when a printer is added to Instant Ink it gets and stores information about the printhead (and maybe othe internal printer information). If the printhead is changed, there no way to get a proper connection, but HP does not inform about the actual causes of the problem, which is very, very, very poor programming practice. It's made me lose many, may hours of work to solve it (and you too...), when a simple message like "Printhead change detected. Please reinstall printer in Instant Ink" would have solved it in no time.

So, take note for future similar situations with other clents: although undocumented, a printhead change in a printer enrolled in Instant Ink will result in connectivity problems.

Again, thank you very much for your interest and messages with this issue.

J

[Kuroi_Kenshi · Accepted solution]

Hi @jperaita,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a clear, detailed follow-up, and especially for explaining exactly what resolved the issue in your case. 

You’re absolutely right: the fact that a printhead replacement can silently disrupt Instant Ink connectivity, without any clear error message, is incredibly valuable insight for anyone else facing a similar situation. Your practical suggestion about clearer messaging is spot-on and will definitely help others avoid the same frustration.

Your patience and persistence not only solved your own problem but will help so many others too, and I’ll be sure to keep this in mind for anyone who runs into a similar issue.

Also, it would be really helpful if you could mark your last post as “Accepted Solution.” Doing so will make it much easier for other users with the same Instant Ink connectivity issue after a printhead replacement to find your solution quickly and save them the same hassle you went through.

Thank you again for sharing your experience and helping strengthen the community knowledge base!

Take care and happy printing!

Best regards,

[jperaita]

Hi Kuroi,

Thanks again for your message.

It has taken me a few days to reply because just a few hours after I sent my message saying that the connection had been restored, I lost it again. The printhead change might have played a role in the issue, but there was somethinhg else. I've recovered the connection again two days ago and it seems stable.

This printer has been affiliated to Instant Ink since March 2016. The connection to Instant Ink has survived quite a few router and server changes, modifications in the LAN setup, Windows updates... until the printhead change.

So, after I lost it again a few days ago, I was almost sure I would get it back since nothing had really changed.

I uninstalled and reinstalled the printer, its drivers, HP Smart and any piece of software related to HP over and over again; I resetted the router, the PC and the printer quite a few times; I unsuscribed from Instant Ink half a dozen times (required to clear any "memory" of the printer in my system), resubscribing to Instant Ink with the printer as "new" using both the "uninstalled" and the "installed" options; deleted all cookies and Chrome's history...

Eventually the connection was restored (don't ask me how!) and seems quite stable so far. 

Best regards,

J

[Hawks_Eye]

@jperaita 

Kuroi_Kenshi is away for now; however, I'm Hawks_Eye, and I'll be happy to help you out!

Thanks for getting back to us to share the update—and wow, you’ve truly gone the extra mile to get this printer reconnected! The persistence and system-wide cleanup you performed is commendable. 🛠️🌐

It’s interesting that the printhead swap was the tipping point after years of reliable Instant Ink connectivity. That kind of hardware change might subtly reset how the printer reports its identity to the HP cloud, especially if the onboard configuration was disrupted. Your workaround of re-registering the printer multiple times essentially re-established that digital handshake.

If the connection ever drops again, it might help to:

• Check for firmware updates via HP Smart—there may be background updates improving Instant Ink stability.
• Confirm that the HP account portal reflects your printer’s new identity correctly.
• Use a static IP for the printer on your router to avoid DHCP confusion post-resets.

Thanks again for documenting everything so clearly. I’m always here if you need help digging deeper or explaining this to support. Fingers crossed the connection stays solid this time! 🤞

Regards,

Hawks_Eye