Printer keeps disconnecting from network

[SAM20211]

With DEEP regret we had to replace our reliable HP8620 with a HP 9012. After two hays of frustration we HATE this thing, only printed 20 pages in 2 days, we spend most of our time trying to get it to stay online, not disconnecting from our network. We have reinstalled multiple time from 123.hp.com to our three Macs. None can print.

How do we stop it disconnecting from the network?

[TEJ1602]

@SAM20211, Welcome to HP Support Community!

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 antivirus software installed on your Mac?

5.) Could you perform a ping test using the Mac Network Utility 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.

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. 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[SAM20211]

This printer works occasionally. But tried to print an 8 page document and it only printed 2 pages; then said printer was offline. If we unplug printer (take cable out) we can get it to print again. This is not satisfactory!

Is there a fix for it to work better with Mac's. We had no problems with the HP8620.

Answer to your questions:

1. Yes the Mac and printer are on the same wi-fi network

2. Apple Router is dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

3 the distance is about 1 metre

4 No antivirus software

[SAM20211]

We have tried updating the firmware using download file OJP9010_2103B.dmg

Printer reports that the updated has been installed correctly - hope this makes a difference

[TEJ1602]

@SAM20211

Thanks for replying!

If your router is dual-band enabled, make sure the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz networks have different SSIDs/Network names. Now ensure both the computer and the printer are on the same network.

Also, perform a ping test to test the connectivity. Use the terminal for the same- Ping 192.168.0.1   after 10 pings ctrl c ( instead of 192.168.0.1 use the printer IP address, you will find it when you tap on the wireless button on the printer)

Keep me posted for further assistance.