Printer sees router but won't connect

[Shelley505]

I unplugged my printer when I moved furniture and now it won't reconnect to my router.  It was working perfectly before I unplugged it.  When I go through the wizard, the printer sees the router, but it won't connect. The Wireless Test results printout says that MAC filtering may be enabled on my router (which I got from Comcast) which can prevent the printer from connecting.  It says to add the MAC address of the computer to the list of permitted devices.  I have no idea how to do that and if that's really even the problem since everthing was working perfectly hours before.  Any ideas?

[Gaya1239]

Hi @Shelley505 ,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

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

I understand the issue could indeed be related to MAC filtering on your router. MAC filtering is a security feature that only allows devices with specific MAC addresses to connect to your network. If your printer was previously connected and working fine, but now it's unable to connect after you've moved and unplugged it, MAC filtering could be the reason.

Here's what you can do to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

• Check MAC Filtering Settings: Log in to your router's admin interface. This is usually done by typing the router's IP address into a web browser. Once logged in, look for the MAC filtering settings. If it's enabled, you'll need to add the MAC address of your printer to the list of permitted devices.
• Find Printer's MAC Address: You'll need to find the MAC address of your printer. You can usually find this information in the printer's settings menu. It might be labeled as "MAC Address" or "Wireless MAC ID."
• Add Printer's MAC Address: In the router's MAC filtering settings, there should be an option to add devices. Enter the MAC address of your printer and save the changes.
• Restart Router and Printer: After adding the printer's MAC address to the allowed list, restart both your router and printer. This can sometimes help establish a stable connection.
• Retry Connection: Once everything has restarted, try reconnecting your printer to the Wi-Fi network using the printer's setup wizard. Hopefully, it will now connect successfully.

Refer to this document: HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 All-in-One Printer User manual

HP printer setup (Apple AirPrint for iPhone, iPad)
Troubleshoot a Wi-Fi connection to an HP printer

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

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