Suddenly cannot connect with the printer

[Chiyonofuji]

HP ENVY 4527

MAC OS 11.2.1. Same behaviour on 10.15.7

I am suddenly unable to communicate between computers and printer. The computers are certainly connected to the Network, and I have just followed the instructions on HP Support: "Reconnecting a Touchscreen Printer to a Wireless Connection". So the printer is connected to the network too. But computers and printer won't connect with each other. There were no changes before communication ceased. It just ceased. 

So, Help me please. I have an important job to do. Thanks in advance.

[Chiyonofuji]

Connectivity has been restored to the Mac on 10.15.7 , and also my wife's MacBook on 10.13.6 can now connect. I don't know why, as I did not do anything.

However, my MacBook on 11.2.1 (Big Sur) still cannot connect with the printer. I've tried everything I know, and restarted both printer and MacBook a few times, but it will not connect. 

[Chiyonofuji]

II've tried running the 'Diagnose and Fix' option on HP Smart, but all I get is the beach ball for a minute or so, with no movement in the bar, and then 'Check Issue not fixed'. 

I've also uninstalled all HP software, and re-installed, but it makes no difference.

Everything is working fine on my Catalina computers with the same computer. It is just my MacBook on Big Sur that is having the problem.

I was told that 'Airprint' should work, but there is no contact with the printer.

I wish someone would reply as this is an emergency. I cannot move my files to my Catalina machine.

[Betty0610]

@Chiyonofuji

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 an antivirus software installed on your Mac?

5.) Could you perform a ping test  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.

Perform a ping test to check the connectivity

1. Click Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. type ping "IP address" and press enter

Wait until 10 pings have been performed and then press ctrl c on the keyboard and hit return. 

The results will appear .

Share the ping test results.

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. 

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[Chiyonofuji]

Thanks.

I'm away from my printer right now, but I'll respond in a couple of weeks.

[Betty0610]

Sure, do keep us posted 🙂

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the "Accept as solution" button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!