Does the WiFi network connecting a HP LaserJet M140we to a Macintosh have to have active internet?

[maximvsv]

I am trying to get the M140we for a nice lady to explain its blinking Attention Light. She has it connected to a recent iMac with Mac OS 12. She has the HP Smart app to control the printer. Her Internet connection is problematic. The 5G WiFi channel is the only channel with an Internet connection. The WLAN router puts out a 2G/2.4Ghz channel and a 5G/5Ghz channel. The M140we can't see/connect to any 5G connections. So, the iMac connects to 5G for internet activity, then gets switched to the standalone 2G channel to access the M140we to print. Nobody knows how to bridge the channels yet. The toner ran low in the 141A cartridge. The Attention Light was blinking, but not the supplies/toner light. HP Smart could communicate over the 2G channel to read the empty toner but not to explain the "cannot print" part of the error  HP Smart says to log into the HP account to learn the reason for the light.

I swapped in the fresh 141/142 W8006J toner cartridge, but that did not fix the light or the "cannot print" error.

I tried a Restore Defaults command on the printer to see whether I could get it reconfigured. After the Restore Defaults, HP Smart had to re-connect the M140we as if it was new. Initially, it took a long time to get the HP Smart app to notice the printer. I had to manually enter the password for the SSID. The HP Smart took a long time, and several attempts, to connect to network and configure the M140we. Lots of blank screens and spinning "busy" avatars. At one point, I switched the iMac to the 5G channel, and HP Smart would display screens and information again. Then  it started displaying connection errors, so I switched back to the 2G channel. HP Smart showed that it was configuring the printer and eventually finished. After that, the Attention Light was still blinking. HP Smart and the Embedded Web would show the "cannot print" error and the full toner in Supplies, but then display that Incomplete Setup. I would go through HP Smart another seven or eight times, trying the Finish Setup option. HP Smart would only try to complete the setup on the 2G channel. It would only display information when connected to the 5G channel.

At this point, I theorize that HP Smart wants an active internet connection for some reason, and that the M140we will not complete its setup unless it, too, is connected to an active internet connection. Is that the case? Does HP Smart require Internet access to configure the printer and does the M140 we need Internet access to be set up?

Will HP Smart be able to set up the M140we across USB? Will the M140we let itself be connected to the Internet through the USB cable connection to an iMac?

[Valsimot]

M140we is an HP+ printer requiring constant wireless internet connections and registration to HP+ services. Without that, the printer doesn't work, it's a paperweight with a blinking light.