HP 8500A and Having to Reset WiFi Connection

[JL8500]

This issue has been described in several other threads but mine seems to be just a tad different.

My PC laptop., my wife's Apple laptop, and our iPhones lose WiFi connection with the printer. Unlike other complaints I have reviewed, I can easily "fix" the problem by resetting the WiFi Network setting on the Printer. That "fixes" the connection problem; sometimes the fix lasts only a few hours, sometimes for a day or so. Once fixed, both computers can connect and everything functions properly--I do not have to make any changes on either computer. 

I seized upon one solution to manually set the IP address. That was done and did not resolve the issue. 

One odd nuance.When we notice we "lost connection" with the Printer, I check the Printer and it shows a WiFi strength of 5 bars. When I reset the WiFi connection, the Printer shows only 4 bars. Is that meaningful? 

Thoughts appreciated.

[Jay_G24]

Hi @JL8500

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you with the  "printer offline" issue

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 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. 

 Windows try the steps in the document -Printer is Offline (Windows) 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as 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!

Have a great day! 

[JL8500]

Thank you. Keeping in mind that the issue is that the Printer disappears from WiFi and requires a re-log in to the WiFi for devices to see it. Once re-logged in, works fine. Both devices were able to print yesterday, this morning as is typical devices could not find it. I will re-log the Printer to the WiFi and it will work fine from anywhere from a few hours to the next day. A very predictable issue, a workable fix, but irritating that I have to do it at least once a day.

1. Remove All Barriers: The PC, Printer, and Router are within 3 feet of each other across the table.

2. Router Channel: It is not an Apple Router

3. Move Closer: See above. Also, Mac Air is downstairs but connection works fine once I re-log the Printer to WiFi

4. Microwaves, Lighting: None present

1. Network? If I understand, no network. Mac connecting directly to the Printer via WiFi

2. Dual-banded but I stay with 2.4Ghz

3. Router to Printer: 3 feet

4. Antivirus on Mac: No

5. Ping Test? Mac finds Printer when Printer is "connected", can't find it when it disappears

6. Wireless Status

Windows Advice
1. I ran HP Print and Scan Doctor. It did some updates (didn't tell me which) but the issue returned this morning.

Also: Following advice from other threads I manually set the IP address several days ago. That didn't help.

Thanks.

[Jay_G24]

Add the AirPrint printer to the Mac printer queue

Confirm you are using AirPrint by adding the printer in System Preferences.

1. Click the Apple menu, click System Preferences, and then click Print & Scan or Printers & Scanners.

   Figure : Example of the Printers & Scanners window

   

2. Check if your printer name displays in the Printers list, and then do one of the following steps.

   • If your printer is listed, remove and re-add the printer to confirm it is set up for AirPrint. Click the printer name, click the minus sign  to delete the printer, click the plus sign , click Add Printer or Scanner, click the printer name and then continue to the next step.

   • If your printer is not listed, click the plus sign, click Add Printer or Scanner, click the name of your printer, and then continue to the next step.

   • If your printer is not listed in the Add Printer or Scanner window, go to the Frequently asked questions in this document to resolve connection issues, try to add the printer again, and then continue to the next step.

3. Confirm AirPrint or Secure AirPrint displays in the Use or Print Using menu, and then click Add.

   Figure : AirPrint displays in the Use menu

   

4. Open a document or photo, click File, and then click Print.

on windows-check, the port the printer is connected to in devices ad printer fits connected.

We would have to connect the printer to TCP/IP port- follow the below instructions-

a. Click Start/Devices and Printers.  Right-click on your HP Printer.  Select Printer Properties.  Select the Ports tab at the top.

b.    Select Add Port.  Select Standard TCP/IP Port.  Select New Port.

c.    Follow the Add Port Wizard.  Under Printer Name or IP Address, input the Static IP address you just set from the above information.  Example:  192.168.1.15.  The IP address will be copied under Port Name.  

d.    Select Next and Finish the Wizard.

Keep me posted

[JL8500]

Thank you for those suggestions.

As to the Mac, the Mac has no problem printing once I re-connect the Printer to WiFi so I know printing is set up corretly on the Mac.

As to my PC, I tried set the Printer Port to the manually set IP address on the Printer. That did not change anything.

Could the problem be between the Printer and the Router (Ubee DVW32cb)?

[Jay_G24]

We would have to connect the printer to TCP/IP port- follow the below instructions-

a. Click Start/Devices and Printers.  Right-click on your HP Printer.  Select Printer Properties.  Select the Ports tab at the top.

b.    Select Add Port.  Select Standard TCP/IP Port.  Select New Port.

c.    Follow the Add Port Wizard.  Under Printer Name or IP Address, input the Static IP address you just set from the above information.  Example:  192.168.1.15.  The IP address will be copied under Port Name.  

d.    Select Next and Finish the Wizard.

Keep me posted

[JL8500]

Let me clarify. I did that solution yesterday, it did not help.  On the other hand re-logging the printer to the WiFi, allowed both the Mac and the PC to find the Printer and print normally. This morning, the printer was again listed as "Off Line" and required re-logging the printer to the WiFi.

[Jay_G24]

Did you disconnect and reconnect the printer to the network?

Could you explain what re-logging in means, so I can help you resolve the issue?

[JL8500]

The Wireless Setup Wizard.

When computers say "Printer Offline" I run the Wizard and the computers "find" the Printer.  That keeps the computers and the Printers connected usually until the next day, sometimes for only a few hours. When the Printer goes reportedly "Offline" I use the Setup Wizard again.

I have a reliable fix for my situation but it is annoying to have to run the Wireless Setup Wizard every day. 

[Jay_G24]

To set a manual IP and try the steps below-

--->Touch on the wifi icon ((i)) on the printer, and take down the IP address 
--->Open a web browser (ex Chrome or Mozilla) and type in the printer's IP
--->then go to network ---> general ---> network protocols ---> select IPV4 only-->apply 
--->go to wireless ---> wireless 802.11---> select manual ip ---> apply
--->Enter 8.8.8.8 for the first DNS and 8.8.4.4 for the second DNS.  
--->then go to settings on the main ews page --> power management ---> select sleep mode to max 15min

Keep me posted!