HP Envy 7640 is not communicating with either MacBook Pro

[nnsana]

I have two MacBook Pros. One runs on El Capitan, the other on Catalina. Out of the blue, and at the same time, the HP Envy is not communicating with either laptop. I have deleted all HP software, removed the printer, reset the printing system and tried to re-add it using both the add tool under Printers and Scanners->+->Bonjour Multifunction ->Secure AirPrint as well as the HP Easy Start software. Neither works.

The MacBook running Catalina gets the following error: Unable to connect to HP Envy 7640 series {3FD4DF}._ipps._tcp.local.' due to an error. Would you still like the create the printer. Continuing to set up the device leads to an error occurring as it's unable to communicate. If I try the HP Smart App it says the printer is offline (even though I can print from other devices in my house). 

The MacBook Pro running El Capitan gives the "Unable to communicate with the printer at this time" error message when I try to add the printer through System Preferences->Printers & Scanners->+->Select Nearby Printer. If I try to add the printer using the HP Easy Start, the wheel just spins while it says "Gathering device information..."

[Kumar0307]

Hi @nnsana

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you.

This looks like a connectivity issue between the devices. Let us try these steps:

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. 

Restart the wireless router, the printer, and the MACs

• Make sure the printer and the MAC are connected to the same wireless network.
• This printer supports only 2.4GHz network. So, the MAC should be on the 2.4GHz network.
• If you have a Dual-band router and both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks share the same name/SSID, the printer will not be able to connect to the network. In this case, contact your Internet service provider to assign different names to both the networks.
• Also, check with your Internet service provider if your router is able to forward 'Bonjour packets'.

Perform a ping test to check the connectivity from both the MACs

1. Obtain the IP address of the printer by clicking on the Wireless icon on the printer
2. On the MAC Go to Spotlight > search for Network utility > select Ping tab > enter the IP address of the printer in the box
3. Check the second box that says Send only > 10 pings
4. Click on ping > Check the results at the end if any packets are lost
5. Note: There should be 0% packet loss, share the results in your next post.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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