HP MFP 3301dfw – Sleep Mode Causes Network Connectivity Loss (Unreliable for Office Use)

[prouser39]

<<Reposting as my original message cannot be found>>

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share our ongoing struggles with the HP MFP 3301dfw multifunction printer in hopes of finding a real solution—or at least confirming that we're not the only ones dealing with this.

We’ve had numerous support calls and troubleshooting sessions regarding a recurring issue where the printer seems to "fall asleep" and then disappears from the network. Once this happens, it won't respond to pings, print jobs, or even show up on the network until it’s physically power cycled or manually woken up at the device. This is a huge problem in an office environment where the device is expected to be reliably accessible throughout the day.

Here’s a quick overview of what we’ve tried so far:

• Disabled all power-saving/sleep modes (where possible)

• Set a static IP address and reserved it via DHCP

• Updated to the latest firmware available from HP

• Rebooted router and switch

• Changed from Wi-Fi to Ethernet

• Set manual DNS and gateway settings

• Verified the printer is not in any kind of error or offline mode before sleeping

• Tested on different network ports and with different cables

Despite all this, the problem persists. It looks like some kind of power management bug is also putting the network interface to sleep—and it doesn’t properly wake up when the printer is accessed remotely.

As part of troubleshooting, HP even shipped us a refurbished replacement of the same model. Unfortunately, it exhibits the exact same behavior, so it's clearly not just a hardware fluke.

For context, we have nearly three dozen other HP printers deployed across our business network—both LaserJets and MFPs—and they all work fine. They go into power-saving mode as expected and reliably wake up when sent a print job. This issue seems unique to the 3301dfw.

In one community thread, I saw someone mention that these “Pro” series printers from HP are essentially consumer-grade devices with limited networking stability. According to that post, if you want a printer with robust and reliable networking behavior (especially in business environments), you need to step up to one of HP’s “Enterprise” models.

If that’s true, it’s disappointing. The 3301dfw is marketed as a "Pro" printer, and you’d expect basic features like stable networking and reliable wake-from-sleep to work consistently.

Has anyone else experienced this and found a workaround—or can anyone confirm that upgrading to an Enterprise-grade printer truly solves the issue? At this point, we’re trying to decide whether to continue troubleshooting or cut our losses and replace the device.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[ShlomiL]

Hi,

Please try disabling IPv6 usage for the printer and check if that might cause any difference for the described behavior:

1. Open the EWS.
2. From the left menu, click the Network tab, and then click the Network Settings tab.
3. Click IP Settings.
4. On the IP Settings page, click the Protocols drop-down menu, and then select 'IPv4 Only'.

Now reboot the printer and follow if you may see any difference.

Note: the EWS page can be accessed via the IP address of the printer or through the HP Smart app as well:

https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/ish_2029438-1929621-16

Shlomi

[prouser39]

Thanks ShlomiL, we do already have IPv6 disabled.  Still no change.  I have to mention that I plugged a canon multifunction that we just purchased into the same port as the HP, assigned it the IP address the HP was using, and let it go into sleep mode.  Checking it this morning by sending a print job to it, it woke up and printed.  Same network, same cable, same IP address, same print server, different brand and model printer.  No crazy futzing around in settings to get it to work.