HP Officejet 6500A Plus will not maintain wireless connection reliably

[ElkHair14]

Thanks for the reply!

That's a tough one... trying on another network, so I'll have to think about how I might be able to do that.  The thing is, I am able to connect... just not able to STAY connected.  It may disconnect within a few seconds, or it may stay connected for days!  But in the end it has always disconnected at some (unreasonably short) time.

Currently (after reinstalling again per request of the "Scan Doctor") it is online and printing from two different PCs.  The strange thing was that although checking the connection via on screen at the printer it is connected with a strong signal.  But when I run the Scan Doctor just to see if "all is well" it tells me the device needs to be turned on!  However, currently all IS well and I can even get connection information via Web Services embedded on the printer.

(Before getting to the "all is well stage", when I powered it on nothing happened so I pressed the power button again and it powered off.  Upon powering up, all the lights on the printer were blinking... recycled the power once again and now "all is well").

Will just keep an eye on it for now and let you know as things progress.

Thanks for your assistance, Bill

[ElkHair14]

It's so all very confusing to try and explain.  It appears that images CAN be used, but there would be "too many".  Possibly a link to a my shared Google drive?  I could put documentation there?  Maybe later.

I'm thinking maybe I should be sure I have the device drivers installed appropriately.  I know enough about networking to be dangerous.  I'll try to tell you how it appears to be set up, and maybe you can tell me how it should be set up.

I little background that I just recently found out from my son.  Appearently, he "fixes" his printing problems by installing /reinstalling the drivers.  I just found out that I now have TWO HP Officejet 6500A Plus printers defined.

To keep it as simple as I can let's say we have 3 computers... one would be my son's (which I just told you about) and the other two are mine (a long story I will be glad to tell you some other time).  Just the facts as they currently are set up.

On my PC1 i have "HP115E74(HP Officejet 6500 E710n-z)" it is a "Web Services" printer, on the LAN, and SHARED with members of the home group...which is everybody in the house.

On my PC2 I have "HP115E74(HP Officejet 6500 E710n-z)" on "PC1" the 'SHARED" print. There is also the following printing which is the default printer on PC2.  It has a name of "HP Officejet 6500 E710n-z (Network)".  When I right click it (to see, for example, the properties...I first get a list of "printer choices" which are in fact the one on PC1 and the OTHER one on PC2.  (Since the default (network) printer has some sort of 'connection' (via the drop down list) I am hesitant to remove it.

I don't know what is on my son's PC....hmmm, password protected, arggg.

I am thinking there should be just one device definiton on the network and everyone on the LAN should be able to print to it? Right?  If so, then the printer on PC1 should not be shared via Windows network sharing?

I'd like to "show you pictures" of what I have just feeblely attempted to describe... but maybe you get the idea.

That's it for now.  I won't describe again how the printer says it's connected, but the web says it is, but has a problem, and I can't print a test page from either P1 or P2... then ALL OF A SUDDEN... without my doing anything, it starts printing some test pages from an hour ago! Go figure!  I can print for a while, then, you guessed it... it just stops.  Only had one power cycle today...hmmmm.

GN

[ElkHair14]

It seems that since upgrading my internet service, a "free at no extra charge thing happened".  The HP printer was disaccoiated with the 192.168.5.136 address and "connected to a different one" for the first time in quite a while.  Ever since it has not dropped the connection.

Wish it could have been explained more "technically", but I am not going to argue with success.

FYI, Bill

[mudflapsmomma]

It's been a long time, but alas, it's June 1, 2015, and our printer won't stay connected. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I run Mac Yosemite.

We have to shut the printer off and turn it on to print. After the print job completes, we have less than 3 minutes to print something else before it goes offline again and says it's not connected.

I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING. Seriously. Everything.

We bought the printer 2 years ago, but to have it junk out like this all of a sudden? There's got to be a fix here. Please help, HP. 

[QA4Software]

Hi. I have the exact problem that @BnJnPnS was experiencing. And your suggestion of turning off the power saver never worked since my printer has been set up that way since day one.

The only workaround for me is I pretty much have to install the printer everytime I want to use it. I hope you would agree that it is so frustrating having to do that. And if I need to print from my iPhone or iPad, I would have to turn off the printer and turn it back on which takes time as well. Printing on this device has been so inconvenient. Do you know how many times I've reinstalled this printer on my laptop? I started by incrementing the name from HP Officejet 6500 E709n Series 1, HP Officejet 6500 E709n Series 2, HP Officejet 6500 E709n Series 3.. when I reached 100, I went to letters.. well now I'm at HP Officejet 6500 E709n Series R! Is there really no fix on this issue? HP must be aware of this issue since by looking at the forum, people had been reporting the same problem in the last 5 years. And still no solution which is the sad part. It looks like, HP's solution with this problem is let the customer fight with HP to try fixing the problem and see who gives up first.  If HP does give up because the customer wouldn't, then HP will send the customer a replacement. The other way is the customer will give up because he or she doesn't have all the time in the world to be on the phone with the HP support trying to fix the problem when they already there's no fix for it. I'm not a retiree like BnJnPns. I'm a single parent with a full time job.

I hope HP would do the right thing. Either get their developers to fix this problem or do a recall so the customer can buy another HP printer that works.

[sabretooth04]

OK, here is a solution that may work for all. Since this printer has an Ethernet port simply make this your new wireless port.

Here is the info...

Connect wireless printer anywhere, convert from wired, bypass failed radio, add WPA2 security.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-Networking-and-Wireless/Connect-your-wireless-printer-when-away...

[QA4Software]

Are you suggesting that I buy another device as a solution? That's the same as giving up on HP's customer service, dumping this printer and just buy a new printer. Thank you for the suggestion but that's just another workaround.

[sabretooth04]

---

@QA4Software wrote:
Are you suggesting that I buy another device as a solution? That's the same as giving up on HP's customer service, dumping this printer and just buy a new printer. Thank you for the suggestion but that's just another workaround.

---

Yes I am.  You don't have to do anything but the printer will not be fixed.  It's a done deal.  However...

These settings are for setting up your wireless printer to stay connected to your router, keep wireless devices better connected and makes your router secure and hack proof.

While DHCP is convenient, devices such as printers should always be assigned a static (fixed) IP address manually to avoid conflicts on your wireless network.

1. Set a static IP in the printer (click here) outside the DHCP range of the router (check your manual). This is for Linksys routers but can be used for all routers. Verify your DHCP range and change this first if needed. More Wireless Printing help is here (Windows solution 4, static IP).
2. Verify in the printer that 'Auto Off/Sleep' is disabled and/or the System Mode Time Out is set to zero (0). Use the Embedded Web Server (EWS) by going to the printers IP address in your browsers address bar, click Settings Tab/Auto Off. Or use the Printer Assistant, Printer Home Page (EWS). Also check your Printers Properties.
3. If the printer supports and has IPv6 enabled, turn off IPv6 in the printer.
4. If needed and you assigned a static IP address, try using 8.8.8.8 for the Preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 as the Alternate DNS server. 
5. Wireless printers only work on the 2.4Ghz band.
6. Verify the printer is on the latest firmware by checking with the HP Support site.
7. Check all wireless devices in your home for interference. Check microwaves, baby monitors, wireless phones and wireless alarm systems are a big culprit. Any of these will knock out your wireless printer intermittently.

In the router: (Refer to your router manual for information) 

1. Use a fixed wireless channel like 1, 6 or 11, never 'auto', try channel 1 first then the rest. 
2. Set router to 20Mhz only, or 145Mbps depending on router. 
3. Always use WPA2-AES (Personal) encryption, but you can try ‘mixed’ mode. 
4. Disable WPS and never use it and disable UPnP for the routers security. Nobody can hack your system now and helps with wireless connectivity (if you want to know why, search the web).
5. If you have a dual band router (2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz bands), make sure the SSID’s are NOT the same, they must be different for all bands, even for any Guest networks.
6. SSID broadcast must be enabled.
7. Save all settings. Power off both, wait 2 mins.  Power on router wait 2 mins. 
8. Power on printer and verify it reconnects to router. 

Windows 7/8/8.1   Is Network Discovery on or off?

1. Control Panel/Network and Internet/Network and Sharing Center/Advanced sharing settings.
2. Under Home or Work (current profile) / Network Discovery.
3. Select "Turn on network discovery" and save changes.

Last ditch effort - If your printer has an Ethernet connection, suggest you get some Power Line Adapters and convert your house wiring to Ethernet for your printer.

[fredw11]

found a simple solution. turn off energy saving mode in tools on printer.

[Dennishoek]

Hi all,

Thanks BnJnPnS for the detailed and correct explanation on this problem!

It's very hard to find a solution for this issue but also what's the exact cause of it, therefore i will reply on this post and also mention some tagwords in the bottom (also in Dutch) to make it easier for others to Google the problem.

I think i've found the cause but due to lack of support from HP it's impossible to get this printer working wireless in a 2016 wireless environment.

First of all i would like to mention that i bought this very same printer in December 2010! and it worked faultlessly since then untill...

January 2016 i bought a new router, a Netgear r7000 Nighthawk AC.  The installation of this router went quick and smoothly but ever since then i got a message, both on PC and laptop, saying scan to computer dissabled every few minutes.  It's kinda simple to ignore this message but then i found that printing wasn't possible as well from every device in my network altough the printer was connected and on both computers it said printer ready. Googled this 6500a problem in relation with the r7000 and found it has something to do with the Bonjour support which wasn't supported by this particular router. After connecting the printer on LAN it still didn't work. Since i was already struggling with this problem for more then 2 weeks decided to reconnect my good ol TP-Link TL-WR1023 and everything is working again! Send back the Netgear (and promised myself not to buy Netgear anymore since this was my first one) and ordered a TP-link Archer C2.

The day after i've received the Archer and the installation went as smoothly as above but... The printer isn't working again! Sorry Netgear 😉

The printer has been running with a fixed IP since 2010 and the power save setting was disabled so this is definitively not the issue.

The advantage of simultanious AC is that all your devices (in my case iPhones and iPads) switch over fully automatic between 2,4 and 5 G depending on their reception within the network so the router must be set to simultane modus by means of giving the 2,4 and 5 G the same SSID. When you use different SSID's you have to switch over manually from the 2,4 WiFi to te 5 G and vise verse.

After all i've found that when i use separate networks (SSID) for 2,4 and 5 G the printer will work wireless even from 5 G and LAN connected devices (in contrast to what is mentionned on other fora).

Since i want my network running simultaniously AC  i've tried again to connect the printer on LAN and again it didn't work.

In my situation it's easy to connect the printer permanent to LAN so i've disabled the WiFi on the printer itself and guess what?  Everything is working, we have a winner!

Appearantly it seems to be that when the printer (yes i know it does support 2,4 G only but so does other devices in my network and they do work) sees a simultane AC network the WiFi adapter gets confused and it will even refuse to do the job via LAN untill you switch of the WiFi on the printer itself.

I'ts a shame that HP doesn't recognise and confirm this matter so they can roll out a firmware update to help a lot of frustrated customers (i almost threw the printer out of the window) trying to install their expensive printer on a modern network.

I'll hope I explained it well?

Tagwords: AC router dual band dualband simultaan gecombineerd netwerk, HP 6500a werkt niet met nieuwe router.