Using HP eprint with hotspot for computerless email

[kmarsden1]

I am investigating in using an HP 5740 printer with eprint with a dedicated "Internet on the Go" 1G hotspot to receive email without a computer. Are there any potential issues of using HP eprint with a hotspot that I should consider ?

A few specific questions:
How often will the printer check email? I have heard there is a 10MB hit for each ping.

Might there be issues with continuous connectivity with a hotspot and the printer? Would there be any manual intervention needed?


This is to replace a Presto Printing Mailbox service which is going out of business. That service used an HP A10 printer which had a modem that called the service to get email.

[Rainbow23]

Hi @kmarsden1,

Welcome to HP Forums, this is a great place to get support, find answers and tips.

Thank you for posting your query. I'll be more than glad to help you.

I understand that you wanted to know about the eprint feature for your HP 5740 Printer.
 

I suggest that you check the link: http://hp.care/2rO3nx0
 

You have a good day ahead.
 

[kmarsden1]

Thank you very much for your reply.

The article has some good information but does not address the questions:

1. How often will the printer check email?

2. How much additional data will be consumed for each ping
a) if there is no email to retrieve.
b) in addition to the email size if it does have email to retrieve.

3. Are there any potential connectivity issues when using a mobile hotspot with hp eprint?

4. Have mobile hotspots been tested with HP eprint?

Thank you

Katherine

[Rainbow23]

Hi @kmarsden1,

Thank you for your reply.

For more information about eprint, I suggest that you contact HP Phone Support (cloud services) for further assistance at the link: www.hp.com/contacthp

You may select the country and type the product# of the unit and then follow the on-screen instructions to contact HP phone support.

You have a good day ahead.

[kmarsden1]

Thank you @Rainbow23 for your continued interest in my questions.

Unfortunately I have had my printer more than a year so can't use the direct support options.

I am hoping that you can help me get answers within HP or access to support so I can share potential solutions with the Presto community.

To provide some background, The presto.com dialup printer email service that my mother and many other seniors relied on has shutdown and I am trying to find a solution for computerless email without internet service . The Presto service used an HP A10 printer with an internal modem to dial up on a landline, so I believe that Presto was a partnership with HP, so am hoping HP will help find a solution. Other totally different angles might be if there is a way that the HP eprint printer could dial up through the fax modem to get email (ideal) or maybe even if HP could publish the A10 specs and the A10 number can be changed so I could try to setup a new server to handle the A10 requests, but I don't even know how big of an effort that would be.
I am really hoping HP can help us. The company did not provide any suggested alternatives before shutting down Saturday. I I am sure HP as a partner in that venture is more interested in doing the right thing for our seniors and helping them restore communication with their families.

Once I get this solved, I definitely plan to write up and share my solution on this forum. It might even help HP sell more printers🙂
Thanks again for responding.

[Rainbow23]

Hi @kmarsden1,

Thank you for your reply, I have brought your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP.

They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number.
Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact.

Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post personal information (serial numbers and case details).

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forum

[kmarsden1]

Thanks so much! I will look for that email and report back here with our findings.

[kmarsden1 · Accepted solution]

Angela with HP Connected returned my call and explained that HP eprint history had been removed as a feature, so we will have to manually acknowledge receipt of documents. The HP 5740 is discontinued, so I setup the HP 4650 instead which doesn't have the email out like the 5740. I am not sure if other printers still have email out.

The FreedomPop hotspot seems to work ok. I am not sure yet if it will really be free, but so far the HP eprint service doesn't seem to be using data in polling, but did use 2MB once in a couple days at 5:41a to presumably update the instantink status. When i set up the printer, I opted out of otherwise sending data to HP. I will continue to monitor.

"Internet on the Go" was a real problem. I will stay away from that company for various technical, ethical and customer service issues.

For former Presto users or anyone wanting to receive email without a computer, The magic combination for us was
- HP 4650 Office Jet $71 on Amazon
- HP instantink 50 pages per month for $2.99 after 3 months free at 300 pages.
- Setup hpconnected.com allowed users.
- FreedomPop hotspot. $30, including hotspot, 2G first month and 500MB free in subsequent months if you jump through some hoops on the website.
(There is a you tube video on really getting it free. Note I am still in the first month so don't know how this will work really), but the service does get signal where I need it and they have a good web ui for tracking usage.
-Mcdodo auto disconnect micro USB cable so lithium battery on hotspot doesn't overcharge. $16

Pros
- Photos are much higher res than Presto.
- Much cheaper without the Presto service fee or cost of purchased ink.
- Emails show up right away and don't interfere with phone.
- It is a nice color copier too.

Con's
- No status checking. They used to have eprint history on hpconnected but "simplified" the interface. We will have to manually ack with Mom.
- There is no formatting or nice header with phone number like Presto.
- You are tech support.
- The HP 4650 does not have direct email out like the HP 5740 (no longer available) that I tested at home. I got the 4650 because it just had 2 cartridges to change instead of 4. I am not sure if there is another printer with scanned email out.

Internet on the Go, the other hotspot I tried was really bad for a variety of technical and customer service issues. The major carrier hotspots were expensive monthly propositions with 2 year contracts.

Hope this helps. Direct message me if you want more info on setup, usage, etc. I think HP eprint with home internet is the ideal solution, but the hotspot does seem to work if the home internet service is too expensive. AT&T did say they could bill me directly instead of my Mom for home internet, so that is plan B and would open up new possibilities like Echo Show.

I am a little worried about how HP keeps scaling eprint back. I hope you keep the service at least at the current level. Please!

[Fiberglass72]

Rainbow23, Thanks for your help on this challenge.  I just wanted you to know that there are a lot more of us (just like Kmarsden1) that need help in replacing the Presto service that helped us stay in touch with our elderly family members.

If HP could help, it would CERTAINLY be appreciated.  Finding a simple, yet affordable solution that does not need an expensive internet service would be great!  Hopefully, this can be brought to the attention of the appropriate HP management team.

I sure hope that Kmarsden1 continues to keep us updated!