How to Fix WiFi Not Working on an HP Printer: WPS Pairing, HP Smart App, and Manual TCP/IP Setup Fixes

Few things are more aggravating than a printer that refuses to connect to WiFi — especially when you need to print something urgently. HP printers are among the most popular in North America, and WiFi connectivity problems are by far the most common support issue they generate. The good news: the causes are well understood, and this guide covers every fix in the order you should try them.

Why HP Printers Lose WiFi Connectivity

Before diving into fixes, it helps to know why HP printers disconnect in the first place:

• Router change or ISP equipment swap — the printer remembers the old network name (SSID) and password, which no longer match.
• Band mismatch — nearly all HP consumer printers only support the 2.4 GHz band. If your router broadcasts a single merged SSID across 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (or 6 GHz), the printer may try to join the 5 GHz radio and fail silently.
• WPA3-only security — routers shipped since 2023 often default to WPA3. Most HP printers manufactured before 2022 only support WPA2 or WPA/WPA2 mixed mode.
• IP address conflict or lease expiry — the printer’s DHCP lease expires and it receives a different IP address, breaking communication with your computer.
• Firmware bug — HP periodically releases firmware updates that fix wireless stack regressions.

Fix 1: Restart Everything in the Right Order

Before trying anything complex, a proper power-cycle sequence resolves about 30% of HP printer WiFi issues:

1. Turn off the HP printer using its power button.
2. Unplug your router and modem from the wall. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Plug the modem back in first and wait for it to fully come online (all lights stable).
4. Plug the router back in and wait another 60 seconds.
5. Turn the HP printer back on.

After the printer finishes booting, check whether it automatically reconnects. Many HP printers will rejoin a remembered network without any further action once the router is back on its expected IP range.

Fix 2: Restore Wireless Setup Mode and Re-pair via WPS

If your printer has lost its network credentials (e.g., after a firmware update or factory reset), the fastest reconnection method is WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), provided your router supports it.

Steps for WPS Push-Button pairing:

1. On the HP printer, navigate to Settings → Network Setup → Wireless Setup Wizard (the exact path varies by model — on touchscreen printers, tap the WiFi icon on the home screen).
2. Select Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and choose Push Button.
3. Within two minutes, press the WPS button on your router (usually labeled “WPS” with a circular arrow icon).
4. The printer’s wireless light will blink rapidly, then go solid blue when connected.

Important: HP printers abandon the WPS search after exactly two minutes. If you don’t press the router’s WPS button in time, you must restart the process from step 1. Some ISP-provided routers (especially Xfinity and Spectrum gateways) disable WPS by default for security reasons — log into the router admin panel to enable it if the button does nothing.

Fix 3: Use the HP Smart App to Reconnect

The HP Smart app (available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android) includes a guided wireless setup wizard that is more reliable than WPS for complex network configurations:

1. Install or open HP Smart on your phone or computer.
2. Make sure your phone/computer is connected to the same WiFi network you want the printer to join.
3. Tap Add Printer and follow the on-screen prompts. The app will put the printer into its own temporary “HP setup” access point, connect your phone to it temporarily, transmit your WiFi credentials to the printer, then reconnect your phone to your home network.
4. Once complete, the printer should appear in the HP Smart device list with a green “Ready” status.

If the HP Smart app says “Printer not found” even during setup mode, make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone — recent versions of HP Smart use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to locate printers in setup mode before switching to WiFi handoff.

Fix 4: Force the Printer onto 2.4 GHz Only

This is the most commonly overlooked fix for HP printers on modern mesh or WiFi 6/6E/7 routers. HP’s entire consumer printer lineup — DeskJet, ENVY, OfficeJet, and LaserJet Pro series — only supports the 2.4 GHz band. If your router broadcasts a single combined SSID (e.g., “MyNetwork”) for all bands, it may be handing the printer off to a 5 GHz or 6 GHz radio the printer can’t use.

Fix: Log into your router admin panel and create a dedicated 2.4 GHz SSID (e.g., “MyNetwork_2.4G”) with band steering disabled. Connect your HP printer to this SSID exclusively. Refer to our guide on connecting devices to a specific WiFi band for router-specific instructions.

Fix 5: Downgrade Router Security from WPA3 to WPA2

Most HP printers released before 2022 do not support WPA3. If your router is set to “WPA3 Only” (common on newer Eero, Google Nest, Netgear Orbi, and ASUS routers out of the box), the printer will refuse to connect without displaying a helpful error message — it simply won’t appear in the network list.

To fix this:

1. Log into your router admin panel (typically at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).
2. Navigate to Wireless → Security (exact path varies by router brand).
3. Change the security mode from WPA3 to WPA2/WPA3 Transitional (or “WPA2 Personal” if transitional mode isn’t available).
4. Save and reboot the router.
5. Run the Wireless Setup Wizard on the printer again.

Transitional mode (also called “WPA2/WPA3 mixed”) allows newer devices to use WPA3 while older printers connect via WPA2 — it’s the best of both worlds. Pure WPA2 also works but slightly reduces security for devices that support WPA3.

Fix 6: Assign a Static IP Address via the Printer’s EWS

If your HP printer connects to WiFi successfully but keeps going offline or shows as unavailable after a few hours, the culprit is almost always a changing DHCP-assigned IP address. The fix is to assign the printer a manual (static) IP address using HP’s Embedded Web Server (EWS):

1. Print a Network Configuration Page from the printer (Settings → Reports → Network Configuration Page) to find the printer’s current IP address.
2. Type that IP address into a browser address bar on any device on the same network. This opens the EWS.
3. Go to the Network tab → Wireless (802.11) → Network Address (IPv4).
4. Select Manual IP and click Suggest a Manual IP Address. The EWS will recommend an address outside your router’s DHCP pool (e.g., 192.168.1.200).
5. Accept the suggestion or enter your own, set the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, and set the default gateway to your router’s IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
6. Click Apply. The printer will reboot with the new static IP.

After setting a static IP, update your printer port in Windows: go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners, select your HP printer, click Printer properties, then the Ports tab, and update the IP address to the new static one.

Fix 7: Update HP Printer Firmware

HP regularly releases firmware updates that fix wireless connectivity bugs, improve WPA2/WPA3 compatibility, and resolve DHCP timing issues. The easiest way to update is through the HP Smart app: open the app, select your printer, go to Advanced Settings → Printer Updates, and install any available firmware. Alternatively, visit HP’s support site, search for your printer model, and download the latest firmware package directly.

Fix 8: Perform a Wireless Network Reset on the Printer

If nothing else works, resetting only the wireless settings (without doing a full factory reset) clears all stored network credentials and lets you start fresh:

• Touchscreen models: Go to Settings → Network Setup → Restore Network Settings.
• Button-only models: Hold the Wireless button and Cancel button simultaneously for three seconds until the wireless light blinks.

After the reset, the printer will broadcast its own temporary “HP setup” SSID. Use HP Smart or the Wireless Setup Wizard to reconnect to your home network.

Quick Checklist

1. Power-cycle modem, router, and printer in sequence
2. Connect printer to a dedicated 2.4 GHz SSID (not a combined band SSID)
3. Switch router security to WPA2/WPA3 Transitional if it’s set to WPA3-only
4. Re-pair using WPS push-button or the HP Smart app
5. Assign a static IP address via the EWS to prevent future dropouts
6. Update printer firmware via HP Smart or hp.com
7. If all else fails, reset wireless settings and reconnect from scratch

Once your HP printer is back online, run a speed test from wifispeed.com to verify your network is performing at full speed — a slow network affects print job spooling as well as everything else. If you’re still dealing with weak signal in the room where your printer lives, our guide on how to boost WiFi signal covers placement tips and hardware upgrades that can help.