Trying to figure out how to connect your HP printer to your Wi-Fi? Wireless printers are now common in offices, homes, schools, and many other places where printing is needed. In this case, not knowing how to connect the printer can cause trouble, so I made this short guide for beginners.
You can do it very easily. There are a few ways to set up an HP printer on a wireless network. You can connect it through an Ethernet cable, a router, or by using the HP Smart app. You can choose which method you want and then perform it. In this tutorial, I’ll teach you these methods in a simplified way.
Let’s get your HP printer ready and connect it to your wireless network.
To start the setup, plug your printer into the wall and press the power button. Also, write down your Wi-Fi name and password, which you can find on the back of your router. Once you have noted it, you’re ready to move on to other steps.
This is the wired way to connect your HP printer to the network. You are required to plug the Ethernet cable into your computer and printer to set up the connection. Here are the steps to set up the Ethernet connection:
Plug an Ethernet cable into your printer’s Ethernet port.
Connect the other end of the cable to the LAN port of the router.
Make sure the printer is on. A green blinking light shows that the connection worked.
That’s it for the wired network connection of the printer. You can go with this method if you like or prefer a wired connection. However, you will have to keep your printer closer to the router.
It’s a Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which requires a WPS button on the router to set up a printer wirelessly. You can choose this method only when your wireless router has a WPS button. Your printer may have a physical WPS button, or you may find the WPS option in the settings. Use these steps to set up your HP printer on a wireless network using a WPS connection.
Go to the printer’s control panel, check for a wireless button, and press it. However, if your printer doesn’t have a physical button, navigate to your printer settings.
Head to the Wireless or Network Settings menu and choose the WPS button.
On your Wi-Fi router, press the WPS button after enabling the WPS connection on the printer.
The printer’s wireless light will begin to blink, showing that the connection is complete. This method doesn’t require you to enter the Wi-Fi password.
It’s one of the convenient methods for connecting an HP printer to a wireless network. However, note that the settings depend upon your printer model type, like whether it has a touchscreen or a keypad. I’m sharing a general method, and you need to follow it based on your printer’s control panel type.
Go to your printer’s control panel, and locate the Wireless or Network Settings.
From the network settings, select Wireless Setup Wizard or a relevant option.
You’ll see the available wireless networks on the printer, and then enter your password using the on-screen keyboard.
If you have a keypad on the control panel, use that to enter the password. Make sure you enter the correct password with the right letters, numbers, special characters, and capitalization.
It’s the last method on my list and the easiest one. HP offers a dedicated app to connect it to a wireless network and start printing. Here are the detailed steps to connect your HP printer to a network via the app.
Open the Microsoft Store on your PC, and search for the HP Smart app.
Download and install that app on your computer, and open it.
Press and hold the Wi-Fi button on your printer for a few seconds, or simply press the Wi-Fi and Cancel buttons together for 3 seconds.
Once the printer starts blinking the wireless light, it shows that the printer is ready to connect to a network.
Tap on Add Printer or the “+” sign on the app to allow the printer to connect to a network.
Finally, the app will start looking for the available printer on the network.
Choose your printer from the list, and let the connection establish.
Note: Your computer or mobile device should be on the same network as the printer. Otherwise, the printer won’t connect to the network.
Question
You can note the Wi-Fi password from the back label of your wireless router. The network name is also called the SSID. Thus, when the printer prompts to add the network name, enter the SSID network, and then enter the password carefully.
Question
Yes, there are other ways to connect your HP printer to a network without the HP Smart app, including the WPS push button, the printer’s control panel, and an Ethernet cable. All these alternative methods work well for connecting your printer to Wi-Fi.
Question
Yes, you can add the HP printer to multiple devices if it’s connected to the same network as the device. You can add the printer to multiple devices, and then use them to send print commands and start printing.
Source: How to Connect HP Printer to Wifi Network