HP Printer Issue - Instant Ink

[jonwood007]

HP help line have advised after trying all sorts that the issue the problem could be Virgins and have asked me to have Virgin......"separate frequencies to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and open the necessary ports for you. Those ports are TCP and UDP Ports: 45222 & 45223, 80, 5353, 5358, 5222, 5223, 5357, 3702, 443, 427, 8080, 209, 1900, 5298, 5350, 5351. Also, please deactivate firewall of the router."...... no idea what this means and its impossible to speak to Virgin!!!!

[Springer10112]

The printer says its online to my network (shows Ip address, connection Excellent even!!!) and can print from laptop/phone/ipad.   However, on HP smart app it says ‘offline’ & the ink levels (instant ink) & info are not feeding back to HP due to ‘offline’ & smart app also then asks to connect to internet.  Rendering Instant Ink pointless of course.  

HP spent an hour on phone trying all kinds, then asked me to ring Virgin to do the above before calling them back to complete.

[goslow]

Wireless printing is often hopelessly unpredictable and unreliable to set up. 'Instant Ink' seems especially so when I have tried to set it up in the past.

Check the manual for your particular model but ...

Do you have 'web services' enabled on the printer? I seem to recall this was a requirement for the printer to communicate for instant ink.

Does the printer show up as a registered device in the online login for the instant ink service?

When doing any setup for the printer, I have always found that using the full HP driver/utility software on a laptop linked to the printer with USB for the purposes of setting up gave the most reliable results. Can't offer you any further suggestions, unfortunately.

[Springer10112]

Thank you for trying to help goslow.  The printer/instant ink has worked great on wireless (inc instant ink on eprint webservices) since i bought it April 2020.  It has just done this over the last 4 weeks so i cant understand it at all, nothing new, no new devices or tv.  Its all very odd.

Does anyone have a number for virgin technical to ask them to make the above alterations please?

[goslow]

The list you have published just looks like it is taken from a script as a means for HP support to bat you over to VM. I don't believe changing port settings should be necessary nor would that be something VM phone support will be able to reliably do for you. The last instant ink setup I did (albeit a while ago) was on a VM connection and required no detailed router changes. VM phone support will probably just push you towards 'Gadget Rescue' which would not be a good way to go IMO (in wasting further time/money/effort on your part).

Others on here may chip in with further things to try but you are probably most likely to resolve via a reliable and reputable local computer technician who can get hands-on with your setup and find out what is happening. Hope you are able to resolve it.

[Springer10112]

I too am wondering why im having to try to sort this problem out when im inclined to believe its a bug or something at HP end/App/webservice end (given its been working fine up to end August).  However this doesn't help the instant ink situation.  They have currently given months credit to instant ink account until this is resolved in the meantime and I am led to believe they cant go any further, until virgin have done this part above.  

Shall I just go back to HP & tell them virgin couldnt help? 

[legacy1]

No problem here with my HP Printer on my wireless.

[Springer10112]

Thanks legacy1.   I dont have a problem with the wireless per say, printer is connected onto network (can see ip address/mac address, connection ‘excellent’, blue light is on and constant) and can print fine from laptop, phone/ipad.    Its just instant ink not feeding back through to HP whilst stating ‘offline’ & app says please connect to internet.   Its all very odd since beginning of september.

[jem101]

@Springer10112 indeed save yourself the bother, even if you did get through to VM's call centres, they are about as technically knowledgeable as my cat and certainly wouldn't do any of the stuff that HP have recommended. Indeed as mentioned above, it's just a script/list of things that 'might have some bearing on the issue but we don't know and just try anything' - none of them would actually fix the issue anyway.

Can you actually print OK? If so then the WiFi is working just fine and you'll mess with it at your peril. One thing you might try though is to log into your VirginMedia account and see if websafe or childsafe or whatever it's called is on. That can often interfere with some connections.

The whole instant-ink thing is a bit flaky at the best of times anyway.

[legacy1]

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@Springer10112 wrote:

Its just instant ink not feeding back through to HP whilst stating ‘offline’ & app says please connect to internet.   Its all very odd since beginning of september.

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yes my HP say online at their site when last checked today.

[goslow]

Another instant ink issue has just popped up on here today

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Networking-and-WiFi/Instant-Ink-not-connecting/td-p/4831633