HP printer not connecting to EE Hub - worked fine on BT hub

[RobinS49]

This seems to be a common failing of the EE broadband hub...

After many years with various BT hubs that worked fine, I was switched to the EE hub that has been a pain and nowhere as easy to access as the last BT hub. The app for 'controlling' the hub is primitive.

Amongst the outstanding issues, it will not connect to my HP Photosmart printer via wifi.  The diagnostic on the printer suggests that maybe MAC filtering is enabled...  Both the HP printer diagnostic and the EE hub show the same MAC address for the printer. The printer is about 30cms from the hub.  (Though generally wifi signal strength around the house is not as good as the BT hub and I get regular drops of the WiFi signal - have to reconnect)

Any suggestions?

[Mustrum]

@RobinS49   which printer model do you have? Does it have WPS and have you tried using that to connect to the router?

[Minkey1]

@RobinS49 

Which router do you have? Which plan are you on? Do you have WiFi extenders?

We’ve had numerous issues with EE since the transfer, but router performance with our SH+ hasn’t been one. It’s been noticeably better than our BT SH2. 

These days we only have phones and a tablet, so everything “computing” is wifi. On the same product, speedtest results are improved and wifi coverage is better. For space reasons our Epson 442 is located upstairs in the opposite corner to the router. It’d always connect but often to print we’d need to stand by it. Now we can print from our handheld devices, sat downstairs.

[RobinS49]

Its the latest EE router (not the 5g version) which replaced the last generation BT one - which I'm missing now...

We have multiple Apple laptops, phones, pads, stereo, TV, Apple TV connected - mostly wifi with some mains ethernet extenders. It's a small house.  Previous changes of BT router versions were totally painless.  Not so this time...

I see quite a few others have had the printer problems

[Ewan15]

@RobinS49 The key is to use the HP Smart app to get your printer connected.

Hope this helps

[RobinS49]

thanks

Is the Smart App on the printer or does it run on the Mac?  Dont think Ive had to ever use it before. After many years...

[RobinS49]

Smart App only works if you are connected to wifi.  Thats the problem - the EE router won't allow the printer to connect even though the printer can see the router

[Ewan15]

@RobinS49 That's how I got my HP smart tank connected, which only has WIFI. The HP Smart App has a way of connecting to the printer provided the instructions are carefully followed, to set up the WIFI

[RobinS49]

Smart App talks to the printer but it's the EE router that won't connect to the printer.  Even though the printer can see the network.  Neither WPS nor manual inputting the password works.

(PS I used to work in IT..!)

[Minkey1]

What frequency does the printer wifi work on? (when it does). Does temporarily disabling the other at the router end and trying again make any difference?