[Computer Corner]

Note: This is a somewhat technical article but most people can follow along.

If your computer regularly loses communication with your wireless HP product, it can help to give the HP product a static IP address. This address will not change over time and your computer might have an easier time recognizing the HP product after long periods of printer inactivity.

The following video demonstrates how to assign the printer a static IP address.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llYNMNKJMX4]Assigning a Static IP Address to Your Wireless HP Printer - Windows 7 - YouTube[/ame]


NOTE:This video shows the Windows 7 operating system and the HP Officejet Pro 8500A (A910a) e-All-in-One printer. The steps for navigating your operating system might be slightly different, but the steps to assign the printer a static IP address are the same.

Follow these steps to assign a static IP address to your HP product.
Refer to the network configuration page or the wireless network test report that you printed in Step one, and locate the IP address of the HP product.
Open a new Internet browser window, and type the IP address of the HP product in the browser's address bar, and then press Enter . A web page displays, showing the internal settings of the HP product.
Click the Networking tab, click the Wireless tab, and then click the IPv4 tab. (Your menu path might be slightly different, depending on your HP product model.) A new settings page displays.
On the page that displays, make the following changes:
Set a Manual IP : Your wireless router automatically sets an IP address within a specific range (called the DHCP range). If you know what the DHCP range is, set an IP address in which the last set of numbers is outside that range, but no higher than 254. Keep the first three sets of numbers the same. If you do not know the DHCP range, select a fairly high IP address, like 250 (again, for the last set of numbers). To learn about your router's DHCP range, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or wireless router manufacturer.
Set subnet address : Use 255.255.255.0, unless you know that it is different, in which case you should use that number.
Set the gateway address and the first DNS : Enter your router's IP (can be found on the network configuration page or the wireless network test report).

NOTE:Leave the second DNS field blank.
Click Apply . The screen will not refresh. If you changed the HP product's IP address from what you typed into your Internet browser, you will have to type in the new IP address to access the HP product. If you did not change the HP product's IP address, wait 30 seconds after clicking Apply, and then click the Refresh button in your browser.
Print another network configuration page (or wireless network test report) from the control panel on your HP product to verify that the product's IP address is what you assigned.
Turn off the wireless router. If the wireless router does not have a power button, disconnect the power cord on the router to turn it off.
Press the Power button ( ) on the HP product to turn it off.
Turn the wireless router back on. If the wireless router does not have a power button, reconnect the power cord to the router to turn it on.
Press the Power button ( ) on the HP product to turn it on again.
If you changed your HP product's IP address, there might be an additional step needed, depending on your printer model (this step applies only to Windows users):
Locate the HP folder:

If the Update IP Address entry is not present, then no additional steps are required.
If the Update IP Address is present, click it and enter the new IP address that you assigned earlier in these steps.

If your HP product is connected to the wireless network, and you are able to print and scan , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.