How to Connect a Printer to WiFi
Getting your printer on WiFi means you can print from your laptop, phone, and tablet without plugging anything in. On most HP DeskJet printers there are four ways to do it: the HP Smart app (easiest for most people), the WPS button on your router (fastest if your router supports it), the Wireless Setup Wizard on the printer's own screen, or a temporary USB cable connection for models without a display. This guide walks through all four, plus the one setting — the 2.4GHz network band — that causes most connection failures.
boltQuick Answer
The easiest way to connect an HP DeskJet printer to WiFi is the HP Smart app: install it on your phone, tap the + to add your printer, and follow the setup flow — it finds the printer and joins it to your WiFi network for you. Your printer only works on the 2.4GHz band, so connect your phone to the 2.4GHz version of your network first; this single detail fixes most failed connections.
Before You Start: What You'll Need
A quick checklist
- Your WiFi network name (SSID) and password. The exact password matters — WiFi passwords are case-sensitive, so double-check capital letters.
- A phone or computer connected to your 2.4GHz network. Most DeskJets only support 2.4GHz, not 5GHz. If your router shows two network names (like "HomeWiFi" and "HomeWiFi_5G"), use the one without 5G for setup.
- The printer powered on and in wireless setup mode. On a new DeskJet this is automatic on first use; on an older printer you may need to restore network defaults (hold the Wireless and Cancel buttons together for about 3 seconds until the wireless light flashes).
- Router access (optional, for Method 2). You'll only need this if you use WPS.
Which method should you pick?
If you have a smartphone: Method 1 (HP Smart app) is the smoothest. If your router has a WPS button and you don't want to type passwords: Method 2. If your DeskJet has a touchscreen or small display with menus: Method 3. If your DeskJet has no display at all (like the 2130 or 2600 series): Method 4. Any of them gets you to the same place — a printer on your WiFi.
Method 1: Connect with the HP Smart App (Recommended)
Install HP Smart and connect your phone to the 2.4GHz network
Download the HP Smart app (free, iOS and Android) from your app store. Before opening it, connect your phone to your router's 2.4GHz network — not the 5GHz one. The app uses your phone's current WiFi connection as the network it joins the printer to, so getting this right now saves a failed setup later.
Add your printer
Open HP Smart and tap the + (plus) icon or Add Printer. If the printer is in setup mode (wireless light flashing), the app should find it within a minute. If it doesn't appear, choose Set up a new printer and follow the prompts — the app walks you through finding it.
Enter your WiFi password in the app
The app will ask for your network's password (it usually fills in the network name from your phone's connection). Type it carefully, then let the app send the settings to the printer. This takes 1–2 minutes. When the wireless light turns solid blue, the printer is on your network.
Finish setup and print a test page
Complete any remaining app prompts (HP account sign-in is optional — skip it if you don't want it). Then print a test page from the app to confirm everything works. From now on, any device on the same network can print to it.
Method 2: WPS Push-Button (No Password Typing)
Check that your router supports WPS
Look for a physical button on your router labeled WPS (sometimes shown as two arrows forming a circle). Most routers made in the last decade have one. If yours doesn't, skip to Method 3 or 4.
Put the printer in WPS mode
On the DeskJet, press and hold the Wireless button until the wireless light starts flashing (about 3 seconds). The printer is now listening for a WPS connection for roughly two minutes.
Press the WPS button on the router
Within two minutes, press and hold the WPS button on your router for about 3 seconds, then release. The two devices negotiate the connection automatically — no password needed. The printer's wireless light turns solid blue when it succeeds.
Note: WPS is convenient but has known security weaknesses
WPS (especially the PIN variant) has documented security flaws, which is why some newer routers disable it by default. The push-button method is reasonably safe for a one-time setup, but if your router maker has turned WPS off, that's intentional — use the HP Smart app instead.
Method 3: Wireless Setup Wizard (Printers with a Display)
Open the wireless menu on the printer
On DeskJets with a touchscreen or control-panel display (like the 2700e/2800e series), tap the Wireless icon on the home screen, then choose Settings → Wireless Setup Wizard. The printer scans for nearby networks.
Select your network and enter the password
Pick your network from the list — remember, it must be the 2.4GHz one. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your WiFi password (careful with capitalization), then confirm. The printer attempts to join; a confirmation message appears when it succeeds.
No display on your printer? Try Method 4
Entry-level models like the DeskJet 2130 and 2600 series have no screen to type a password on, which is exactly why Methods 1, 2, and 4 exist. Don't fight with the Wireless Setup Wizard on a printer that doesn't have one.
Method 4: USB-to-Wireless Setup (No Display, No App)
Connect the printer to your computer with a USB cable
Use a standard USB printer cable (USB-B to USB-A; often sold separately) between the DeskJet and a Windows or Mac computer. Turn the printer on.
Install the HP printer software on the computer
Download the full-feature driver for your model from HP's support site (or use the HP Smart app on the computer — both work). During installation, choose Wireless as the connection type when asked, even though you're plugged in via USB right now.
Let the software convert the connection to wireless
The installer detects the printer over USB, then offers to convert the USB connection to wireless. It sends your WiFi network name and password to the printer over the cable. When the wireless light goes solid blue, unplug the USB cable — the printer is now on WiFi on its own.
The 2.4GHz Problem: The #1 Reason Connections Fail
Most DeskJets can't see 5GHz networks — and that's normal
The vast majority of HP DeskJet printers have 2.4GHz-only WiFi radios. When a 5GHz network doesn't appear in the printer's network list, nothing is broken — the printer simply can't tune to that frequency. This is the single most common cause of "printer won't connect to WiFi" problems we hear about.
How to tell which band you're on
Check the network name your phone or computer is currently using. Many routers broadcast both: HomeNetwork (2.4GHz) and HomeNetwork_5G (5GHz). If your router uses one name for both ("band steering"), temporarily join the 2.4GHz band from your router's admin page during setup, or stand farther from the router so the phone drops to 2.4GHz.
After setup, everything still works together
Once the printer is on the 2.4GHz band and your devices are on either band of the same home network, they can all reach each other — routers bridge traffic between bands internally. You don't need to keep your phone on 2.4GHz after setup is done.
After Connecting: Verify and Test
Print a wireless network test report
Hold the Wireless button (and the Information button, if your model has one) for a few seconds to print a Wireless Network Test Report. It shows the network name, signal strength, and the printer's IP address — handy for everything below.
Add the printer on your computer
Windows: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device, and select your DeskJet. Mac: System Settings → Printers & Scanners → Add Printer, and pick the DeskJet from the list. Printing over WiFi doesn't require the HP Smart app on a computer, though the app adds useful features.
Print from your phone
iPhones print via AirPrint — just share/print from any app and pick the DeskJet (no app needed). Android phones can use the HP Smart app or Android's built-in printing service.
Optional: give the printer a fixed IP address
If your printer occasionally "disappears" from devices after router reboots, assign it a static IP in your router's admin page (find the printer's current IP on the test report, then reserve that address). This is optional — most setups work fine with the default dynamic address.
WiFi Connection Keeps Dropping? Quick Fixes
Move the printer closer to the router
Weak signal is the top cause of dropouts. Printers tucked in a far corner of the house lose the connection when the signal wavers. Aim for a clear line of sight and under about 30 feet; thick walls and metal filing cabinets are the worst offenders.
Restart the printer and the router
Power both off, wait 30 seconds, power the router on first, then the printer. This clears stale DHCP leases and channel assignments — the classic "turn it off and on again" works because it genuinely resets the network stack.
Printer shows "offline" on the computer
If the printer was working and now shows offline, don't redo the whole WiFi setup — the computer's cached port is usually the problem. Remove the printer from your computer's printer list and re-add it as in the previous section. Our HP DeskJet offline fix guide covers this in detail.
Try a different WiFi channel
If dropouts happen at the same time every day (like when neighbors get home), your router may be on a crowded channel. In the router's admin page, switch the 2.4GHz channel to 1, 6, or 11 — the non-overlapping channels that minimize interference.
Still nothing? Reset the printer's network settings
Restore wireless defaults (hold Wireless + Cancel for ~3 seconds on most DeskJets until the wireless light flashes), then run through Method 1 again from the top. A fresh start fixes configuration states that troubleshooting can't reach.