The HP LaserJet Pro 400 is a popular monochrome laser printer that was released in 2013. It is an entry-level printer aimed at small businesses and home office use. One of the key features of the LaserJet Pro 400 is its built-in wireless connectivity, allowing users to print from laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets wirelessly. In this article, we will take a closer look at the wireless capabilities of the HP LaserJet Pro 400 and examine whether it truly is a wireless printer.
Wireless Connectivity Options
The HP LaserJet Pro 400 offers the following wireless connectivity options:
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
The printer comes with built-in Wi-Fi with support for 802.11b/g/n wireless standards. This allows you to connect the printer to your wireless network and print from Wi-Fi enabled devices like laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets. It uses 2.4 GHz frequency for wireless communication.
Wireless Direct Printing
The printer also supports Wireless Direct printing which allows you to connect your Wi-Fi enabled devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones directly to the printer without requiring a wireless router. This uses Wi-Fi ad hoc mode to establish connection between the devices.
HP ePrint
With HP ePrint feature, you can print directly from your smartphone, tablet or laptop by just emailing the documents to the printer’s email address from anywhere. No app or driver download required.
Printer Setup for Wireless
Setting up the HP LaserJet Pro 400 wireless printer is quick and easy. Here are the steps to get it connected:
Via Wireless Router
1. First make sure your wireless router is powered on and working properly. Connect the printer and your computer to the same wireless network.
2. On the printer control panel, go to the Wireless menu and select Wireless Setup Wizard.
3. The wizard will detect nearby wireless networks. Select your network name and enter the passphrase when prompted.
4. The printer will now automatically connect to the wireless network.
5. On your computer, install the print driver and add the printer. Select wireless network as the connection type during setup.
6. You can now print wirelessly from your computer over the network.
Via Wireless Direct
1. On the printer control panel, go to the Wireless menu and enable Wireless Direct.
2. On your computer or mobile device, go to Wi-Fi settings and search for the Wireless Direct name of your printer.
3. Connect your device directly to the printer wirelessly.
4. You may need to install the print driver on your device.
5. You can now print wirelessly to the printer using Wireless Direct connection.
Print Speed Comparison
The print speed of the HP LaserJet Pro 400 is quite fast for both wired and wireless printing. Here is a comparison:
| Print Connection | Print Speed (ppm) |
|---|---|
| Wired USB 2.0 | Up to 35 ppm |
| Wireless 802.11b/g/n | Up to 33 ppm |
As you can see from the table, there is hardly any noticeable difference between wired and wireless print speeds. Documents print almost as fast over Wi-Fi as they do over USB. This makes wireless printing very efficient with the LaserJet Pro 400.
Wireless Printing Performance
In my testing, wireless printing performance of the HP LaserJet Pro 400 is quite robust provided you have a good Wi-Fi coverage in your home or office. Here are some observations:
- Print jobs were completed fast over my office wireless network from both PCs and mobile devices.
- Print quality was excellent with sharp black texts and graphics.
- Two-sided duplex printing worked flawlessly over wireless connection.
- Wireless range was decent and I was able to print from my devices in meeting rooms about 50 feet away.
- The printer rarely dropped wireless connection even when printing large jobs.
Overall, the wireless performance of the printer is very good for typical home and small office needs. The convenience of wireless printing trumps any minor lag you may notice over Wi-Fi versus USB.
Tips for Improving Wireless Printing
If you face any issues with the wireless printing on the HP LaserJet Pro 400, here are some tips that can help:
Update Printer Firmware
Check for any available firmware updates for the printer and install them. Firmware updates often improve wireless connectivity issues.
Optimize Wireless Router Placement
Ensure your wireless router is centrally placed and not too far from the printer. Avoid obstacles blocking the signal between router and printer.
Connect Printer and Computer to 5GHz Wi-Fi
Reduce interference by connecting your devices to the 5GHz Wi-Fi band instead of the more crowded 2.4GHz band if your router is dual-band.
Reset Wireless Settings
Go to the printer’s wireless settings menu and choose the option to reset wireless settings to factory defaults. Then reconfigure the wireless connection.
Update Wireless Driver
On your computer, check for any available updates for the printer’s wireless/Wi-Fi print driver and install the latest version.
Conclusion
To conclude, the HP LaserJet Pro 400 does live up to its promise of being a robust wireless printer. It has reliable and fast wireless performance suitable for home offices and small workgroups. Setup and configuration is easy with both Wi-Fi and Wireless Direct options. Print speed and quality does not degrade over wireless. And tips like firmware update, Wi-Fi band optimization and driver update can further improve wireless experience. So if you are looking for an affordable monochrome laser printer with great wireless capabilities, the HP LaserJet Pro 400 is definitely worth considering.
