Avoid the HP Officejet Pro L7780 All-in-One Printer Fax Copy Scanner

Seriously, this last L7780 printer HP sent is a dud. Here’s the latest:

The problem with the WRT54G is “fixed” (by getting a new router, which HP says they are reimbursing me for… once the check shows up and clears I’ll let you know if that happened).

Trying to install the software on 2 different computers, it will SOMETIMES install the FAX driver and sometimes not.

Then, after I got it installed, I’d see the drivers for the printer go offline for no reason. Then back online again for no reason.

Then I turned on my computer and there were, suddenly, NO DRIVERS listed in “Printers & Faxes.” None. Gone.

So, I reinstalled the drivers.

The printer driver installed just fine.

But after the install software added the FAX driver, 5 seconds later it added another. And then 5 seconds later, another… and another and another and another.

I rebooted my computer and when it turned on, every 5 seconds there was yet another FAX driver added.

Once again, I did a “Level 3 uninstall.”

And then I called HP who had VERY interesting (and by “interesting” I mean “Are you SERIOUS?!”) news…

Thanks to a kind switchboard operator at HP, I was able to bypass my case manager and get one level higher in the food chain.

After a week of back-and-forth phone calls — where my admonition to “call me on my CELL PHONE” apparently never made it to the right person, since I kept getting voicemails on my HOME phone — the case manager’s boss said to the case manager:

Am I understanding correctly that the L7780 is incompatible with the Linksys WRT54G router?

Yes, the CM answered.

And is it also correct that we don’t publish this on a spec sheet anywhere?

Correct, the CM answered.

Then the appropriate thing to do is reimburse Mr. Sashen for a router that WILL work with our printer.

And, I added, the ink cartridges that I wasted by repeatedly going through the useless restarting of the printer.

Agreed.

And so, the first step toward a resolution.

Now, that said, the printer still has a number of software glitches, including that you can use the Digital Filing button to send scanned images directly to your computer, but if you use the menus to do the EXACT SAME process, you get a “communications error” and the feature doesn’t work.

Here’s the problem:

HP knows that the L7780 does not work with the Linksys WRT54G.

BUT, they don’t tell you this before you purchase — there’s nothing on their website warning you about the incompatibility.

Further, AFTER you buy, you have to go through HOURS AND HOURS of time dealing with Tech Support people who have not been told about this problem… so they make you do stupid things like “move the printer to another room to make sure you have good electricity.”

EVENTUALLY, you may find a senior support person who knows about the problem. They’ll tell you that it’s a known issue and that HP will provide a fix in the near future.

That fix never comes.

Then, here’s the kicker, HP says the only “solution” is to go spend money to get a new router.

See, what they don’t understand is: Had they provided the information that they KNEW, I wouldn’t need a new router… because I would have returned the piece of crap printer and not been forced to spend almost a week dealing with their low-level tech support people… who COULD HAVE BEEN informed about this issue (how hard is it to build into their scripts: “Oh, you’re having wireless networking problems… do you have the WRT54G router?”)

When they revealed that the HP Officejet L7780 was not compatible with my router, the popular (sold on the HP website!) Linksys WRT54G, their solution:

“Buy another router.”

Excuse me?!

I just spent an extra $100 to get a printer with wireless networking and now I’m supposed to spend MORE MONEY to get DIFFERENT HARDWARE?

Are you insane?

My CELL PHONE can talk to the router… but this $500 printer can’t?!

WHAT?

If you use wireless network wizard to connect the L7780 to your Linksys WRT54G router, it will CRASH the printer.

BUT if you connect the printer to your computer with an ethernet cable, and THEN set up wireless networking, it’ll work FINE with the router!

This PROVES that the problem is NOT with the router.

Now, here’s the fun part.

Restart the router.

The printer will freeze, and require a restart to factory defaults which, again, takes over 30 minutes and wastes TONS of ink.

Here’s the nutshell of the problem:

The HP printer is incompatible with the Linksys Wireless Router — WRT54G

Not only is this one of the most popular routers EVER SOLD… HP sells it on their own website!

Level 1 technicians do not know this.

Presales support does not know this.

But if you try to use the wireless networking wizard in the HP L7780 printer with the Linksys WRT54G router, you will crash the printer.

And HP will blame the router.