HP LaserJet Pro M404dw Wireless Monochrome Printer with built-in Ethernet & 2-sided printing (W1A56A)

Summary: mostly, a terrific printer. Three minor issues encountered.I'll get the issues out of the way first. Complaint #1: the WiFi set up was awful. I tried three times to get my password in. I finally got the printer on my home network, after a lot of annoyance. I was not able to get the printer registered into the "HP Smart" software system. I carefully deleted every bit of the "HP Smart" software. Complaint #2: the LED display panel on top of the printer has a small visible flaw, a black line that will not go away. The display is quite small and hard to read already, and this flaw is not helping. Complaint #3: it appears that the toner cartridge has an electronic chip in it. This prevents third parties from selling replacements, you have to buy the HP cartridge. Around $105 at this writing.Otherwise, a fabulous printer. After enduring two defective printers (Brother and Lexmark) I am very pleased. The print quality is terrific. In a week of use, I have not experienced any paper jams. I have printed lots of double-sided and legal size. No issues. The printer if fast. Unlike every other printer I have used, this one has a 5 GHz WiFI radio. In my home, the 5 GHz network is very much faster than the 2.4 GHz network.This is not a cheap printer, so I have to hope that it will last a few years at least. Looking at and squeezing the various plastic parts of the printer, it all seems like average quality consumer electronics to me. Thin, cheap plastic for the most part, but certainly not out of the ordinary. I am cautiously optimistic.

Great easy to use printer. The only thing is that the toner cartridges are expensive and go out FAST! Great printer though!

I have worked in the IT industry for over 17 years (and even longer as the "family computer guy") and have come across a multitude of printers: Canon, Lexmark, Epson, Brother, Konica, HP, Ricoh, and all have their Pros and Cons. One thing is common, however: HP is the most widely used in the business world and for good reasons!So, how does this monochrome (black and white-only printing) HP LJ Pro M404dw fare? Pretty well!IN A NUTSHELLThe latest addition to the LaserJet Pro line of printers produces sharp, fast, two-sided printing with business-class features and security. The cost of replacement toners is high but has the capacity to output a large number of pages. It is a well-made, compact, professional-looking printer that I have no hesitations to recommend for the home or small office.PROS- Crisp, sharp print quality for text and graphics- Fast print speed (up to 40 ppm)- Compact, sturdy, and professional looking- Printing options: WiFi, WiFi Direct (device directly connected to printer), Ethernet wired network, USB cable printing, or email--- M404dn model lacks the WiFi/WiFi Direct options--- An email address is provided through the HP Smart app to which you can forward emails to for printing- Can print directly from mobile devices (both Android and Apple iOS) either through the HP Smart app or from other apps that support mobile printing- Easy WiFi configuration by downloading the HP Smart app (Apple iOS/Android/Windows 10)--- HP Smart app effortlessly detected the printer, guiding you through configuration, usage, and provides statistical data--- Windows 10 app through the Microsoft App Store works very well- Email notification of events, such as out-of-paper or hack attempts- Duplex printing (prints on both sides) for supported sizes (letter, legal, executive, etc)- Advanced network and security configuration available (through the HP Smart app and a web browser interface)--- See "Security" section below for more details- Tray 1 opens on the front for checks/envelopes/manual feeding- Tray 2 holds paper for 250-sheet feeding, and a Tray 3 can be purchased- Works with HP 550-sheet feeder tray D9P29A- Came with USB cable- AirPrint: Apple Mac compatible- Google Cloud Print compatible--- To set up, the printer will waste 2 sheets: one with instructions and another to confirm setup was completed- Extended replacement toner available for VERY high capacity printing--- Included starter toner can print about 2,000 pages- Quiet mode (prints more quietly at the expense of speed), though I did not find the normal mode to be noisy- Configurable, automatic power on/off/sleep modes--- Defaults: Sleep Mode of 1 minute, Shutdown of 4 hours- Fairly light weight at 19 lbs- Additional, advanced, business-class features include--- SNMP, WINS, SLP, LPD, LLMNR, Syslog, NTP time sync--- Usage and Job reports--- Backup/Restore of settings and Firmware updatesCONS- Replacement toners are EXPENSIVE (HP 58A 3,000-pg capacity and HP 58X 10,000-pg capacity)- Did not include a network/Ethernet cableTIPS- The software to download for Windows and Mac OS is "HP Easy Start" which you can grab from HP's website- The software to use on mobile devices (Apple iOS/Android) is "HP Smart"- You can access the full, complete printer configuration by finding the IP address on the printer (or through the HP apps) and typing it into your web browser- The HP Smart app includes a free trial to Mobile Fax--- Allows you to fax print jobs from the app--- Requires you to have a valid fax number (per regulation), but does not need a phone landline--- I did not check what the service's cost is after the 1 month trialSECURITYIn today's environment, information security has become more important than ever. I thoroughly appreciate HP's inclusion of features and settings to help protect one's network. Here are some of them.- Removal of Web Services--- Although the printer conveniently allows you to print from the web or via email, any route a hacker can enter from presents a vulnerability.--- The HP Smart app allows you to turn off those web services to minimize the attack footprint--- The default admin password should be changed for additional security- Network Connectivity Options--- The printer allows you to turn on/off any unused printing options, including: wired ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP, IPPS)------ The IPP/ IPPS methods allow you to assign user access for printing from mobile devices- Certificates--- This topic is a BIG one on its own, and to many, a very confusing one------ In short, Certificates are like passports issued by an authority both parties trust. They help secure communication between the printer and the sender--- The HP M404dw uses a self-signed, pre-installed certificate and supports CA-signed ones that are PEM/Base64 encoded- Email Alerts--- You can be notified when a specific threshold is met (default: 1 minute)------ Cartridge missing, empty, or low------ Door open, media mismatch, paper jam, out of paper------ Job storage memory problems, such as USB device disconnected and out of memory- Firewall Rules--- Built-in firewall, complete with configuration of rule priority, address and service templates, service list--- Failsafe option where HTTPS remains accessible even if it is blocked by a firewall policy (so an admin doesn't accidentally get locked out)- Secure Communication--- Cipher suites, SSL/TLS protocols, and HTTPS redirection can be enabled/disabled- SNMP options include v1/v2 and v3- ACL: An IPv4-only access control list is available to control access to the printer- 802.1x Authentication: PEAP, EAP-TLS protocols are supported- Cartridge Protection to lock a toner to a specific printer to prevent theft--- Using a protected cartridge on another printer will not work--- The lock cannot be undone on that cartridge. It is permanentOverall, as with most HP printers, this is a quality, business-class product with the speed and sharpness the LaserJet Pro series is known for. The security features are a welcome sight! I do prefer the HP M404dw (WiFi) model (which costs $50 - $100 more) over the HP M404dn (USB/wired network) for its versatility of not having to be wired to the network, but the HP M404dn (USB/wired network) model is still a good purchase, especially at the current $219 price.If you found this review helpful, please click the "Helpful" button below to encourage me to write more. Thank you!

Terrific little personal office B&W laser printer. Fast printing, excellent print quality and fast auto duplexer with nice "automatic duplexing". Only two drawbacks, as others have noted: (1) Expensive toner replacement and security chip forces you to use HP cartridges in the guise of "preventing toner cartridge theft", which is beyond unbelievable. (2) The HP support site is one of the worst I have ever encountered. I consider myself lucky to have downloaded and installed the correct printer drivers/software on first try, just by chance clicked on the right buttons. Perhaps this is an offshore support site? I would never expect such a confusing support site from such a large company and flagship products with the good reputation of HP. God help us if we need support from the site. Otherwise, a great little printer for routine office print jobs and check printing, if you do not have high volume demands that would make the expensive toner replacement an issue. P.S. Generic toner replacement is available, but involves removing a chip from the old cartridge and gluing it to the new one (the printer cartridge will no longer display the amount of toner remaining) and HP states that the security chips may change over time (obviously, to discourage the competition on toner cartridge replacement). Someone should file an unfair trade practices case on this.