HP LaserJet Pro M404dw Monochrome Wireless Laser Printer with Double-Sided Printing (W1A56A) with Standard Yield Black Toner Cartridge

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!

I did not want to buy a new printer. My 20+ year old Laserjet 4000 was working flawlessly, thank you very much. Until suddenly it wasn't, when some internal frame parts snapped, and now it's deemed unfixable.So. Now I have this new printer. The footprint is a little bit smaller than the 4000, and the print speed is WAY faster. Making sure I got the "DN" model and not just the "N" was more work than it should have been, but it all worked out in the end.I still wish I didn't need a new printer. But, if i have to have one, this one will do the job very well.EDIT: OR NOT. Apparently this printer, unlike its (fantastic) predecessor, uses "chipped" toner cartridges that cost more than the **** printer did. I've already bought a replacement (for the printer, not the cartridge). Still looking to see whether the printer can be returned or whether I'll send it in for recycling. Either way, I've bought my last HP.

The printer prints fine but the stupid chip in the toner carts means you are going to be price gouged on toner. Even moving the chip over to a new cart won't solve the problem because eventually the printer will just stop printing if it thinks the toner has gotten too low.Pretty scummy HP.

I ordered this printer for my boss on the recommendation of our IT support organization. This is the boss's review:I got this printer because I print a lot of documents daily. Since day one I have had nothing but problems. In addition to paying for a new printer, we have had to pay our IT guy for at least 2 trips to the office and numerous remote sessions trying to fix things (which they fix temporarily). This has been a lemon from day one!The first thing it started doing was printing garbage across the top of the page (no document…just garbage), for pages and pages. I had to open the paper drawer just to get it to stop! The next thing it did was give me errors whenever I added paper (or other times for no reason at all). It wouldn’t print unless it was adjusted. Today, after our IT guy left from his third visit – the printer was put back to its factory defaults which prints double sided - again! If I want it to print single sided I have to go into settings and change the default….for every single document I print (e-mail or documents). I have never had such a bad experience with a printer over my 25 plus years of practicing law. I would be rich if I billed HP for the time spent dealing with this printer! We pay for a new printer, we pay for it to be fixed – but only temporarily – and we pay for the wasted time dealing with the worthless printer! And every time it is “fixed” it slows down the printing time – which was one of the reasons I got the printer in the first place!After this experience I will never purchase another HP product again!

The predecessor to this unit the 402 was basically impossible to set up wirelessly if you actually followed the inadequate instructions provided. After resolving never to buy HP again I bought this because another reviewer claimed set up was easy. The set up is the same as in the past with poor software and instructions which basically do not work.How to set this up: 1- connect printer to your wifi network using the "touch screen" on the printer its cumbersome but doable2- download the software -there are several sources for drivers the one the instructions direct you to does not include the m404 3. This is the key - connect to the printer with a cable then run the set up software - - once you configure it with the cable connection remove the cable and it should work

Good luck with the software on this printer in the new Windows 10 1809. Using it will cause your computer to stall for 2 or 3 minutes for the print screen and again 2 or 3 minutes to print. If you download the pcl driver you will be able to manually install it and then it won't stall. Known issue with previous versions of Windows including 1803 also. Not something we should have to deal with in Windows 10 anymore for a simple black and white laser printer.

CAUTION. This is NOT a true wireless printer. It requires a cable ethernet connection to your Reuter. The unit then provides limited wireless printing via your iOS device. The description is quite misleading.

Despite what the webpage says HP confirms this cannot be connected by wifi. Returned and bought the wifi version which has the suffix w rather than dn.

I needed a fast laser printer with a small footprint. The M404dw fits the bill perfectly. It is small enough to fit on a shelf, and the cartridge is replaced from the front, which removes the need to pull the machine out. The quality of print is excellent, and the machine is very fast, even with double sided printing. I prefer a wired connection but I also set the printer up for wireless printing from other computers than my desktop and with the HP app this was incredibly easy. Finally, the printing is good value if you get the large capacity cartridges. An excellent buy.

I found the listing mis-leading as it states “wireless” technical details. This is not an entirely wireless printer. If you want to print from iOS / Android you can but the printer needs to be plugged via an Ethernet cable. Defeats the purpose I think!! I needed workaround of using a power line adaptor.

This is a slow printer and pauses after the 3rd page for a few seconds then proceeds to print the next pages. If you find yourself printing more than 2-3 pages per print job you should not consider this printer.The first page out is fast, cartridges are expensive, we have been using this item in house for a few months now and find that we are able to print 20-25% more pages than what is stated on the cartridges which is very helpful.We have 3 people using the printer and the its very easy for the jobs to queue up as a result of the printer having to pause after the 3rd or 4th page per job. I hope that HP will fix this issue.