Because a dot separates a subdomain from its parent, while a hyphen is just a character inside a name. In 123.hp.com, the registered domain is hp.com; “123” is a subdomain that only HP can create. In 123-hp.example, the registered domain is 123-hp.example, which anyone can register. The rule generalises: only what comes after the last dot-separated boundary of the registered domain is controlled by the domain’s owner.
Tool · Runs entirely in the browser
Check a Setup Address
The check runs in the browser. No address is transmitted, logged, or kept. The list it reads against is printed in full further down this page.
How the reading works
The only part of an address that identifies a site
In an address such as support.hp.com/drivers/model-name, the browser goes to the site named by the segment immediately before the first single slash — here, support.hp.com. Within that segment, the last two parts (or three, for endings such as .co.uk) are the registered domain: hp.com. That registered domain is the only thing that identifies who operates the site. Everything else in the address is chosen freely by whoever registered it.
Arrangements that look official and are not
123-hp-setup.example— the brand is inside a hyphenated name; the registered domain is not hp.com.hp.setup-portal.example— the brand is a subdomain of someone else’s domain.example.net/123.hp.com/setup— the brand is in the path, after the first slash; the site is example.net.epsonsupport.example— the brand is fused into an unrelated domain name.support.brother.com.example— the real domain is example; everything before it is decoration.
What the tool actually does
- Extracts the host from whatever is pasted — a bare address, a full link, or an address with a path.
- Reduces the host to its registered domain, allowing for two-level endings such as .co.uk and .com.au.
- Compares that domain to a conservative list of HP, Epson and Brother domains, printed below.
- Separately notes when an address merely contains a manufacturer’s name without belonging to it — the signature of an imitation.
- Reports one of three findings: recognised, contains the name but not recognised, or not on the list.
What the tool does not do
It does not certify that any site is safe, and it does not declare any site to be a scam. “Not on the list” means exactly that: the list is deliberately limited to three manufacturers’ principal domains, and a genuine regional site may be absent from it. “Recognised” means the registered domain is one of those on the list; it says nothing about the content of the page. The manufacturer’s own printed documentation is the authority on its addresses. This reference is independent of every manufacturer and is not a security service.
Official sources · leaves this site
The list this tool reads against
The addresses below belong to the manufacturers themselves. They are the only places from which setup software, drivers and support material should ever be obtained, and they are intended to be typed into the browser's address bar — the strip at the very top of the window — rather than into a search box. Each link leaves this site and opens the manufacturer's own domain. This reference is not affiliated with any of them.
HP · HP Inc.
- www.hp.com Corporate and product site
- support.hp.com Support, drivers and documentation
- 123.hp.com Setup shortcut printed on packaging
HP serves its country sites as paths under hp.com (for example hp.com/in-en or hp.com/gb-en) rather than as separate domains.
Epson · Seiko Epson Corporation
- www.epson.com Corporate and product site (US)
- support.epson.net Global support, drivers and documentation
Epson operates separate country domains — epson.co.uk, epson.com.au, epson.co.in and others — each ending in a genuine epson domain.
Brother · Brother Industries, Ltd.
- www.brother.com Global corporate site
- support.brother.com Support, drivers and documentation
- setup.brother.com Setup shortcut printed on packaging
Brother operates separate country domains — brother-usa.com, brother.co.uk, brother.com.au and others.
A brand name appearing inside a longer address — as a prefix, a subfolder, a hyphenated addition, or a word inside an unrelated domain — does not make that address official. The identifying part of any address is the segment immediately before the first single slash. The address checker on this site reads that segment automatically.
Reference
Questions about checking addresses
Not necessarily. The list covers principal domains only, and manufacturers operate many regional sites. An address printed by the manufacturer on its own packaging is, by definition, the manufacturer’s. The tool is for addresses encountered elsewhere — in search results, messages, pop-ups and advertisements — where the question of who operates the site is open.
No. The comparison happens inside the browser, against a list embedded in this page. There is no request to any server, no logging, and nothing is stored. Closing the page discards the input.
No. The padlock means the connection to the site is encrypted. It says nothing about who operates the site; imitation sites are routinely encrypted. The registered domain, not the padlock, is what identifies the operator.