Access point problem

Issues
1

After successful initial setup and days of use, if I make a change in the WiFi setup and push the “Save and Connect” box, the esp will often go offline. Entering the WiFi password I made up and used during initial setup of the esp, the login to the access point always fails. Powering off and on the esp brings the esp back to life. I go to WiFi setup and change the access point login back to the suggested password “wled1234” and push “Save and Connect”. The esp goes offline and I enter the “wled1234” password trying to connect to the access point, it fails.

If I make a change in the WiFi setup, press Save and Connect, and the esp goes offline. Then power it off and esp comes back online and review the changes i made in the WiFi setup, the changes seem like they stick and are still there.

So the questions are: why does an esp go offline after using “Save and Connect”? And two, is the password “wled1234” the only password to be used in the access setup and did using something different in the initial setup mess up the password from then on?

During the initial setup of the esp everything functions as expected. I’m using WLED version 9b-1, on a 8266 nodemcu, using an up to date iPad and an up to date WLED app.

2

Hi @LowOverhead, WLED is used to log into an existing WiFi network.
The AP is only opened to enter the correct WiFi credentials of the WLAN you want to connect to.

After pressing “Save and Connect”, WLED does try to connect to the WLAN you entered and if I did understand right, you did not enter any credentials of an existing WiFi network, did you ?

After trying 12 seconds WLED does open an AP you can connect to.

So, is there a reason why you don’t connect WLED to your existing WiFi network ?

3

Thanks for answering. Here is a typical sequence. I take a new esp, flash it with WLED version 9b-1, log onto it, fill out all the setting blanks, connect it to my local area network, and the esp connects and works perfectly with the WLED app and the LEDs respond perfectly. All good.

Then hours, days or even weeks later, I decide I would like to make a change in the “WiFi Setup”. This change maybe anything like changing the IP from dynamic to static, change the Access Point password, or hide or show AP name. Anything in in the “WiFi Setup”, does not matter what I change. When I make the change I must save the change. I push the “Save & Connect” button to save the new programming.

After pushing the “Save & Connect” button. The esp and WLED software goes “Offline”, it is disconnected from my LAN. I have the esp and WLED setup to start the access point upon “disconnection”.

As expected when disconnected, the esp access point shows up in my available networks list along with the 10 networks in my neighborhood. All good, the access point is running and appears to be working.

Now I try to logon to the access point. I use the password I made and put in the programming the very FIRST time when the esp WLED was initially created. That password does not work, login fails. So I try the “wled1234” password, login fails. No matter how many times I try, login fails. I cannot connect to the access point.

So I power off the esp, power it up and WLED starts up perfectly and whatever change I made in the “WiFi Setup” is there. So for whatever reason, when I enter the “WiFi Setup” menu, make a change and push the “Save & Connect” button the change is saved, but the esp/WLED disconnects and goes offline. And the access point starts up, but I cannot log into the access point. The access point password does not work.

So my problem is two pronged: why does the esp/WLED disconnect and go offline after pushing the “Save & Connect” button and secondly the access point password(s) do not work.

4

Hi @LowOverhead, this sounds like a wrong binary being flashed.
What ESP board do you use ? And how much flash does it have ?

Using a binary that has been compiled for a different flash size does result in axactly what you describe.

5

ESP8266 NodeMCU CP2102 ESP-12E WiFi
with 4M flash (3M SPIFFS)

Flashed using
WLED 0.9.0-b1 ESP8266.bin

I have 8 spread around the house of which there are three different vendors. I’ll gather them up and determine differences based on vendor. I was hoping the next version of WLED would become available and see if it corrected my problems.

6

Hi @LowOverhead, if you want to try, this is the binary from the actual master:
WLED pre-0.9.1 ESP8266 nodeMCU.bin (546.2 KB)
Compiled with standard setting (core 2.6.2, 4M flash with 1M spiffs).

1 Like
7

Initial test indicates vast improvement. However, will convert a second indoor esp currently running 9b-1 to pre release 9.1 for further testing. Remaining devices not appropriate for testing as ambient temperatures too cold. They are in the garage and it’s not heated and it’s subzero F outdoors. Brrrr…

Thanks.