Hey, like probably some people I’m using WLED all day without knowing how it really works in the heart.
Thus I am asking something superficial:
How WLED uses Wifi as an essence? Assuming you have got WLED installed on an ESP-Module and connected to your Home Wifi. How data is running now when accessing on WLED?
Is it like:
[Device with WLED connected to Home Wifi] - Sending Data to - [Home Wifi] - Sending Data to - [ESP]
?
Also some side-questions running through my head:
Why not using some other data transfers possibilities like Bluetooth and such?
How important is it to have the ESP connected to Home Wifi ? For example if the ESP is out of Home Wifi, but close enough to a Device with WLED connected to Home Wifi- will the ESP still receive Data?
Probably not.
So in Case it is important to have both the ESP and Device to be in Home Wifi range, but the Wifi is weak where the ESP is located. Can another ESP be used to amplify the Home Wifi signal to the spot?
Actually is it possible to use an ESP as own Wifi hotspot similar to the role of Home Wifi?
I know most of these questions can be covered with some digging but I have trouble finding the answers.
“Mode” 1)
WLED uses the WiFi as an interface to ask/configure the core software that drives LEDs.
If you’re using a single MCU as a “standalone” device driving a strip(s) then the WiFi GUI is largely used to set things up initially and configure all the things attached (strips/buttons/sensors/Time presets/etc).
While the MCU is “running by itself”, there’s largely no need for WiFi at all.
It just does what you pre-configure it to do.
“Mode” 2)
There’s another portion of WLED that allows for interfacing to a raft of external software and devices as documented in the KB under “Interfaces”. In this mode, WLED acts as a conduit to pass data that comes from other WLED MCU’s (Virtual LEDS, Sync, etc) or external software (LedFx, Jinx, DMX to name just a few). This second mode requires “Live” Wifi to use the ethernet interface for the data being streamed to the MCU node(s). In some cases people have swapped the WiFi interface for hardwired ethernet so they can guarantee minimal jitter/conflicts/response time.
The WLED AP mode is just a version of scenario 1) where you don’t have a WiFi router available so the WLED MCU acts like one giving you a simple “hotspot” to connect your phone or laptop to so you can configure the node.