- This document describes the implementation of only the **latest** IDF release. Backward compatibility with older versions of ESP-IDF is not guaranteed.
- This document describes the features which have already been implemented in the **latest** IDF release. For features that are now in developing/testing status, we also provide brief descriptions, while indicating the release versions in which these features will be eventually implemented.
- If you find anything wrong/ambiguous/hard to understand or inconsistent with the implementation, feel free to let us know about it on our IDF GitHub page.
Generally, the most effective way to begin your own Wi-Fi application is to select an example which is similar to your own application, and port the useful part into your project. It is not a MUST but it is strongly recommended that you take some time to read this article first, especially if you want to program a robust Wi-Fi application. This article is supplementary to the Wi-Fi APIs/Examples. It describes the principles of using the Wi-Fi APIs, the limitations of the current Wi-Fi API implementation, and the most common pitfalls in using Wi-Fi. This article also reveals some design details of the Wi-Fi driver. We recommend that you become familiar at least with the following sections: <`ESP32 Wi-Fi API Error Code`_>, <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Programming Model`_>, and <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Event Description`_>.
Setting Wi-Fi Compile-time Options
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Refer to <`Wi-Fi Menuconfig`_>
Init Wi-Fi
+++++++++++
Refer to <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Station General Scenario`_>, <`ESP32 Wi-Fi soft-AP General Scenario`_>.
Start/Connect Wi-Fi
++++++++++++++++++++
Refer to <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Station General Scenario`_>, <`ESP32 Wi-Fi soft-AP General Scenario`_>.
Event-Handling
++++++++++++++
Generally, it is easy to write code in "sunny-day" scenarios, such as <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_START`_>, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_CONNECTED`_> etc. The hard part is to write routines in "rainy-day" scenarios, such as <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> etc. Good handling of "rainy-day" scenarios is fundamental to robust Wi-Fi applications. Refer to <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Event Description`_>, <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Station General Scenario`_>, <`ESP32 Wi-Fi soft-AP General Scenario`_>
Write Error-Recovery Routines Correctly at All Times
Just like the handling of "rainy-day" scenarios, a good error-recovery routine is also fundamental to robust Wi-Fi applications. Refer to <`ESP32 Wi-Fi API Error Code`_>
ESP32 Wi-Fi API Error Code
---------------------------
All of the ESP32 Wi-Fi APIs have well-defined return values, namely, the error code. The error code can be categorized into:
Whether the error is critical or not depends on the API and the application scenario, and it is defined by the API user.
**The primary principle to write a robust application with Wi-Fi API is to always check the error code and write the error-handling code.** Generally, the error-handling code can be used:
- for recoverable errors, in which case you can write a recoverable-error code. For example, when esp_wifi_start returns ESP_ERR_NO_MEM, the recoverable-error code vTaskDelay can be called, in order to get a microseconds' delay for another try.
- for non-recoverable, yet non-critical, errors, in which case printing the error code is a good method for error handling.
- for non-recoverable, critical errors, in which case "assert" may be a good method for error handling. For example, if esp_wifi_set_mode returns ESP_ERR_WIFI_NOT_INIT, it means that the Wi-Fi driver is not initialized by esp_wifi_init successfully. You can detect this kind of error very quickly in the application development phase.
In esp_err.h, ESP_ERROR_CHECK checks the return values. It is a rather commonplace error-handling code and can be used
as the default error-handling code in the application development phase. However, we strongly recommend that the API user writes their own error-handling code.
ESP32 Wi-Fi Programming Model
------------------------------
The ESP32 Wi-Fi programming model is depicted as follows::
The Wi-Fi driver can be considered a black box that knows nothing about high-layer code, such as the
TCPIP stack, application task, event task, etc. All the Wi-Fi driver can do is receive API calls from the high layer,
or post an event-queue to a specified queue which is initialized by API esp_wifi_init().
The event task is a daemon task which receives events from the Wi-Fi driver or from other subsystems, such
as the TCPIP stack. The event task will call the default callback function upon receiving the event. For example,
upon receiving SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_CONNECTED, it will call tcpip_adapter_start() to start the DHCP
client in its default handler.
An application can register its own event callback function by using API esp_event_init. Then, the application callback
function will be called after the default callback. Also, if the application does not want to execute the callback
in the event task, it needs to post the relevant event to the application task in the application callback function.
The application task (code) generally mixes all these things together: it calls APIs to initialize the system/Wi-Fi and
handle the events when necessary.
ESP32 Wi-Fi Event Description
------------------------------------
SYSTEM_EVENT_WIFI_READY
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Wi-Fi driver will never generate this event, which, as a result, can be ignored by the application event callback. This event may be removed in future releases.
SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The scan-done event is triggered by esp_wifi_scan_start() and will arise in the following scenarios:
- The scan is completed, e.g., the target AP is found successfully, or all channels have been scanned.
- The scan is stopped by esp_wifi_scan_stop().
- The esp_wifi_scan_start() is called before the scan is completed. A new scan will override the current scan and a scan-done event will be generated.
The scan-done event will not arise in the following scenarios:
- It is a blocked scan.
- The scan is caused by esp_wifi_connect().
Upon receiving this event, the event task does nothing. The application event callback needs to call esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_num() and esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_records() to fetch the scanned AP list and trigger the Wi-Fi driver to free the internal memory which is allocated during the scan **(do not forget to do this)**!
Refer to 'ESP32 Wi-Fi Scan' for a more detailed description.
SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_START
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If esp_wifi_start() returns ESP_OK and the current Wi-Fi mode is Station or SoftAP+Station, then this event will arise. Upon receiving this event, the event task will initialize the LwIP network interface (netif). Generally, the application event callback needs to call esp_wifi_connect() to connect to the configured AP.
SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_STOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If esp_wifi_stop() returns ESP_OK and the current Wi-Fi mode is Station or SoftAP+Station, then this event will arise. Upon receiving this event, the event task will release the station's IP address, stop the DHCP client, remove TCP/UDP-related connections and clear the LwIP station netif, etc. The application event callback generally does not need to do anything.
SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_CONNECTED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If esp_wifi_connect() returns ESP_OK and the station successfully connects to the target AP, the connection event will arise. Upon receiving this event, the event task starts the DHCP client and begins the DHCP process of getting the IP address. Then, the Wi-Fi driver is ready for sending and receiving data. This moment is good for beginning the application work, provided that the application does not depend on LwIP, namely the IP address. However, if the application is LwIP-based, then you need to wait until the *got ip* event comes in.
SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This event can be generated in the following scenarios:
- When esp_wifi_disconnect(), or esp_wifi_stop(), or esp_wifi_deinit(), or esp_wifi_restart() is called and the station is already connected to the AP.
- When esp_wifi_connect() is called, but the Wi-Fi driver fails to set up a connection with the AP due to certain reasons, e.g. the scan fails to find the target AP, authentication times out, etc.
- When the Wi-Fi connection is disrupted because of specific reasons, e.g., the station continuously loses N beacons, the AP kicks off the station, the AP's authentication mode is changed, etc.
Upon receiving this event, the event task will shut down the station's LwIP netif and notify the LwIP task to clear the UDP/TCP connections which cause the wrong status to all sockets. **For socket-based applications, the application callback needs to close all sockets and re-create them, if necessary, upon receiving this event.**
Now, let us consider the following scenario:
- The application creates a TCP connection to maintain the application-level keep-alive data that is sent out every 60 seconds.
- Due to certain reasons, the Wi-Fi connection is cut off, and the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> is raised. According to the current implementation, **all TCP connections will be removed and the keep-alive socket will be in a wrong status**. However, since the application designer believes that the network layer should NOT care about this error at the Wi-Fi layer, the application does not close the socket.
- Five seconds later, the Wi-Fi connection is restored because esp_wifi_connect() is called in the application event callback function.
- Sixty seconds later, when the application sends out data with the keep-alive socket, the socket returns an error and the application closes the socket and re-creates it when necessary.
Generally, if the application has a correct error-handling code, upon receiving <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> the socket can quickly detect the failure without having to wait for 55 seconds. For applications similar to the keep-alive example, we suggest that you close all sockets, once the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> is received, and that you restart the application when SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_CONNECTED arises.
Ideally, the application sockets and the network layer should not be affected, since the Wi-Fi connection only fails temporarily and recovers very quickly. In future IDF releases, we are going to provide a more robust solution for handling events that disrupt Wi-Fi connection, as ESP32's Wi-Fi functionality continuously improves.
SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_AUTHMODE_CHANGE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This event arises when the AP to which the station is connected changes its authentication mode, e.g., from no auth to WPA. Upon receiving this event, the event task will do nothing. Generally, the application event callback does not need to handle this either.
SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_GOT_IP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_STA_GOT_IP6
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This event arises when the DHCP client successfully gets the IP address from the DHCP server. The event means that everything is ready and the application can begin its tasks (e.g., creating sockets).
The IP may be changed because of the following reasons:
- The DHCP client fails to renew/rebind the IP address, and the station's IP is reset to 0.
- The DHCP client rebinds to a different address.
- The static-configured IP address is changed.
The socket is based on the IP address, which means that, if the IP changes, all sockets relating to this IP will become abnormal. Upon receiving this event, the application needs to close all sockets and recreate the application when the IP changes to a valid one.
SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_START
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Similar to <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_START`_>.
SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_STOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Similar to <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_STOP`_>.
SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_STACONNECTED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Every time a station is connected to ESP32 SoftAP, the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_STACONNECTED`_> will arise. Upon receiving this event, the event task will do nothing, and the application callback can also ignore it. However, you may want to do something, for example, to get the info of the connected STA, etc.
SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_STADISCONNECTED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This event can happen in the following scenarios:
- The application calls esp_wifi_disconnect(), or esp_wifi_deauth_sta(), to manually disconnect the station.
- The Wi-Fi driver kicks off the station, e.g. because the SoftAP has not received any packets in the past five minutes, etc.
- The station kicks off the SoftAP.
When this event happens, the event task will do nothing, but the application event callback needs to do something, e.g., close the socket which is related to this station, etc.
SYSTEM_EVENT_AP_PROBEREQRECVED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Currently, the ESP32 implementation will never generate this event. It may be removed in future releases.
ESP32 Wi-Fi Station General Scenario
---------------------------------------
Below is a "big scenario" which describes some small scenarios in Station mode::
- s1.1: The main task calls tcpip_adapter_init() to create an LwIP core task and initialize LwIP-related work.
- s1.2: The main task calls esp_event_loop_init() to create a system Event task and initialize an application event's callback function. In the scenario above, the application event's callback function does nothing but relaying the event to the application task.
- s1.3: The main task calls esp_wifi_init() to create the Wi-Fi driver task and initialize the Wi-Fi driver.
- s1.4: The main task calls OS API to create the application task.
Step 1.1~1.4 is a recommended sequence that initializes a Wi-Fi-/LwIP-based application. However, it is **NOT** a must-follow sequence, which means that you can create the application task in step 1.1 and put all other initializations in the application task. Moreover, you may not want to create the application task in the initialization phase if the application task depends on the sockets. Rather, you can defer the task creation until the IP is obtained.
2. Wi-Fi Configuration Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Once the Wi-Fi driver is initialized, you can start configuring the Wi-Fi driver. In this scenario, the mode is Station, so you may need to call esp_wifi_set_mode(WIFI_MODE_STA) to configure the Wi-Fi mode as Station. You can call other esp_wifi_set_xxx APIs to configure more settings, such as the protocol mode, country code, bandwidth, etc. Refer to <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Configuration`_>.
Generally, we configure the Wi-Fi driver before setting up the Wi-Fi connection, but this is **NOT** mandatory, which means that you can configure the Wi-Fi connection anytime, provided that the Wi-Fi driver is initialized successfully. However, if the configuration does not need to change after the Wi-Fi connection is set up, you should configure the Wi-Fi driver at this stage, because the configuration APIs (such as esp_wifi_set_protocol) will cause the Wi-Fi to reconnect, which may not be desirable.
If the Wi-Fi NVS flash is enabled by menuconfig, all Wi-Fi configuration in this phase, or later phases, will be stored into flash. When the board powers on/reboots, you do not need to configure the Wi-Fi driver from scratch. You only need to call esp_wifi_get_xxx APIs to fetch the configuration stored in flash previously. You can also configure the Wi-Fi driver if the previous configuration is not what you want.
3. Wi-Fi Start Phase
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s3.1: Call esp_wifi_start to start the Wi-Fi driver.
- s3.2: The Wi-Fi driver posts <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_START`_> to the event task; then, the event task will do some common things and will call the application event callback function.
- s3.3: The application event callback function relays the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_START`_> to the application task. We recommend that you call esp_wifi_connect(). However, you can also call esp_wifi_connect() in other phrases after the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_START`_> arises.
4. Wi-Fi Connect Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s4.1: Once esp_wifi_connect() is called, the Wi-Fi driver will start the internal scan/connection process.
- s4.2: If the internal scan/connection process is successful, the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_CONNECTED`_> will be generated. In the event task, it starts the DHCP client, which will finally trigger the DHCP process.
- s4.3: In the above-mentioned scenario, the application event callback will relay the event to the application task. Generally, the application needs to do nothing, and you can do whatever you want, e.g., print a log, etc.
In step 4.2, the Wi-Fi connection may fail because, for example, the password is wrong, the AP is not found, etc. In a case like this, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will arise and the reason for such a failure will be provided. For handling events that disrupt Wi-Fi connection, please refer to phase 6.
5. Wi-Fi 'Got IP' Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s5.1: Once the DHCP client is initialized in step 4.2, the *got IP* phase will begin.
- s5.2: If the IP address is successfully received from the DHCP server, then <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_GOT_IP`_> will arise and the event task will perform common handling.
- s5.3: In the application event callback, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_GOT_IP`_> is relayed to the application task. For LwIP-based applications, this event is very special and means that everything is ready for the application to begin its tasks, e.g. creating the TCP/UDP socket, etc. A very common mistake is to initialize the socket before <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_GOT_IP`_> is received. **DO NOT start the socket-related work before the IP is received.**
6. Wi-Fi Disconnect Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s6.1: When the Wi-Fi connection is disrupted, e.g. because the AP is powered off, the RSSI is poor, etc., <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will arise. This event may also arise in phase 3. Here, the event task will notify the LwIP task to clear/remove all UDP/TCP connections. Then, all application sockets will be in a wrong status. In other words, no socket can work properly when this event happens.
- s6.2: In the scenario described above, the application event callback function relays <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> to the application task. We recommend that esp_wifi_connect() be called to reconnect the Wi-Fi, close all sockets and re-create them if necessary. Refer to <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_>.
7. Wi-Fi IP Change Phase
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s7.1: If the IP address is changed, the <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_GOT_IP`_> will arise.
- s7.2: **This event is important to the application. When it occurs, the timing is good for closing all created sockets and recreating them.**
8. Wi-Fi Deinit Phase
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s8.1: Call esp_wifi_disconnect() to disconnect the Wi-Fi connectivity.
- s8.2: Call esp_wifi_stop() to stop the Wi-Fi driver.
- s8.3: Call esp_wifi_deinit() to unload the Wi-Fi driver.
ESP32 Wi-Fi soft-AP General Scenario
---------------------------------------------
Below is a "big scenario" which describes some small scenarios in Soft-AP mode::
The scenario above describes an all-channel, foreground scan. The foreground scan can only occur in Station mode where the station does not connect to any AP. Whether it is a foreground or background scan is totally determined by the Wi-Fi driver, and cannot be configured by the application.
Detailed scenario description:
Scan Configuration Phase
**************************
- s1.1: Call esp_wifi_set_country() to set the country code. For China/Japan, the channel value ranges from 1 to 14; for the USA, it ranges from 1 to 11; and for Europe, it ranges from 1 to 13. The default country is China.
- s1.2: Call esp_wifi_scan_start() to configure the scan. To do so, you can refer to <`Scan Configuration`_>. Since this is an all-channel scan, just set the SSID/BSSID/channel to 0.
Wi-Fi Driver's Internal Scan Phase
**************************************
- s2.1: The Wi-Fi driver switches to channel 1, in case the scan type is WIFI_SCAN_TYPE_ACTIVE, and broadcasts a probe request. Otherwise, the Wi-Fi will wait for a beacon from the APs. The Wi-Fi driver will stay in channel 1 for some time. The dwell time is configured in min/max time, with default value being 120 ms.
- s2.2: The Wi-Fi driver switches to channel 2 and performs the same operation as in step 2.1.
- s2.3: The Wi-Fi driver scans the last channel N, where N is determined by the country code which is configured in step 1.1.
Scan-Done Event Handling Phase
*********************************
- s3.1: When all channels are scanned, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE`_> will arise.
- s3.2: The application's event callback function notifies the application task that <`SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE`_> is received. esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_num() is called to get the number of APs that have been found in this scan. Then, it allocates enough entries and calls esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_records() to get the AP records. Please note that the AP records in the Wi-Fi driver will be freed, once esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_records() is called. Do not call esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_records() twice for a single scan-done event. If esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_records() is not called when the scan-done event occurs, the AP records allocated by the Wi-Fi driver will not be freed. So, make sure you call esp_wifi_scan_get_ap_records(), yet only once.
Scan All APs on All Channels(background)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario::
--------- --------- ---------
| app | | event | | Wi-Fi |
| task | | task | | task |
--------- --------- ---------
| | |
| | |
| 1.1> Configure country code |
|-------------------------------------->|
| 1.2> Scan configuration |
|-------------------------------------->|
| | |
| | |
| | |----
| | | | 2.1> Scan channel 1
| | |<---
| | |----
| | | | 2.2> Back to home channel H
| | |<---
| | |----
| | | | 2.3> Scan channel 2
| | |<---
| | |----
| | | | 2.4> Back to home channel H
| | |<---
| | |
| | | .... ...
| | |
| | |----
| | | | 2.x-1> Scan channel N
| | |<---
| | |----
| | | | 2.x> Back to home channel H
| | |<---
| | |
| 3.1 SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE |
| |<------------------|
| 3.2 SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE |
|<------------------| |
| | |
The scenario above is an all-channel background scan. Compared to `Scan All APs In All Channels(foreground)`_ , the difference in the all-channel background scan is that the Wi-Fi driver will scan the back-to-home channel for 30 ms before it switches to the next channel to give the Wi-Fi connection a chance to transmit/receive data.
Scan for a Specific AP in All Channels
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario::
--------- --------- ---------
| app | | event | | Wi-Fi |
| task | | task | | task |
--------- --------- ---------
| | |
| | |
| 1.1> Configure country code |
|-------------------------------------->|
| 1.2> Scan configuration |
|-------------------------------------->|
| | |
| | |
| | |----
| | | | 2.1> Scan channel C1
| | |<---
| | |----
| | | | 2.2> Scan channel C2
| | |<---
| | |
| | | ...
| | |
| | |----
| | | | 2.x> Scan channel CN, or the AP is found
| | |<---
| | |
| 3.1 SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE |
| |<------------------|
| 3.2 SYSTEM_EVENT_SCAN_DONE |
|<------------------| |
| | |
This scan is similar to `Scan All APs In All Channels(foreground)`_. The differences are:
- s1.1: In step 1.2, the target AP will be configured to SSID/BSSID.
- s2.1~s2.N: Each time the Wi-Fi driver scans an AP, it will check whether it is a target AP or not. If it is a target AP, then the scan-done event will arise and scanning will end; otherwise, the scan will continue. Please note that the first scanned channel may not be channel 1, because the Wi-Fi driver optimizes the scanning sequence.
If there are more than one APs which match the target AP info, for example, if we happen to scan two APs whose SSID is "ap", then only the first AP will be returned. However, if the first AP is not the one you want, e.g., if its password is wrong, then the Wi-Fi driver will detect a four-way handshake failure and try to scan the next AP. If two APs have the same SSID, BSSID and password, then the Wi-Fi driver will choose the first one to connect to.
You can scan a specific AP, or all of them, in any given channel. These two scenarios are very similar.
Scan in Wi-Fi Connect
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
When esp_wifi_connect() is called, then the Wi-Fi driver will try to scan the configured AP first. The scan in "Wi-Fi Connect" is the same as `Scan for a Specific AP In All Channels`_, except that no scan-done event will be generated when the scan is completed. If the target AP is found, then the Wi-Fi driver will start the Wi-Fi connection; otherwise, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will be generated. Refer to `Scan for a Specific AP in All Channels`_
Scan In Blocked Mode
++++++++++++++++++++
If the block parameter of esp_wifi_scan_start() is true, then the scan is a blocked one, and the application task will be blocked until the scan is done. The blocked scan is similar to an unblocked one, except that no scan-done event will arise when the blocked scan is completed.
Parallel Scan
+++++++++++++
Two application tasks may call esp_wifi_scan() at the same time, or the same application task calls esp_wifi_scan_start() before it gets a scan-done event. Both scenarios can happen. **However, in IDF2.1, the Wi-Fi driver does not support parallel scans adequately. As a result, a parallel scan should be avoided.** The parallel scan will be enhanced in future releases, as the ESP32's Wi-Fi functionality improves continuously.
ESP32 Wi-Fi Station Connecting Scenario
----------------------------------------
Generally, the application does not need to care about the connecting process. Below is a brief introduction to the process for those who are really interested.
Scenario::
--------- --------- ---------
| Event | | Wi-Fi | | AP |
| task | | task | | |
--------- --------- ---------
| | |
| | | ---
| |---- | |
| | | 1.1> Scan |
| |<--- | Scan phase
| 1.2> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED |
|<------------------| | |
| | | ---
| | | |
| 2.1> Auth Request | |
| |------------------>| |
| 2.2> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED |
|<------------------| | Auth phase
| 2.3> Auth Response |
| |<------------------| |
| 2.4> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED | |
|<------------------| | ---
| | | |
| | 3.1 Assoc Request | |
| |------------------>| |
| 3.2> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED |
|<------------------| | Assoc phase
| 3.3 Assoc Response |
| |<------------------| |
| 3.4> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED | |
|<------------------| | |
| | | ---
| | | |
| | 4.1> 1/4 EAPOL | |
| |<------------------| |
| 4.2> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED | |
|<------------------| | |
| | 4.3> 2/4 EAPOL | |
| |------------------>| |
| 4.4> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED |
|<------------------| | 4-way handshake phase
| | 4.5> 3/4 EAPOL |
| |<------------------| |
| 4.6> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED | |
|<------------------| | |
| | 4.7> 4/4 EAPOL | |
| |------------------>| |
| 4.8> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED | |
|<------------------| | |
| | | |
| 4.9> SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED | |
|<------------------| | ---
| | |
Scan Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++
- s1.1, The Wi-Fi driver begins scanning in "Wi-Fi Connect". Refer to <`Scan in Wi-Fi Connect`_> for more details.
- s1.2, If the scan fails to find the target AP, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will arise and the reason-code will be WIFI_REASON_NO_AP_FOUND. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
Auth Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++
- s2.1, The authentication request packet is sent and the auth timer is enabled.
- s2.2, If the authentication response packet is not received before the authentication timer times out, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will arise and the reason-code will be WIFI_REASON_AUTH_EXPIRE. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
- s2.3, The auth-response packet is received and the auth-timer is stopped.
- s2.4, The AP rejects authentication in the response and <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> arises, while the reason-code is WIFI_REASON_AUTH_FAIL or the reasons specified by the soft-AP. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
Association Phase
+++++++++++++++++++++
- s3.1, The association request is sent and the association timer is enabled.
- s3.2, If the association response is not received before the association timer times out, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will arise and the reason-code will be WIFI_REASON_ASSOC_EXPIRE. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
- s3.3, The association response is received and the association timer is stopped.
- s3.4, The AP rejects the association in the response and <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> arises, while the reason-code is the one specified in the association response. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
Four-way Handshake Phase
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- s4.1, The four-way handshake is sent out and the association timer is enabled.
- s4.2, If the association response is not received before the association timer times out, <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> will arise and the reason-code will be WIFI_REASON_ASSOC_EXPIRE. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
- s4.3, The association response is received and the association timer is stopped.
- s4.4, The AP rejects the association in the response and <`SYSTEM_EVENT_STA_DISCONNECTED`_> arises and the reason-code will be the one specified in the association response. Refer to <`Wi-Fi Reason Code`_>.
Wi-Fi Reason Code
+++++++++++++++++++++
The table below shows the reason-code defined in ESP32. The first column is the macro name defined in esp_wifi_types.h. The common prefix *WIFI_REASON* is removed, which means that *UNSPECIFIED* actually stands for *WIFI_REASON_UNSPECIFIED* and so on. The second column is the value of the reason. The third column is the standard value to which this reason is mapped in section 8.4.1.7 of ieee802.11-2012. (For more information, refer to the standard mentioned above.) The last column is a description of the reason.
Call esp_wifi_set_country() to set the country code which limits the channel range.
+------------------+---------------------+
| Country | Channel Range |
+==================+=====================+
| China | 1,2,3 ... 14 |
+------------------+---------------------+
| Japan | 1,2,3 ... 14 |
+------------------+---------------------+
| USA | 1,2,3 ... 11 |
+------------------+---------------------+
| Europe | 1,2,3 ... 13 |
+------------------+---------------------+
Home Channel
*************************
In soft-AP mode, the home channel is defined as that of the soft-AP channel. In Station mode, the home channel is defined as the channel of the AP to which the station is connected. In Station+SoftAP mode, the home channel of soft-AP and station must be the same. If the home channels of Station and Soft-AP are different, the station's home channel is always in priority. Take the following as an example: at the beginning, the soft-AP is on channel 6, then the station connects to an AP whose channel is 9. Since the station's home channel has a higher priority, the soft-AP needs to switch its channel from 6 to 9 to make sure that both station and soft-AP have the same home channel.
Wi-Fi Vendor IE Configuration
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By default, all Wi-Fi management frames are processed by the Wi-Fi driver, and the application does not need to care about them. Some applications, however, may have to handle the beacon, probe request, probe response and other management frames. For example, if you insert some vendor-specific IE into the management frames, it is only the management frames which contain this vendor-specific IE that will be processed. In ESP32, esp_wifi_set_vendor_ie() and esp_wifi_set_vendor_ie_cb() are responsible for this kind of tasks.
Currently, ESP32 Wi-Fi supports the Modem-sleep mode which refers to the legacy power-saving mode in the IEEE 802.11 protocol. Modem-sleep mode works in Station-only mode and the station must connect to the AP first. If the Modem-sleep mode is enabled, station will switch between active and sleep state periodically. In sleep state, RF, PHY and BB are turned off in order to reduce power consumption. Station can keep connection with AP in modem-sleep mode.
Modem-sleep mode includes minimum and maximum power save modes. In minimum power save mode, station wakes up every DTIM to receive beacon. Broadcast data will not be lost because it is transmitted after DTIM. However, it can not save much more power if DTIM is short for DTIM is determined by AP. In maximum power save mode, station wakes up every listen interval to receive beacon. Broadcast data may be lost because station may be in sleep state at DTIM time. If listen interval is longer, more power is saved but broadcast data is more easy to lose. Listen interval can be configured by calling API :cpp:func:`esp_wifi_set_config` before connecting to AP.
Call ``esp_wifi_set_ps(WIFI_PS_MIN_MODEM)`` to enable Modem-sleep minimum power save mode or ``esp_wifi_set_ps(WIFI_PS_MAX_MODEM)`` to enable Modem-sleep maximum power save mode after calling :cpp:func:`esp_wifi_init`. When station connects to AP, Modem-sleep will start. When station disconnects from AP, Modem-sleep will stop.
2. The optimized functions is in the folder components/wpa_supplicant/src/fast_crypto, these function used the hardware crypto to make it faster than origin one, the type of function's name add `fast_` to distinguish with the original one. For example, the API aes_wrap() is used to encrypt frame information when do 4 way handshake, the fast_aes_wrap() has the same result but can be faster.
Two groups of crypto function can be used when register in the wpa_crypto_funcs_t, wpa2_crypto_funcs_t and wps_crypto_funcs_t structure, also we have given the recommend functions to register in the
fast_crypto_ops.c, you can register the function as the way you need, however what should make action is that the crypto_hash_xxx function and crypto_cipher_xxx function need to register with the same function to operation. For example, if you register crypto_hash_init() function to initialize the esp_crypto_hash structure, you need use the crypto_hash_update() and crypto_hash_finish() function to finish the operation, rather than fast_crypto_hash_update() or fast_crypto_hash_finish().
The throughput result heavily depends on hardware and software configurations, such as CPU frequency, memory configuration, or whether the CPU is running in dual-core mode, etc. The table below shows the configurations with which we got the above-mentioned throughput results. In ESP32 IDF, the default configuration is based on "very conservative" calculations, so if you want to get the best throughput result, the first thing you need to do is to adjust the relevant configurations.
Once you adjust the configurations, you can then run your own test code to test the performance. You can also run the iperf example to test the performance. However, the iperf example is not provided in release 2.1 and earlier ones, but will be so in the upcoming release. Those who really care about the performance should seek support from Espressif directly, so that we can provide them with the iperf version bin for their testing.
If you decide to modify some of the configurations in order to gain better throughput for your application, please consider the memory usage very carefully. For a more detailed description, refer to <`Wi-Fi Buffer Usage`_> and <`Wi-Fi Buffer Configure`_>.
Wi-Fi 80211 Packet Send
---------------------------
**Important notes: The API esp_wifi_80211_tx is not available in IDF 2.1, but will be so in the upcoming release.**
The esp_wifi_80211_tx API can be used to:
- Send the beacon, probe request, probe response, action frame.
- Send the QoS and non-QoS data frame.
It cannot be used for sending cryptographic frames.
- Either esp_wifi_set_promiscuous(true), or esp_wifi_start(), or both of these APIs return ESP_OK. This is because we need to make sure that Wi-Fi hardware is initialized before esp_wifi_80211_tx() is called. In ESP32, both esp_wifi_set_promiscuous(true) and esp_wifi_start() can trigger the initialization of Wi-Fi hardware.
Theoretically, if we do not consider the side-effects the API imposes on the Wi-Fi driver or other stations/soft-APs, we can send a raw 802.11 packet over the air, with any destination MAC, any source MAC, any BSSID, or any other type of packet. However,robust/useful applications should avoid such side-effects. The table below provides some tips/recommendations on how to avoid the side-effects of esp_wifi_80211_tx in different scenarios.
The Wi-Fi sniffer mode can be enabled by esp_wifi_set_promiscuous(). If the sniffer mode is enabled, the following packets **can** be dumped to the application:
- 802.11 Management frame
- 802.11 Data frame, including MPDU, AMPDU, AMSDU, etc.
- 802.11 MIMO frame, for MIMO frame, the sniffer only dumps the length of the frame.
The following packets will **NOT** be dumped to the application:
- 802.11 Control frame
- 802.11 error frame, such as the frame with a CRC error, etc.
For frames that the sniffer **can** dump, the application can additionally decide which specific type of packets can be filtered to the application by using esp_wifi_set_promiscuous_filter(). By default, it will filter all 802.11 data and management frames to the application.
The Wi-Fi sniffer mode can be enabled in the Wi-Fi mode of WIFI_MODE_NULL, or WIFI_MODE_STA, or WIFI_MODE_AP, or WIFI_MODE_APSTA. In other words, the sniffer mode is active when the station is connected to the soft-AP, or when the soft-AP has a Wi-Fi connection. Please note that the sniffer has a **great impact** on the throughput of the station or soft-AP Wi-Fi connection. Generally, we should **NOT** enable the sniffer, when the station/soft-AP Wi-Fi connection experiences heavy traffic unless we have special reasons.
Another noteworthy issue about the sniffer is the callback wifi_promiscuous_cb_t. The callback will be called directly in the Wi-Fi driver task, so if the application has a lot of work to do for each filtered packet, the recommendation is to post an event to the application task in the callback and defer the real work to the application task.
Wi-Fi Buffer Usage
--------------------------
This section is only about the dynamic buffer configuration.
Why Buffer Configuration Is Important
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In order to get a robust, high-performance system, we need to consider the memory usage/configuration very carefully, because:
- the available memory in ESP32 is limited.
- currently, the default type of buffer in LwIP and Wi-Fi drivers is "dynamic", **which means that both the LwIP and Wi-Fi share memory with the application**. Programmers should always keep this in mind; otherwise, they will face a memory issue, such as "running out of heap memory".
- it is very dangerous to run out of heap memory, as this will cause ESP32 an "undefined behavior". Thus, enough heap memory should be reserved for the application, so that it never runs out of it.
- the Wi-Fi throughput heavily depends on memory-related configurations, such as the TCP window size, Wi-Fi RX/TX dynamic buffer number, etc. Refer to <`ESP32 Wi-Fi Throughput`_>.
- the peak heap memory that the ESP32 LwIP/Wi-Fi may consume depends on a number of factors, such as the maximum TCP/UDP connections that the application may have, etc.
- the total memory that the application requires is also an important factor when considering memory configuration.
Due to these reasons, there is not a good-for-all application configuration. Rather, we have to consider memory configurations separately for every different application.
Dynamic vs. Static Buffer
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The default type of buffer in LwIP and Wi-Fi drivers is "dynamic". Most of the time the dynamic buffer can significantly save memory. However, it makes the application programming a little more difficult, because in this case the application needs to consider memory usage in LwIP/Wi-Fi.
Peak LwIP Dynamic Buffer
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The default type of LwIP buffer is "dynamic", and this section considers the dynamic buffer only.
The peak heap memory that LwIP consumes is the **theoretically-maximum memory** that the LwIP driver consumes. Generally, the peak heap memory that the LwIP consumes depends on:
- the memory required to create a UDP connection: lwip_udp_conn
- the memory required to create a TCP connection: lwip_tcp_conn
- the number of UDP connections that the application has: lwip_udp_con_num
- the number of TCP connections that the application has: lwip_tcp_con_num
- the TCP TX window size: lwip_tcp_tx_win_size
- the TCP RX window size: lwip_tcp_rx_win_size
**So, the peak heap memory that the LwIP consumes can be calculated with the following formula:**
Some TCP-based applications need only one TCP connection. However, they may choose to close this TCP connection and create a new one when an error (such as a sending failure) occurs. This may result in multiple TCP connections existing in the system simultaneously, because it may take a long time for a TCP connection to close, according to the TCP state machine (refer to RFC793).
Peak Wi-Fi Dynamic Buffer
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Wi-Fi driver supports several types of buffer (refer to `Wi-Fi Buffer Configure`_). However, this section is about the usage of the dynamic Wi-Fi buffer only.
The peak heap memory that Wi-Fi consumes is the **theoretically-maximum memory** that the Wi-Fi driver consumes. Generally, the peak memory depends on:
- the number of dynamic rx buffers that are configured: wifi_rx_dynamic_buf_num
- the number of dynamic tx buffers that are configured: wifi_tx_dynamic_buf_num
- the maximum packet size that the Wi-Fi driver can receive: wifi_rx_pkt_size_max
- the maximum packet size that the Wi-Fi driver can send: wifi_tx_pkt_size_max
So, the peak memory that the Wi-Fi driver consumes can be calculated with the following formula:
Generally, we do not need to care about the dynamic tx long buffers and dynamic tx long long buffers, because they are management frames which only have a small impact on the system.
Wi-Fi Menuconfig
-----------------------
Wi-Fi Buffer Configure
+++++++++++++++++++++++
If you are going to modify the default number or type of buffer, it would be helpful to also have an overview of how the buffer is allocated/freed in the data path. The following diagram shows this process in the TX direction::
------------- ------------- -------------
| Application | | LwIP | | Wi-Fi |
| task | ---------> | task | ---------> | task |
------------- ------------- -------------
1> User data 2> Pbuf 3> Dynamic (Static) TX Buffer
Description:
- The application allocates the data which needs to be sent out.
- The application calls TCPIP-/Socket-related APIs to send the user data. These APIs will allocate a PBUF used in LwIP, and make a copy of the user data.
- When LwIP calls a Wi-Fi API to send the PBUF, the Wi-Fi API will allocate a "Dynamic Tx Buffer" or "Static Tx Buffer", make a copy of the LwIP PBUF, and finally send the data.
The following diagram shows how buffer is allocated/freed in the RX direction::
If the Wi-Fi NVS flash is enabled, all Wi-Fi configurations set via the Wi-Fi APIs will be stored into flash, and the Wi-Fi driver will start up with these configurations next time it powers on/reboots. However, the application can choose to disable the Wi-Fi NVS flash if it does not need to store the configurations into persistent memory, or has its own persistent storage, or simply due to debugging reasons, etc.
Wi-Fi AMPDU
+++++++++++++++++++++
Generally, the AMPDU should be enabled, because it can greatly improve the Wi-Fi throughput. Disabling AMPDU is usually for debugging purposes. It may be removed from future releases.
