diff --git a/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/esp_ot_br.c b/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/esp_ot_br.c
index bf887803a9..206f0de977 100644
--- a/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/esp_ot_br.c
+++ b/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/esp_ot_br.c
@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@
 #include "ot_led_strip.h"
 #endif
 
+#if CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START
+#include "example_common_private.h"
+#include "protocol_examples_common.h"
+#endif
+
+#if !CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START && CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_ETHERNET
+// TZ-1109: Add a menchanism for connecting ETH manually.
+#error Currently we do not support a manual way to connect ETH, if you want to use ETH, please enable OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START.
+#endif
+
 #define TAG "esp_ot_br"
 
 #if CONFIG_EXTERNAL_COEX_ENABLE
@@ -93,47 +103,62 @@ static void ot_task_worker(void *aContext)
 
 void ot_br_init(void *ctx)
 {
-#if CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_WIFI
+#if CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_CLI_WIFI
+    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_ot_wifi_config_init());
+#endif
 #if CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START
-    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(example_connect());
-    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_wifi_set_ps(WIFI_PS_MAX_MODEM));
-#if CONFIG_ESP_COEX_SW_COEXIST_ENABLE && CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_RADIO_NATIVE
-    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_coex_wifi_i154_enable());
+#if CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_WIFI || CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_ETHERNET
+    bool wifi_or_ethernet_connected = false;
 #else
+#error No backbone netif!
+#endif
+#if CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_WIFI
+    char wifi_ssid[32] = "";
+    char wifi_password[64] = "";
+    if (esp_ot_wifi_config_get_ssid(wifi_ssid) == ESP_OK) {
+        ESP_LOGI(TAG, "use the Wi-Fi config from NVS");
+        esp_ot_wifi_config_get_password(wifi_password);
+    } else {
+        ESP_LOGI(TAG, "use the Wi-Fi config from Kconfig");
+        strcpy(wifi_ssid, CONFIG_EXAMPLE_WIFI_SSID);
+        strcpy(wifi_password, CONFIG_EXAMPLE_WIFI_PASSWORD);
+    }
+    if (esp_ot_wifi_connect(wifi_ssid, wifi_password) == ESP_OK) {
+        wifi_or_ethernet_connected = true;
+    } else {
+        ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Fail to connect to Wi-Fi, please try again manually");
+    }
+#endif
+#if CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_ETHERNET
+    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(example_ethernet_connect());
+    wifi_or_ethernet_connected = true;
+#endif
+#endif // CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START
 
 #if CONFIG_EXTERNAL_COEX_ENABLE
     ot_br_external_coexist_init();
 #endif // CONFIG_EXTERNAL_COEX_ENABLE
-
-#endif
-    esp_openthread_set_backbone_netif(get_example_netif());
-#else
-    esp_ot_wifi_netif_init();
-    esp_openthread_set_backbone_netif(esp_netif_get_handle_from_ifkey("WIFI_STA_DEF"));
-#endif // CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START
-#elif CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_ETHERNET
-    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(example_connect());
-    esp_openthread_set_backbone_netif(get_example_netif());
-#else
-    ESP_LOGE(TAG, "ESP-Openthread has not set backbone netif");
-#endif // CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_WIFI
-
     ESP_ERROR_CHECK(mdns_init());
     ESP_ERROR_CHECK(mdns_hostname_set("esp-ot-br"));
 
-    // Initialize border routing features
     esp_openthread_lock_acquire(portMAX_DELAY);
 #if CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_STATE_INDICATOR_ENABLE
     ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_openthread_state_indicator_init(esp_openthread_get_instance()));
 #endif
-
 #if CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START
-    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_openthread_border_router_init());
-    otOperationalDatasetTlvs dataset;
-    otError error = otDatasetGetActiveTlvs(esp_openthread_get_instance(), &dataset);
-    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_openthread_auto_start((error == OT_ERROR_NONE) ? &dataset : NULL));
+    if (wifi_or_ethernet_connected) {
+        esp_openthread_set_backbone_netif(get_example_netif());
+        ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_openthread_border_router_init());
+#if CONFIG_EXAMPLE_CONNECT_WIFI
+        esp_ot_wifi_border_router_init_flag_set(true);
+#endif
+        otOperationalDatasetTlvs dataset;
+        otError error = otDatasetGetActiveTlvs(esp_openthread_get_instance(), &dataset);
+        ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_openthread_auto_start((error == OT_ERROR_NONE) ? &dataset : NULL));
+    } else {
+        ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Auto-start mode failed, please try to start manually");
+    }
 #endif // CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_BR_AUTO_START
-
     esp_openthread_lock_release();
     vTaskDelete(NULL);
 }
diff --git a/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/idf_component.yml b/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/idf_component.yml
index 519cf7f89d..bf43f391cb 100644
--- a/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/idf_component.yml
+++ b/examples/openthread/ot_br/main/idf_component.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ## IDF Component Manager Manifest File
 dependencies:
   espressif/esp_ot_cli_extension:
-    version: "~1.1.0"
+    version: "~1.2.0"
   espressif/mdns: "^1.0.3"
   ## Required IDF version
   idf:
diff --git a/examples/openthread/ot_cli/main/idf_component.yml b/examples/openthread/ot_cli/main/idf_component.yml
index 3f1f6778d2..06b75f0c81 100644
--- a/examples/openthread/ot_cli/main/idf_component.yml
+++ b/examples/openthread/ot_cli/main/idf_component.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ## IDF Component Manager Manifest File
 dependencies:
   espressif/esp_ot_cli_extension:
-    version: "~1.1.0"
+    version: "~1.2.0"
   idf:
     version: ">=4.1.0"
   ot_led: