Chapter · Wi-Fi
Finding and joining
Beacons and scans, the stages of joining from authentication to an IP address, and the three roles: station, access point, or both.
- 04How a network is found4 minAccess points send a beacon about ten times a second with the network's name and their own BSSID. A board finds them by listening on each channel or by asking, and a hidden name still gives itself away.
- 05Joining has stages5 minJoining a Wi-Fi network is a ladder of stages, from the scan through association and the four-way handshake to an address from DHCP. Connected and got IP are two events, and each failure has its own reason.
- 06Station, access point, or both5 minAn ESP32 can join a network as a station, run its own as an access point, or do both on one radio and one channel. Its own network is local, with no way to the internet unless it is told to forward.
Start at 04 and read down — the order is the order things get easier in. Or take the one with your part in it; every article stands on its own, and links back to whatever it needs.