Connecting to Wi-Fi (Station Mode)

Joining your home network, checking signal strength, and handling a dropped connection gracefully.

Joining an existing Wi-Fi network — "station mode" — is the most common way an ESP32 gets online, whether to fetch data, send sensor readings, or receive commands.

#include 

const char* ssid = "your-network-name";
const char* password = "your-network-password";

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);

  Serial.print("Connecting");
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(300);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println();
  Serial.print("Connected, IP address: ");
  Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
}

void loop() {
}

Handling a dropped connection

Wi-Fi networks occasionally drop a device, especially on battery-powered boards moving in and out of range. Checking WiFi.status() periodically and reconnecting when it isn't WL_CONNECTED is far more robust than assuming the connection made in setup() will last forever.