Blog de Joe Freeman

I spent two weeks troubleshooting ESP32 C3 network connectivity issues.  They worked a couple of times and then just never connected after that. I changed the firmware, erased nv memory, and tried about 10 different solutions found in the forums.   In the end, the only reliable way to work with those particular ESPs was to create a mobile hotspot on my PC.  That works 100% of the time for me.  This is essentially Internet connection sharing  even if it is only for the local network. Getting the network working was important because the ES32 C3 doesn't support the file share mount for CircuitPython development.  I normally use rshell  for MicroPython work but rshell isn't CircuitPython compatible.  So I really wanted the Web Workflow which requires a working network connection. I farted around with a Seeed XIAO ESP32 C3 that wouldn't connect to the mobile hotspot.   It turns out that tiny device could only see my desktop if I attached the...

How do your devices connect to the Internet?  How does that connection get to the information super-highway? The only way to know is to have some general understanding of how a connected device gets to the remote web site or service. ISP service levels are sold at performance levels, bits per second.  That does not guarantee you that level of performance from your mobile devices all the way to your internet services. Your network configuration combined with your neighbors and your ISP configuration can have a real impact on your effective throughput. People often say their wi-fi is slow when they talk about their internet experience.  Do they really mean it is wi-fi or the internet or somewhere in between?   We talked to someone in a beach neighborhood during the summer and they complained that their wi-fi was Slow .  They then said that a lot of neighbors had wi-fi problems.  These were single-family homes far enough apart that wi-fi may not...

Wifi hotspots have changed the way people connect to the Internet with their own devices during the work day.  Many companies have restrictive Internet policies to protect the corporate network and to manage employee productivity.  Wi-fi hotspots are andy in these situations providing connectivity for  personal laptops and tablets. This also applies to contractors who need certain kinds of external connectivity when working with their laptops on-site I work in a building where you can only get 3G or 4G reception when you are within 5 feed of the windows with "good" reception available only at certain locations. The closest spot is about 50 feed from my cube.  Hotspots are great because I can put my $35/mo Virgin Mobile Overdrive at the window and use my laptop wifi to communicate with it.  I get about 2Mbps-3-Mbs when wi-fi to the Overdrive in 4G mode. This works great until about 9:00 AM when everyone comes in with their laptops, phones and ...