First Boot¶

SQMeter ships with no WiFi credentials. On first power-on it starts in hotspot mode — it broadcasts its own open WiFi network so you can configure it from any phone or laptop.

Step 1 — Power On¶

Connect the ESP32 to USB or a 5V supply. Within a few seconds it broadcasts:

SSID:     SQM-Setup
Password: (none — open network)

Step 2 — Connect to the Hotspot¶

Connect your phone or laptop to SQM-Setup. No password required.

iOS / AndroidmacOSWindowsLinux

A "Sign in to network" notification will appear automatically. Tap it to open the captive portal in your browser.

A sign-in sheet pops up automatically in Safari after joining the network.

Click the network notification or open a browser — Windows will redirect you to the portal.

Open a browser and navigate to http://192.168.4.1/wifi manually.

If no sign-in window appears on any system, open http://192.168.4.1/wifi.

Step 3 — Configure WiFi¶

The sign-in window opens the WiFi setup screen with a list of nearby networks:

Select your home/lab network (or Other network... for a hidden one)
Enter the password
Tap Connect

When the device has joined, the screen shows its new address — http://sqmeter.local and its IP. About 15 seconds later the device restarts on your network and the hotspot disappears. Reconnect your phone or laptop to your own network and open that address.

If the password is wrong the screen says so and you can try again.

2.4 GHz only

ESP32 does not support 5 GHz. If your router broadcasts both bands under the same SSID, the device will pick the 2.4 GHz band automatically.

Step 4 — Find the Device¶

After connecting, SQMeter is reachable at:

http://sqmeter.local      # mDNS — works on most networks
http://<device-ip>        # Direct IP — always works

The name comes from Settings → Network → WiFi → Hostname (default sqmeter). Advertise on the network (mDNS) can be turned off there if your network doesn't allow multicast; then use the IP.

The IP address is logged over serial (115200 baud) if you have a monitor connected. You can also check your router's DHCP client list for a host named sqmeter.

Step 5 — Access the Dashboard¶

Open the web UI. You should see live sensor readings on the Dashboard within a few seconds of the sensors initialising.

If the WiFi is Down at Startup¶

If the saved network can't be reached within about 10 seconds of power-on (for example the router is slower to start after a power cut), SQMeter opens the SQM-Setup hotspot so you can change the network — and keeps retrying the saved one in the background. As soon as it reconnects, it restarts onto your network.

WiFi Config is Persistent¶

Credentials live in the NVS partition — completely separate from firmware and filesystem storage:

Action	WiFi config
Flash new firmware	✅ Preserved
Update web UI filesystem	✅ Preserved
Power cycle	✅ Preserved
Full chip erase	❌ Cleared

To force the hotspot again (reset WiFi config):

esptool.py --chip esp32 --port PORT erase_flash

Then re-flash from the release binaries.