ESP-NOW does not workig with WiFi (STA) mode (IDFGH-8924)

[rajneeshsinha]

Answers checklist.

• I have read the documentation ESP-IDF Programming Guide and the issue is not addressed there.
• I have updated my IDF branch (master or release) to the latest version and checked that the issue is present there.
• I have searched the issue tracker for a similar issue and not found a similar issue.

General issue report

Hello

I am working on ESP-IDF release version-4.4 and having requirements to put the ESP32 device on APSTA mode mean, device should work in AP mode (start web page) and in STA mode connect to router to get internet access. With these both mode device work correctly but after initializing ESP-NOW it doesn't works (Rx data call back handler never called).

I have tried following things before posting this issue here:

1. Start AP to launch web page and start STA together to connect with router --> ESP-NOW not working
2. Start only AP to launch web page and init ESP-NOW (start esp-now) --> ESP-NOW working
3. Start only STA to connect with router and init ESP-NOW (start esp-now) --> ESP-NOW not working
4. Start only STA to connect with router and read channel number and set this channel number to init ESP-NOW (start esp-now) --> ESP-NOW not working
5. Start only STA to connect with router and hard-coded channel number to 1 and set this channel number to init ESP-NOW (start esp-now) --> ESP-NOW not working
6. From above step-1 to step-5 test, I also tested ESPNOW in both station and softap mode --> ESP-NOW not working

I already checked following links:

• https://github.com/jonathanrandall/esp32-esp32-now-wifi
• https://github.com/jonasbystrom/ESP-Now-Sensor-system-with-WiFi

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[kriegste]

Have you tried to disable modem sleep, i.e.

esp_wifi_set_ps(WIFI_PS_NONE);

[Xiehanxin]

hi @rajneeshsinha. have you tried the ESP-NOW example, and could you please provide some error log

[rajneeshsinha]

@kriegste Thanks for suggestion. I have tried with your suggestion to put the MCU in NO POWER SAVING mode but it didn't work.

Attached image for your reference,

So, if I comment the WiFi_connect then esp-now works. Following is the wifi_connect function does:

`void wifi_connect(char *ssid, char *pass)
{
wifi_config_t wifi_config;
bzero(&wifi_config, sizeof(wifi_config_t));
memcpy(wifi_config.sta.ssid, ssid, sizeof(wifi_config.sta.ssid));
memcpy(wifi_config.sta.password, pass, sizeof(wifi_config.sta.password));

wifi_state_p.wifi_state = false;
ESP_ERROR_CHECK( esp_wifi_disconnect() );
ESP_ERROR_CHECK( esp_wifi_set_config(WIFI_IF_STA, &wifi_config) );
esp_wifi_connect();

}`

Do you have any other suggestion that need to try? Did you try at your side with this same requirement application and it works? Let me know if you need any other details from my end?

I am suspecting, running ESP32 in station mode (to get internet access from router) + ESP-NOW broadcaster/receiver mode is not feasible at the movement till that we have proper solution or any work around works here.

[kriegste]

Did you do this, too?

esp_netif_create_default_wifi_sta();

wifi_init_config_t wifi_init_config = WIFI_INIT_CONFIG_DEFAULT();
esp_wifi_init(&wifi_init_config);

esp_wifi_start();

[ramiws]

same issue here, once esp_wifi_connect(); is called, esp now does not work

[goatzillax]

Congratudolences, guys! This core functionality has been broken for at least a year!

[Xiehanxin]

hi @goatzillax this issue is fixed in IDF 5.0 and later version. if you want tou use it on 4.3/4.4, you should init esp-now first ,then connect to AP, and the esp-now can send packet normally. and we will backport to 4.4

[goatzillax]

@Xiehanxin I wonder if there is some sort of miscommunication here.

I'm on 2.0.14 of the ESP32 package which apparently is IDF 4.4 (correct me if I'm wrong).

I just tried moving esp_now_init before connecting the RX to an AP, and it still fails. My testcase is otherwise the same. I press the button, it disconnects, and then the ESP-NOW messages start showing up.

So as far as I can tell, moving esp_now_init before WiFi.begin() is not a workaround for IDF 4.4.

I've updated my testcase.

https://github.com/goatzillax/espnow_crosstest

Can you show me the testcase you used to verify functionality?

[zhangyanjiaoesp]

@goatzillax I noticed that your ESPNOW packets are broadcast packets. When STA is connected to wifi, it will only receive the broadcast packet whose bssid is equal to the associated AP bssid. Therefore, packet receiving fails. Suggest you use unicast to send.