I’ve installed DroneBridge in 3 ESP32 boards but can’t set any of them up because the WiFi connection is unstable and I can’t access the dronebridge.local address. Why is this happening and how can I fix it?
This might be a more appropriate area to get quicker help if the issue is dronebridge.
for me this doesn’t work either. Manually enter the address into the URL bar. Also configure ArduPilot to the same baud as the ESP32 first
Yes, when I manually enter 192.168.2.1 it doesn’t work either. What do you mean by configuring ArduPilot’s baud rate? I can’t even configure DroneBridge yet.
Thank you!
Okay so are you facing disconnects?
Which UART pins sis you use? Hope you used the secondary UARTs and not the debug UART.
Yes, I’m facing disconnects, but not between the Pixhawk and the ESP32, but between the ESP32 and the computer. Right now, I’ve not connected the ESP32 to the Pixhawk, I’m trying to set it up first by connecting to the WiFi and accessing 192.168.2.1.
Understood. Again, which UART port did you use?
Okay, you said you connected it to a computer. First I would suggest to try another USB cable. The voltage over a USB drops quite a bit. So for this reason I’d rather power the ESP from a stable voltage source like the autopilot itself.
I tried connecting it to an external power source supplying 5V and ~900mA. It still didn’t work.
How long does it stay connected? First setup ardupilot’s side of the telemtry paramaters and then try to change settings of dronebrodge to match as soon as possible. And try it connected to the autopilot.
For myself , the dronebridge works perfectly fine except that I do not understand what it can do by connecting it with a Orange CUBE enabling mavlink commands
I can’t change settings in DroneBridge because I can’t access the web page that does that. I don’t have a flight controller with me right now, but might test it later. The ESP32’s WiFi signal stays on for about 4 seconds.
You cannot use esp32 for WiFi applications without an external wifi antenna. Note that it will draw high current while using external antenna…
Well, I know people have used the PCB antenna well. But range is noticeably lower. I doubt the statment amount the increased power draw though.
Can you try to change some settings within that connectivity window? Like keeping the browser tab open and refreshing? Might help even though it sounds absurd
My board is a ESP32D, so it has an internal antenna. Yes, the internal antenna is not as effective as an external one, but the computer and the ESP32 are less than 20cm apart.
I’ve tried, but it doesn’t stay on for enough time. I’ll keep trying. I’ve already ordered some new boards (ESP32U, without the internal antenna) and external antennas to test it with.
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I just wanted to mention something which may help solve this:
If only 4 wires are being used (Rx,Tx, +,- ), then it is very important to set “RTS” and “CTS” settings to 0.
I spent days trying to work out why I had frequently drop outs. Eventually found some documentation advising about this.
–> Unfortunately this is not mentioned in the ArduPilot documentation. 
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