ESP8266 Community Forum

I noticed you were getting the "Reason 201" connection issue, being the same I had where it could not connect to the AP. I note you were not attempting this, but I am responding to your post as it came up in my search for an answer over and over.

If you configure the ESP to connect to an AP, and you keep getting a "No AP Found - Reason 201" error.... despite being able to scan successfully for the AP, check what IP address ESP DHCP server is running on. My problem was the ESPs DHCP server was using 192.168.4.1 and my home WIFI router was issuing IP addresses in the 192.168.n.n range, thus being a conflict of 2x DHCP servers in the same range.... being why it was being denied a connection to the AP.

I couldn't be bothered tracking where the ESPs DHCP server IP address was being assigned as it looked hard coded deep in a library (lazy I know!), so I just changed my home router to issue addresses in the 10.10.n.n range.... and the ESP could now connect to the AP (home router).

I hope this helps someone else out there!

Is there a way to spoof a MAC address? This would be a useful for connecting screenless gadgets to access points that have a web page login. Such as a chromecast at a hotel. With the ESP8266 spoofing the MAC of the chromecast, you could sign in to the web page with your mobile phone. Then the chromecast's MAC would have access to the hotel's wifi directly.

No need to spoof the MAC address: when the ESP connects to a hotel network, it does it, with its own MAC. If you connect to the ESP's softAP with a smartphone, it is forwarded by the router and all packet, including the login-handling, are virtually coming from the MAC of the ESP. The hotel's infrastructure "thinks" the MAC of the ESP is the one of the smartphone.

If now a second devices connects via the ESP, it also uses the same MAC and it will be admitted immediatly. Easy way to connect a browserless device to a captive portal or a second device if you only have one login.

Fantastic!

Works like a charm.

Thank you.