Merge pull request #1165 from UncleGrumpy/esp32_wifi_scan

Add support for esp32 network driver scanning for access points

Add `network:wifi_scan/0,1` to esp32 network driver, giving the ability for
devices configured for "station mode" (or with "station + access point mode")
to scan for available access points.

note: these changes depend on PR #1181

Closes #2024

These changes are made under both the "Apache 2.0" and the "GNU Lesser General
Public License 2.1 or later" license terms (dual license).

SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 OR LGPL-2.1-or-later

Author: bettio

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -9,11 +9,16 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 ### Added
 - Added Erlang distribution over serial (uart)
 - Added WASM32 JIT backend for Emscripten platform
+- Added `network:wifi_scan/0,1` to ESP32 network driver to scan available APs when in sta or sta+ap mode.
+
+### Changed
+- Updated network type db() to dbm() to reflect the actual representation of the type
 
 ### Fixed
 - Stop using deprecated `term_from_int32` on STM32 platform
 - Stop using deprecated `term_from_int32` on RP2 platform
 - Stop using deprecated `term_from_int32` on ESP32 platform
+- Fixed improper cast of ESP32 `event_data` for `WIFI_EVENT_AP_STA(DIS)CONNECTED` events
 
 ## [0.7.0-alpha.1] - 2026-04-06
 

doc/src/network-programming-guide.md

@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ Callback functions can be specified by the following configuration parameters:
 * `{connected, fun(() -> term())}` A callback function which will be called when the device connects to the target network.
 * `{disconnected, fun(() -> term())}` A callback function which will be called when the device disconnects from the target network. If no callback function is provided the default behavior is to attempt to reconnect immediately. By providing a callback function the application can decide whether to reconnect, or connect to a new access point.
 * `{got_ip, fun((ip_info()) -> term())}` A callback function which will be called when the device obtains an IP address.  In this case, the IPv4 IP address, net mask, and gateway are provided as a parameter to the callback function.
+* `{scan_done, fun((scan_results() | {error, Reason :: term()}) -> term()) | pid()}`
+**(ESP32 only)** A callback function (receives `scan_results() | {error, Reason}`) or pid (receives
+`{scan_results, scan_results() | {error, Reason}}`) which will be invoked once a network scan is
+completed. This allows for event-driven connection management and prevents blocking the caller when
+requesting a scan of available wifi networks.
 
 ```{warning}
 IPv6 addresses are not yet supported in AtomVM.
@@ -90,30 +95,71 @@ The following example illustrates initialization of the WiFi network in STA mode
 ```erlang
 Config = [
     {sta, [
-        {ssid, <<"myssid">>},
-        {psk,  <<"mypsk">>},
+        managed,
         {connected, fun connected/0},
         {got_ip, fun got_ip/1},
-        {disconnected, fun disconnected/0}
+        {disconnected, fun disconnected/0},
+        {scan_done, fun got_scan_results/1},
         {dhcp_hostname, <<"myesp32">>}
     ]}
 ],
 {ok, Pid} = network:start(Config),
+ok = network:wifi_scan(),
 ...
 ```
 
-The following callback functions will be called when the corresponding events occur during the lifetime of the network connection.
+The following callback functions will be called when the corresponding events occur during the
+lifetime of the network connection. This example demonstrates using callbacks to scan for networks,
+and if a found network is stored in nvs with an `ssid` key value that matches, it will use the
+stored `psk` key value to authenticate. After an IP address is acquired, the example application's
+supervised network service will be started by the `start_my_server_sup` function (this function is
+left as an exercise for the reader, see: [`supervisor`](./apidocs/erlang/estdlib/supervisor.md)).
 
 ```erlang
 connected() ->
     io:format("Connected to AP.~n").
 
-gotIp(IpInfo) ->
-    io:format("Got IP: ~p~n", [IpInfo]).
+got_ip(IpInfo) ->
+    io:format("Got IP: ~p~n", [IpInfo]),
+    erlang:spawn(fun() -> start_my_server_sup() end).
 
 disconnected() ->
-    io:format("Disconnected from AP, attempting to reconnect~n"),
-    network:sta_connect().
+    io:format("Disconnected from AP, starting scan~n"),
+    erlang:spawn(fun() -> network:wifi_scan() end).
+
+got_scan_results({error, Reason}) ->
+    io:format("WiFi scan error ~p, retrying in 60 seconds.~n", [Reason]),
+    erlang:spawn(fun() ->
+        timer:sleep(60_000),
+        network:wifi_scan()
+    end);
+got_scan_results({NumResults, Results}) ->
+    io:format("WiFi scan found ~p networks.~n", [NumResults]),
+    erlang:spawn(fun() -> connect_if_known(Results) end).
+
+connect_if_known([]) ->
+    io:format("No known networks found, re-scanning in 60 seconds.~n"),
+    erlang:spawn(fun() ->
+        timer:sleep(60_000),
+        network:wifi_scan()
+    end);
+connect_if_known([#{ssid := SSID, authmode := Auth} | Results]) ->
+    case SSID =:= esp:nvs_fetch_binary(network, ssid) of
+        true ->
+            case esp:nvs_fetch_binary(network, psk) of
+                undefined when Auth =:= open ->
+                    io:format("Connecting to unsecured network ~s...~n", [SSID]),
+                    network:sta_connect([{ssid, SSID}]);
+                undefined ->
+                    io:format("No psk stored in nvs for network ~s with ~p security!~n", [SSID, Auth]),
+                    connect_if_known(Results);
+                PSK ->
+                    io:format("Connecting to ~s (~p)...~n", [SSID, Auth]),
+                    network:sta_connect([{ssid, SSID}, {psk, PSK}])
+            end;
+        false ->
+            connect_if_known(Results)
+    end.
 ```
 
 In a typical application, the network should be configured and an IP address should be acquired first, before starting clients or services that have a dependency on the network.
@@ -138,10 +184,107 @@ case network:wait_for_sta(Config, 15000) of
 end
 ```
 
-To obtain the signal strength (in decibels) of the connection to the associated access point use [`network:sta_rssi/0`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#sta_rssi0).
-
 ### STA (or AP+STA) mode functions
 
+Some functions are only available if the device is configured in STA or AP+STA mode.
+
+#### `sta_rssi`
+
+Once connected to an access point, the signal strength in decibel-milliwatts (dBm) of the
+connection to the associated access point may be obtained using
+[`network:sta_rssi/0`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#sta_rssi0). The value returned as
+`{ok, Value}` will typically be a negative number, but in the
+presence of a powerful signal this can be a positive number. A level of 0 dBm corresponds to the
+power of 1 milliwatt. A 10 dBm decrease in level is equivalent to a ten-fold decrease in signal
+power.
+
+#### `wifi_scan`
+
+```{notice}
+This function is currently only supported on the ESP32 platform.
+```
+
+After the network has been configured for STA or AP+STA mode and started, you may scan for
+available access points using
+[`network:wifi_scan/0`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#wifi_scan0) or
+[`network:wifi_scan/1`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#wifi_scan1).  Scanning for access
+points will temporarily inhibit other traffic on the access point network if it is in use, but
+should not cause any active connections to be dropped.  With no options, a default 'active'
+(`{passive, false}`) scan, with a per-channel dwell time of 120ms will be used and will return
+network details for up to 6 access points, the default may be changed using the `sta_scan_config()`
+option in the `sta_config()`.  The return value for the scan takes the form of a tuple consisting
+of `{ok, Results}`, where `Results = {FoundAPs, NetworkList}`. `FoundAPs` may be a number larger
+than the length of the NetworkList if more access points were discovered than the number of results
+requested.  The entries in the `NetworkList` take the form of a map with the keys `ssid` mapped to
+the network name, `rssi` for the dBm signal strength of the access point, `authmode` value is the
+authentication method used by the network, `bssid` (a.k.a MAC address) of the access point, the
+`channel` key for the primary channel for the network, hidden networks (when `show_hidden` is
+used in the `scan_options()`) will have an empty `ssid` and the `hidden` key will be set to `true`.
+If an error is encountered the return will be `{error, Reason :: term()}`. If the network is
+stopped while a scan is in progress, the callback or caller may receive either a successful scan
+result, or `{error, scan_canceled}`.
+
+Blocking example with no `scan_done` callback:
+```erlang
+case network:wifi_scan() of
+    {ok, {Num, Networks}} ->
+        io:format("network scan found ~p networks.~n", [Num]),
+        lists:foreach(
+            fun(
+                _Network = #{ssid := SSID, rssi := DBm, authmode := Mode, bssid := BSSID, channel := Number}
+            ) ->
+                io:format(
+                    "Network: ~p, BSSID: ~p, signal ~p dBm, Security: ~p, channel ~p~n",
+                    [SSID, BSSID, DBm, Mode, Number]
+                )
+            end,
+            Networks
+        );
+    {error, Reason} ->
+        io:format("Failed to scan for wifi networks for reason ~p.~n", [Reason])
+end,
+...
+```
+
+To avoid blocking the caller for extended lengths of time, especially on 5 Ghz capable devices,
+a callback function may be configured in the network config. See
+[Station mode callbacks](#station-mode-callbacks).
+
+To minimize the risk of out-of-memory errors, this driver limits the maximum number of returned
+networks depending on the target and memory configuration:
+ESP32-C2 supports up to 10, ESP32-S2/ESP32-C61/ESP32-C5 up to 14, most other targets up to 20,
+and ESP32-P4 or PSRAM-enabled builds up to 64.
+
+The default scan is quite fast, and likely may not find all the available networks.  Scans are
+quite configurable with `active` (the default) and `passive` modes. Options should take the form of
+a proplist.  The per-channel scan time can be changed with the `dwell` key, the channel dwell time
+can be set for up to 1500 ms.  Passive scans are slower, as they always linger on each channel for
+the full dwell time. Passive mode can be used by simply adding `passive` to the configuration
+proplist. Keep in mind when choosing a dwell time that between each progressively scanned channel
+the device must return to the home channel for a short time (typically 30ms), but for scans with a
+dwell time of over 1000ms the home channel dwell time will increase to 60ms to help mitigate
+beacon-timeout events.  In some network configuration beacon timeout events may still occur, but
+should not lead to a dropped connection, and after the scan completes the device should receive the
+next beacon from the access point. The default of 6 access points in the returned `NetworkList` may
+be changed with the `results` key. By default hidden networks are ignored, but can be included in
+the results by adding `show_hidden` to the configuration.
+
+For example, to do a passive scan using an ESP32-C6, including hidden networks, using the longest
+allowed scan time and showing the maximum number of networks available use the following:
+
+```erlang
+{ok, Results} = network:wifi_scan([passive, {results, 20}, {dwell, 1500}, show_hidden]).
+```
+
+For convenience the default options used by `network:wifi_scan/0` may be configured along
+with the `sta_config()` used to start the network driver. For the corresponding startup-time scan
+configuration keys, consult `sta_scan_config()` in the `sta_config()` definition rather than the
+runtime [`scan_options()`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#scan-options) accepted by
+`network:wifi_scan/1`. For most applications that will use wifi scan results, it is recommended to
+start the driver with a configuration that uses a custom callback function for `disconnected`
+events, so that the driver will remain idle and allow the use of scan results to decide if a
+connection should be made.
+
 #### `sta_status`
 
 The function [`network:sta_status/0`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#sta_status0) may be used
@@ -191,9 +334,9 @@ The `<ap-properties>` property list may contain the following entries:
 
 If the SSID is omitted in configuration, the SSID name `atomvm-<hexmac>` will be created, where `<hexmac>` is the hexadecimal representation of the factory-assigned MAC address of the device.  This name should be sufficiently unique to disambiguate it from other reachable ESP32 devices, but it may also be difficult to read or remember.
 
-If the password is omitted, then an _open network_ will be created, and a warning will be printed to the console.  Otherwise, the AP network will be started using WPA+WPA2 authentication.
+If the password is omitted, then an __open network__ will be created, and a warning will be printed to the console.  Otherwise, the AP network will be started using WPA+WPA2 authentication.
 
-If the channel is omitted the default chanel for esp32 is `1`. This setting is only used while a device is operation is AP mode only. If `ap_channel` is configured, it will be temporarily changed to match the associated access point if AP + STA mode is used and the station is associated with an access point. This is a hardware limitation due to the modem radio only being able to operate on a single channel (frequency) at a time.
+If the channel is omitted the default channel for esp32 is `1`. This setting is only used while a device is operation in AP mode only. If `ap_channel` is configured, it will be temporarily changed to match the associated access point if AP + STA mode is used and the station is associated with an access point. This is a hardware limitation due to the modem radio only being able to operate on a single channel (frequency) at a time.
 
 The [`network:start/1`](./apidocs/erlang/eavmlib/network.md#start1) will immediately return `{ok, Pid}`, where `Pid` is the process id of the network server, if the network was properly initialized, or `{error, Reason}`, if there was an error in configuration.  However, the application may want to wait for the device to to be ready to accept connections from other devices, or to be notified when other devices connect to this AP.
 
@@ -324,6 +467,7 @@ To stop the network and free any resources in use, issue the [`stop/0`](./apidoc
 network:stop().
 ```
 
-```{caution}
-Stop is currently unimplemented.
+```{note}
+If `network:stop/0` is called while a WiFi scan is in progress, the scan caller or callback may
+receive either the final scan result or `{error, scan_canceled}`.
 ```

examples/erlang/esp32/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -38,3 +38,5 @@ pack_runnable(reformat_nvs reformat_nvs eavmlib avm_esp32)
 pack_runnable(uartecho uartecho eavmlib estdlib avm_esp32)
 pack_runnable(ledc_example ledc_example eavmlib estdlib avm_esp32)
 pack_runnable(epmd_disterl epmd_disterl eavmlib estdlib avm_network avm_esp32)
+pack_runnable(wifi_scan wifi_scan estdlib eavmlib avm_network avm_esp32)
+pack_runnable(wifi_scan_callback wifi_scan_callback estdlib eavmlib avm_network avm_esp32)

examples/erlang/esp32/wifi_scan.erl

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+%% This file is part of AtomVM.
+%%
+%% Copyright (c) 2023 <winford@object.stream>
+%% All rights reserved.
+%%
+%% Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+%% you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+%% You may obtain a copy of the License at
+%%
+%%     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+%%
+%% Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+%% distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+%% WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+%% See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+%% limitations under the License.
+%%
+%%
+%% SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 OR LGPL-2.1-or-later
+%%
+
+-module(wifi_scan).
+
+-export([start/0]).
+
+start() ->
+    {ok, _Pid} = network:start([{sta, [managed]}]),
+    scan_passive([show_hidden, {dwell, 1000}]),
+    scan_active([{dwell, 500}]).
+
+scan_active(Config) ->
+    io:format(
+        "\nStarting active scan with configuration ~p, this may take some time depending on dwell ms used.\n\n",
+        [Config]
+    ),
+    BeginTime = erlang:monotonic_time(millisecond),
+    {ok, {Num, Networks}} = network:wifi_scan(Config),
+    io:format("Active scan found ~p networks in ~pms.\n", [
+        Num, erlang:monotonic_time(millisecond) - BeginTime
+    ]),
+    format_networks(Networks).
+
+scan_passive(Config) ->
+    io:format(
+        "\nStarting passive scan with configuration: ~p, this may take some time depending on dwell ms used.\n\n",
+        [Config]
+    ),
+    Opts = [passive | Config],
+    BeginTime = erlang:monotonic_time(millisecond),
+    ScanResults = network:wifi_scan(Opts),
+    {ok, {Num, Networks}} = ScanResults,
+    io:format("Passive scan found ~p networks in ~pms.\n", [
+        Num, erlang:monotonic_time(millisecond) - BeginTime
+    ]),
+    format_networks(Networks).
+
+format_networks(Networks) ->
+    lists:foreach(
+        fun(
+            _Network = #{
+                authmode := Mode,
+                bssid := BSSID,
+                channel := Number,
+                hidden := Hidden,
+                rssi := DBm,
+                ssid := SSID
+            }
+        ) ->
+            io:format(
+                "Network: ~p, BSSID: ~p, signal ~p dBm, Security: ~p, channel ~p, hidden: ~p\n",
+                [SSID, BSSID, DBm, Mode, Number, Hidden]
+            )
+        end,
+        Networks
+    ).

examples/erlang/esp32/wifi_scan_callback.erl

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+%% This file is part of AtomVM.
+%%
+%% Copyright (c) 2026 <winford@object.stream>
+%% All rights reserved.
+%%
+%% Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+%% you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+%% You may obtain a copy of the License at
+%%
+%%     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+%%
+%% Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+%% distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+%% WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+%% See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+%% limitations under the License.
+%%
+%%
+%% SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 OR LGPL-2.1-or-later
+%%
+
+-module(wifi_scan_callback).
+
+-export([start/0]).
+
+start() ->
+    Config = [{sta, [managed, {scan_done, fun display_scan_results/1}]}],
+    {ok, _Pid} = network:start(Config),
+    io:format(
+        "\nStarting active scan with configuration ~p, this may take some time depending on dwell ms used.\n\n",
+        [Config]
+    ),
+    case network:wifi_scan() of
+        {error, Reason} ->
+            io:format("wifi_scan failed for reason ~p\n", [Reason]);
+        ok ->
+            timer:sleep(infinity)
+    end.
+
+display_scan_results(Results) ->
+    case Results of
+        {error, Reason} ->
+            io:format("wifi_scan failed for reason ~p.\n", [Reason]);
+        {Num, Networks} ->
+            io:format("wifi_scan callback got ~p results:\n", [Num]),
+            lists:foreach(
+                fun(
+                    _Network = #{
+                        authmode := Mode,
+                        bssid := BSSID,
+                        channel := Number,
+                        hidden := Hidden,
+                        ssid := SSID,
+                        rssi := DBm
+                    }
+                ) ->
+                    io:format(
+                        "Network: ~p, BSSID: ~p, signal ~p dBm, Security: ~p, channel: ~p, hidden: ~p\n",
+                        [SSID, BSSID, DBm, Mode, Number, Hidden]
+                    )
+                end,
+                Networks
+            )
+    end.