Lessons Learned; Formerly: Running In AP Mode, SSID Blank, Stuck At WiFi Setup Page. How Do I Access Camera Controls?

[Testroadtech]

As the title says, I am currently stuck at the WiF- setup page. A couple of times before I had somehow managed to get into the application and control the camera, etc., but I had selected the wrong pin for PIR on my XAIO ESP32 Sense board (pin 9 0r 10, which I found out was used by the camera or SD card SPI).
Could you help me find a way to access the operator controls every time I access the device? Is there a 192.168.4.1/??? address I could type in, or some other work-around I can't think of?

[Testroadtech]

Here are some lessons I have learned in the past several days working with the code for this application. I was able to successfully get it to run in standalone mode (AP mode) after the following:

1. Format a name brand micro SD card (I have a 4 and a 32GB working; the crappy 256 and 512 MB ones I was using for text file logging would not work) with FAT32. (Right click on the drive as it comes up (windows), choose Format. Quick format worked.
2. Set options in appGlobals.h. Uncomment the board definition for your board. I used a XIAO ESP32S3 Sense. I did not need to comment out an ESP32 board, as the conditional statements only allow for one type at a time. Under optional features, I set #define INCLUDE_PERIPH true // peripherals.cpp (servos, PIR, led etc), as I am using an input to trigger video recording.
3. Assuming the Arduino IDE is set up, and the partition scheme and PSRAM parameters are set for your board (maximum APP, OPI PSRAM for ESP32S3), compile and download to the board. I chose the XIAO as it has built in USB, SD card, and battery support. It will get very warm, so be sure to affix the included heat sink(s).
4. Assuming everything downloads OK, scan for WiFi SSIDs and connect to the ESP-CAM_MJPEG_xxxx AP that comes up, go to the usual 192.168.4.1. This should take you to the WiFi setup page. The xxxx portion of the SSID name is derived from the unique MAC address of the board from the manufacturer.
5. Now, here is where I was stuck: I wanted to be able to use the application far from any WiFi. The author suggested in a previous discussion to not mess with the coding, use the user interface, and leave the SSID and password blank. As I had not gotten farther than the WiFi setup page reliably, I assumed he meant leave the 2 values in the setup page blank. I spent days studying the Arduino code, looking for a way to access the camera controls page, similar to the way the OTA page could be accessed from the WiFI setup screen. As you can guess, or already know, I was getting nowhere.
6. Entering an internet connected SSID and password at the WiFi setup screen and closely monitoring the serial monitor, I could see that the ESP then accessed the WiFi in Station mode, got on the internet, set the time, and most importantly, downloaded the data directory with configuration files directly to the SD card. In the current (3/4/2025) version of the software, the ESP board needs to be connected to the internet to configure itself. Most importantly, the controls web page, \Data\MJPEG2SD.htm, is run straight off the SD card. Also important, if you swap SD cards from 2 similar cameras, the SSID of the access point will follow the SD card (I have 2 similar boards and was most perplexed as to why the MAC address portion of the AP SSID name transferred to the other cam board!)
7. After the files in audio support? #6 above were downloaded and saved, I was able to access the camera controls web page by connecting to the ESP32's AP mode. It appears the ESP32S3 was running both STA and AP modes. I tested the Start Stream button and was able to see video. Under the Camera control button (top of the left column as viewed on a laptop screen, picture of a 35mm camera), I set my resolution to SVGA(800x600), and the FPS to 20. Your settings may differ based on your needs.
8. Lastly, under the Access Settings icon (left column, picture of a dual open end wrench), Network Settings, I deleted the SSID and password information, leaving grayed out "Router SSID" and "Router password". The "Save Settings" box then needs to be clicked to write the changed to the SD card. I believe this is what the developer was referring to in the previous discussion, but not being familiar with how the application worked, it took me days to figure this out. I hope this will help another poor soul who needs this.
9. I was then able to power down the ESP32, plug it in and access the SSID that came up. It helps to bookmark the 192.168.4.1 address, as most ESP WiFi projects use this.