P1 to P2 migration without SoftAP

Firmware
1

Hi Community,

On P1 we could set up a local access point, and the customer could add their Wifi credentials there. On P2 i know the chip has the capability to do the same, but it is not supported by the Particle environment.

We do not have an app for our products, and we do not intend to make any. How can we make this work for the P2. We expect our customers to have a phone (android or iphone) available.I can find a solution for Android phones, but I can not find any solution for iPhone without making our own app.

What I do see is that we are not the only ones with a product that uses softAP, that have trouble migrating from P1 to P2. We have another product that uses the RTL8721 chip, and there we use softAP, also for simultaneous connection to both internet and local devices ( for home automation with unstable internet )

Is there no way you are going to make softAP for P2?

2

there is an example app for ios as well: GitHub - particle-iot/iOSBLEExample

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3

@hutchsubs I think Particle have made it clear that softAP for devices other than Photon isn't going to happen.

We started using softAP but found the user experience wasn't great - in particular there being no feedback on the connection process once the credentials were entered.

We have now gone for a simple UI (screen and 4 buttons) that is actually smaller in code size than softAP, is much more reliable (RAM usage and stack limits) and can give feedback on the connection status. However, it needs a screen and buttons.

With BLE the connection UX can be much better, however, you need an app.

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4

SoftAP will not be supported on the P2/Photon 2, or the Argon. BLE (typically from a mobile app) or USB is required.

The options available are described here.