Wi-Fi Setup with Web Browser Instead of Mobile App

[Hector56]

Hi everyone,

I see that the docs provide examples for doing product Wi-Fi setup over BLE using React Native, examples for iOS and Android, and a tool to do it on the web using a USB cable. Is there a way to do Wi-Fi setup, in my case on an M404, using BLE on a webpage instead of an iOS or Android app?

[Edit] Alternatively, I've used the WiFiManager library for ESP8266 before for a previous project, and this was a pretty good user experience. I remember reading a post here about this, and I think the result was that there isn't anything similar for M404 devices. I just wanted to confirm if that's still the case, since something like that would be a great solution.

[gusgonnet]

Hi Hector,

Here are some options I know.

One option:

Suggestions for End-User device onboarding?

We are utilizing the M404x board, which supports both cellular and WiFi connectivity. Users initially set up their devices by scanning a QR code or entering the coreID found on a sticker inside the device. Upon first setup, the M404x automatically connects via cellular network. Through their user interface, users have the option to add WiFi credentials and to enable or disable WiFi. When they update the WiFi settings, a Particle function transmits the new credentials to the device and reboots i…

Another option:

New Library Example: Provision Argon WiFi Credentials via BLE

Hello Particle Community! I’m Dan Kouba, a Sr. Solutions Architect on the Particle team, and I’m excited to share a solution I put together to address some of the challenges we’ve heard from you around provisioning Argons in the field. The solution is in two parts: A firmware library (ble-wifi-setup-manager, available in the Particle library system) that exposes a custom WiFi configuration service via BLE. It uses a simple JSON interface to enable another device to initiate WiFi scans on the …

Best,

[rickkas7]

Browser-based BLE setup is possible, however iOS does not support WebBLE in Safari or Chrome, so that pretty much makes it non-viable.

Additionally, support for WebBLE in desktop browsers is better on recent laptops, but very unreliable or not available on older laptops.

Using the built-in BLE setup code from WebBLE is possible, but setting up the encryption will be difficult. You can use a simpler protocol that will make it much easier, but probably less secure.

[Hector56]

@gusgonnet,

The first solution you shared might be a good enough solution for now, but it does seem to require having a cellular connection to begin with (to send the Wi-Fi credentials to the evice), which isn't always guarenteed in my case and is the reason we're using an M404 with Wi-Fi in the first place.

It looks like the ble-wifi-setup-manager only currently supports Argon and P2 devices. When trying to build for the M404 I got an error saying #error "This library only works on the Argon or P2!" - If this were ever extended to support M404, I think this would be a viable solution for us.

[rickkas7]

The problem with ble-wifi-setup-manager is really a one-line change, I think. In ble_wifi_setup_manager.cpp

// Before:
#if PLATFORM_ID != PLATFORM_ARGON && PLATFORM_ID != PLATFORM_P2

// After:
#if PLATFORM_ID != PLATFORM_ARGON && PLATFORM_ID != PLATFORM_P2 && PLATFORM_ID != PLATFORM_MSOM

[Hector56]

I had hoped this was the case. I'll try it out when I get the chance. Thanks!