Network and ESP Boards

Network and ESP Boards

ANSITerm talks to anything that looks like a byte stream. On a classic Arduino that is usually USB Serial. On ESP and networked boards you can also attach ANSITerm to a TCP client.

Two network examples

Example	Boards	Role
Network terminal	ESP, WiFiNINA, Ethernet	Minimal “connect and see network info” screen
ESP Wi‑Fi control	ESP32 / ESP8266 only	Full dual dashboard (USB + TCP)

Both use raw TCP on port 23 (telnet-style). They are not secure shell (SSH).

Typical workshop flow (ESP32)

1. Upload the ESP Wi‑Fi control example.
2. Open USB serial at 115200.
3. Use the on-screen menus to scan / join Wi‑Fi, or join the board’s soft-AP.
4. From a laptop on the same network: telnet <board-ip> 23.
5. Drive the same menus from either view.

Wi‑Fi checklist

• SSID and password typed correctly
• 2.4 GHz network for many ESP8266 modules
• Firewall / AP isolation not blocking device-to-device traffic
• Power supply strong enough (Wi‑Fi peaks can brown out weak USB ports)

Ethernet checklist

• Shield wired and powered
• MAC address unique on your LAN (change the demo MAC if you clone many boards)
• DHCP or the sketch’s static fallback matches your network

Security reminders

• Change default soft-AP passwords before leaving a device on a shared network.
• Treat EEPROM-stored Wi‑Fi passwords as demo convenience, not hardened secret storage.
• Prefer USB-only demos when teaching absolute beginners.