Connectivity

Accessing the ESP8266 can be challenging due to the lack of any physical interface such as a touch display or keyboard. To make up for this deficiency, there are five distinct ways the unicontrol device can be accessed, each with varying capabilities. First, there are two emergency protocols for accessing a new or otherwise inaccessible device:

• Wi-Fi AP mode allows for wireless connection to the ESP8266 using a computer or mobile device.
• Serial port takes advantage of a USB cable connection to a computer.

Once a stable STA connection to the wireless network is established, there are three connection options available for accessing the device:

• Web interface is the main, user-friendly option for the complete device setup during installation or maintenance.
• HTTP API provides complete control over all aspects of the device using an exhaustive set of HTTP requests, ideal for integrating the device with third-party overarching systems.
• MQTT API enables access to basic telemetry, parameters, and commands over the network or the internet, making it ideal for daily use.

Wi-Fi Station mode

The Wi-Fi STA mode is the standard operation mode of the unicontrol device, in which it is expected to spend all of its normal running time. In this mode, the device connects to a wireless network and becomes accessible wirelessly within the local network via the Web interface, HTTP API, or MQTT API.

By default, the device will notify its user of an active connection to one of the saved wireless networks by shortly flashing its on-board LED two or three times every 10 seconds. If the System LED flashes only once in its 10-second cycle, the connection is missing, and user intervention may be needed.

Wi-Fi Access Point mode

The unicontrol Wi-Fi AP mode is specifically designed to allow access to the device via standard channels, such as the Web interface or HTTP API without using any network infrastructure. This mode is particularly useful when the device is newly Flashed with unicontrol software, reset to factory defaults, or when the Wi-Fi STA connection has been lost for any unforeseen reason. In AP mode, the device behaves as an independent Wi-Fi Access point, making itself easily accessible without depending on established networks. There are two options for activating this mode:

• Short-press the System Button (ended by pressing the same button two more times).
Briefly pressing the System Button cycles between Wi-Fi's STA, AP, and OFF modes. If the display's screensaver mode is active, the first brief press deactivates the screensaver before the cycle can proceed.
• Send the wifi AP command via the Serial port (ended by rebooting or sending the wifi STA command).

To connect to the device's wireless network, use the following credentials:

• SSID: The device Name with the addition of the suffix AP (default: my_uniAP).
• Password: The device Password (default: passw123).

Once connected, the most crucial Device, Security, and Wi-Fi settings of the unicontrol can be accessed at the address 192.168.1.1, as shown in the screenshot below.

Serial port

The Serial port interface is designed to provide last-resort access method to the device. In addition to providing debugging information via the Serial port, the device accepts commands listed in the table below.