ESPHome: WT32‑ETH01 / ESP8266 / ESP32‑C3 not showing up in network

HansiEdi · January 31, 2026, 4:49pm

Ping from HA and ESPHome docker console

ping 192.168.1.190 - works
ping esphome-web-a98f32 - works

my Docker is the following:

services:
  esphome:
    container_name: esphome
    image: ghcr.io/esphome/esphome:latest
    volumes:
      # Dein optimierter Pfad
      - /home/hans/docker/esphome/config:/config
      # Wichtig für korrekte Zeitstempel in den Logs
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
    network_mode: host
    restart: always
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin

Is it because I didn’t save the configuration in the Docker path?

I still need to check mDNS from both Dockers, I’m not ready yet.

@RonnieLast
I tested your Docker compose. Unfortunately, there was no improvement.

Unfortunately, I haven’t yet figured out how to check mDNS in the Docker container via the console. It works as reported on the Debian host, but it’s not so easy from within the container.

@ mneuron
I followed your advice to integrate improv_serial:. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and I really have no idea why.

Updated YAML:

esphome:
  name: esp32-c3-super-mini
  friendly_name: ESP32-C3 super mini

esp32:
  board: esp32-c3-devkitm-1
  framework:
    type: esp-idf

logger:
  level: VERBOSE

mdns:
  disabled: false
  
web_server:
  port: 80

api:
  encryption:
    key: "mKO6t+wJtIbifuPzVo25GcJS+SkZQijJ5COuE0UvWQU="

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: "31e70157d28b210010ea74ab278926c8"

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

  ap:
    ssid: "Esp32-C3-Super-Mini"
    password: "mJycSIJEYSJd"

captive_portal:

# --- Improv über USB/Serial ---
improv_serial:
  friendly_name: "Mein ESP Gerät"
  firmware: "v1.0"
  manufacturer: "community"
  model: "ESP32 Sensor"

# --- Improv über Bluetooth (BLE) ---
esp32_ble:
  io_capability: "no_input_no_output"

bluetooth_proxy:
  active: true

RonnieLast · January 31, 2026, 4:51pm

The standard DNS based ping will always work - but what about the mDNS .local addresses?

HansiEdi · February 1, 2026, 2:48pm

Ping tests via local network

Windows 10 PC (works):

Code

ping esphome-web-a98f32.local  
ping dlanwireless.local  
ping shelly1-40F5201DDAAA.local (no Wi-Fi reception at the moment)

Debian (does NOT work):

Code

ping esphome-web-a98f32.local  
ping dlanwireless.local  
ping shelly1-40F5201DDAAA.local

Home Assistant Docker (does NOT work):

Code

ping esphome-web-a98f32.local  
ping dlanwireless.local  
ping shelly1-40F5201DDAAA.local

ESPHome Docker (does NOT work):

Code

ping esphome-web-a98f32.local  
ping dlanwireless.local  
ping shelly1-40F5201DDAAA.local

So at this point it’s clear that there is an issue with Multicast DNS (mDNS).

I also learned how to validate the YAML, and I found several errors there.

Because of the mDNS issues, I wanted to assign a static IP address to bypass mDNS entirely.

I tried several approaches, but none of them worked.

I used the following configuration, but it is not applied — the ESP always stays at 192.168.1.190:

Code

manual_ip:
  static_ip: 192.168.1.201
  gateway: 192.168.1.1
  subnet: 255.255.255.0
  dns1: 192.168.1.1
  dns2: 8.8.8.8

YAML:

Code

esphome:
  name: esp32-c3-super-mini
  friendly_name: "ESP32-C3 Super Mini Improv"

esp32:
  board: esp32-c3-devkitm-1
  framework:
    type: esp-idf

logger:
  level: VERBOSE

api:
  encryption:
    key: "mKO6t+wJtIbifuPzVo25GcJS+SkZQijJ5COuE0UvWQU="

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: "31e70157d28b210010ea74ab278926c8"

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password
  manual_ip:
    static_ip: 192.168.1.201
    gateway: 192.168.1.1
    subnet: 255.255.255.0
    dns1: 192.168.1.1
    dns2: 8.8.8.8
  ap:
    ssid: "Esp32-C3-Super-Mini"
    password: "mJycSIJEYSJd"

improv_serial:

esp32_ble:

bluetooth_proxy:
  active: true

web_server:
  port: 80

captive_portal:

improv_serial still does not work. In my router, the ESP always shows up with the IP address 192.168.1.90. The DHCP server assigns addresses in the range 192.168.1.20 – 192.168.1.200. There is no IP conflict.

HansiEdi · February 1, 2026, 2:53pm

I flashed the following YAML configuration onto my ESP32‑C3 Super Mini:

Code

esphome:
  name: esp32-c3-super-mini
  friendly_name: Mein Super Mini no wlan

esp32:
  board: esp32-c3-devkitm-1
  variant: esp32c3
  framework:
    type: esp-idf  # ESP-IDF is often more stable for no‑WiFi setups

# WiFi intentionally omitted, which should disable it.
# wifi:
#   No SSID/password entered = WiFi stays off.

# Since WiFi is disabled, I use USB for logs
logger:
  hardware_uart: usb_serial_jtag

# OTA is not possible without WiFi, so flashing will be done via USB.

However, the ESP32 still appears in my WiFi network. At this point I really don’t understand why this is happening.

What happened next:

In ESPHome, a “Show” button suddenly appeared in the top right corner. After clicking it, an “ESPHome Web a98f32” entry showed up. I clicked on “Discovered”, and now this ESP32 appears in the device list and shows as online.

Before that, I had flashed the firmware “Mein Super Mini no wlan” via Wireless Update, but errors occurred. Afterwards I reflashed it via USB.

To make sure no remnants of the old firmware were still active, I then completely overwrote the ESP32 using the Arduino IDE.

Despite that, ESPHome still shows the device as online, even though the ESP32 is definitely no longer connected to WiFi.

To be safe, I’m now rebooting my Debian server and my FritzBox.

HansiEdi2 · February 1, 2026, 7:40pm

Bluetooth didn’t work either, even though I could find the Bluetooth device with my cell phone and computer.

Jarod73 · February 2, 2026, 3:40pm

I’ve solved same problem using nginx dns proxy as per hass_ingress/addons-for-docker-installation.md at d9b2a86df578c22a470e759dcb0c355e18d9df93 · lovelylain/hass_ingress · GitHub.
This is what I have in my docker-compose.yaml :

  dns:
    image: nginx
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - /opt/nginx/dns_proxy.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

  esphome:
    container_name: esphome
    image: esphome/esphome
    restart: unless-stopped
    privileged: true
    network_mode: host
    dns:
      - 172.18.0.3
    dns_opt:
      - ndots:0
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Rome
      - ESPHOME_DASHBOARD_USE_PING=true

    volumes:
      - /opt/esphome/config:/config:rw
      - /opt/esphome/cache:/cache:rw
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - /var/run/dbus:/var/run/dbus:ro

In Esphome section adapt (if needed) dns address as per your nginx container address.

HansiEdi · February 2, 2026, 10:23pm

Hello Jarod, thank you for your post.

I’ll try that over the next few days. Thank you for sharing your Docker Compose File with me.

HansiEdi · February 2, 2026, 10:54pm

Yesterday, I tried to put together a simple YAML so that the WT32-ETH01 would work.

I read through the following page: Ethernet Component - ESPHome - Smart Home Made Simple

I couldn’t transfer the YAML 1:1, it had to be adapted…

When the validation did not return any errors, I uploaded the YAML.

The ETH01 appeared as Discovered. I then attempted to add it to the ESPHome Dashboard using Take Control, but unfortunately this failed.

The Ethernet interface was disabled, but it was found via Wi-Fi. This was somewhat unusual, as it had opened a hotspot that required me to connect to the Wi-Fi router.

It was then listed in ESPHome with a new name, as it had been found previously. I was again unable to add it to the dashboard using Take Control.

A check via the serial interface revealed some errors…

In the meantime, I tried again, but didn’t change anything in the YAML code except for level: DEBUG.

Result:

The ETH01 is connected to the router via Wi-Fi.

Ethernet is not active.

The following script has been uploaded:
YAML

esphome:
  name: wt32-eth01-geraet
#  platformio_options:
#    board_build.flash_mode: dio

esp32:
  board: wt32-eth01
  framework:
    type: arduino

# Ethernet-Konfiguration für WT32-ETH01
ethernet:
  type: LAN8720
  mdc_pin: GPIO23
  mdio_pin: GPIO18
  clk_mode: GPIO0_IN
  phy_addr: 1
  power_pin: GPIO16

# Standard-Komponenten
logger:
  level: DEBUG

api:
  encryption:
    key: "Y7mPqR4vWzX9bN2mK5fT8jL1sQ3xC6zA4nB7vD0pE9g="

ota:
  - platform: esphome

Serial Monitor:

[I][safe_mode:042]: Boot seems successful; resetting boot loop counter
                                                                      [D][esp32.preferences:149]: Writing 1 items: 0 cached, 1 written, 0 failed
                                                                [E][api:156]: No clients; rebooting
                   [I][app:221]: Forcing a reboot
                                                 ets Jul 29 2019 12:21:46

rst:0xc (SW_CPU_RESET),boot:0x13 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
mode:DIO, clock div:2
load:0x3fff0030,len:6380
ho 0 tail 12 room 4
load:0x40078000,len:15916
load:0x40080400,len:3860
entry 0x40080630
I (29) boot: ESP-IDF 5.5.1 2nd stage bootloader
I (29) boot: compile time Jan 17 2026 01:55:29
I (29) boot: Multicore bootloader
I (30) boot: chip revision: v3.1
I (33) boot.esp32: SPI Speed      : 40MHz
I (37) boot.esp32: SPI Mode       : DIO
I (40) boot.esp32: SPI Flash Size : 4MB
I (44) boot: Enabling RNG early entropy source...
I (49) boot: Partition Table:
I (51) boot: ## Label            Usage          Type ST Offset   Length
I (57) boot:  0 otadata          OTA data         01 00 00009000 00002000
I (64) boot:  1 phy_init         RF data          01 01 0000b000 00001000
I (71) boot:  2 app0             OTA app          00 10 00010000 001c0000
I (77) boot:  3 app1             OTA app          00 11 001d0000 001c0000
I (84) boot:  4 nvs              WiFi data        01 02 00390000 0006d000
I (90) boot: End of partition table
I (93) esp_image: segment 0: paddr=00010020 vaddr=3f400020 size=27cd8h (163032) map
I (157) esp_image: segment 1: paddr=00037d00 vaddr=3ffbdb60 size=056f8h ( 22264) load
I (165) esp_image: segment 2: paddr=0003d400 vaddr=40080000 size=02c18h ( 11288) load
I (170) esp_image: segment 3: paddr=00040020 vaddr=400d0020 size=dbd78h (900472) map
I (478) esp_image: segment 4: paddr=0011bda0 vaddr=40082c18 size=18a6ch (100972) load
I (517) esp_image: segment 5: paddr=00134814 vaddr=50000000 size=00020h (    32) load
I (531) boot: Loaded app from partition at offset 0x10000
I (531) boot: Disabling RNG early entropy source...
[I][logger:121]: Log initialized
                                [C][safe_mode:084]: Unsuccessful boot attempts: 0
 [D][esp32.preferences:149]: Writing 1 items: 0 cached, 1 written, 0 failed
                                                                           [I][app:077]: Running through setup()
                                [C][component:208]: Setup preferences took 0ms
                                                                              [C][component:208]: Setup esp32_ble took 0ms
                                          [C][component:208]: Setup esp32_ble_server took 0ms
             [C][component:208]: Setup esp32_improv took 0ms
                                                            [C][component:208]: Setup web_server_base took 0ms
                              [C][component:208]: Setup captive_portal took 0ms
                                                                               [C][wifi:372]: Starting
                        Local MAC: 14:33:5C:09:7F:58
                                                    [D][wifi:387]: Loaded settings: FRITZ!Box 7490
                  [I][wifi:319]: Starting scan
                                              [D][wifi:958]: Starting scan
                                                                          [C][component:208]: Setup wifi took 106ms
                                   [C][component:208]: Setup esphome.ota took 3ms
 [C][component:208]: Setup safe_mode took 0ms
                                             [C][component:208]: Setup web_server.ota took 0ms
              [W][component:333]: api set Warning flag: unspecified
                                                                   [C][component:208]: Setup api took 1ms
                         [C][component:208]: Setup improv_serial took 0ms
                                                                         [C][component:208]: Setup mdns took 2ms
                                [I][app:124]: setup() finished successfully!
                                                                            [D][esp32_ble:398]: Enabling
                        [W][component:490]: esp32_ble took a long time for an operation (514 ms)
                [W][component:493]: Components should block for at most 30 ms
                                                                             [W][component:342]: wifi set Warning flag: scanning for networks
                                                             [I][app:194]: ESPHome version 2025.12.6 compiled on Jan 17 2026, 01:54:27
                                                      [I][app:196]: Project esphome.web version 26.1.0
                      [C][logger:261]: Logger:
                                                Max Level: DEBUG
                                                                  Initial Level: DEBUG
      [C][logger:267]:   Log Baud Rate: 115200
                                                Hardware UART: UART0
                                                                    [C][logger:274]:   Task Log Buffer Size: 768
                                [C][esp32_ble:656]: BLE:
                                                          MAC address: 14:33:5C:09:7F:5A
          IO Capability: none
                             [C][esp32_ble_server:232]: ESP32 BLE Server:
                                                                         [C][esp32_improv.component:305]: ESP32 Improv:
                                       [C][captive_portal:118]: Captive Portal:
                                                                               [D][esp32_ble_server:089]: BLE server setup successfully
                                                       [C][wifi:1132]: WiFi:
                                                                              Connected: NO
           [C][wifi:897]:   Local MAC: 14:33:5C:09:7F:58
                                                        [C][wifi:908]:   SSID: ''
   BSSID: 00:00:00:00:00:00
                             Hostname: 'esphome-web-097f58'
                                                             Signal strength: -127 dB ××××
            Channel: 5
                        Subnet: 0.0.0.0
                                         Gateway: 0.0.0.0
                                                           DNS1: 0.0.0.0
                                                                          DNS2: 0.0.0.0
       [C][esphome.ota:092]: Over-The-Air updates:
                                                    Address: esphome-web.local:3232
     Version: 2
               [C][safe_mode:018]: Safe Mode:
                                               Successful after: 60s
                                                                      Invoke after: 10 attempts
                 Duration: 300s
                               [C][web_server.ota:241]: Web Server OTA
                                                                      [C][api:211]: Server:
             Address: esphome-web.local:6053
                                              Listen backlog: 4
                                                                 Max connections: 8
   [C][api:223]:   Noise encryption: NO
                                       [C][improv_serial:063]: Improv Serial:
                                                                             [C][mdns:177]: mDNS:
                   Hostname: esphome-web-097f58
                                               [D][wifi:1068]: Found networks:
                                                                              [I][wifi:1041]: - 'FRITZ!Box 7490' (38:10:D5:BC:14:AA) ▂▄▆█
                                                         [D][wifi:1044]:   Channel: 11, RSSI: -71 dB, Priority:    0
                                    [D][wifi:1046]: - 'Home@Kitz' (60:B5:8D:4A:F8:FB) ▂▄▆█
          [D][wifi:1046]: - 'Home@Kitz' (60:B5:8D:32:D1:C0) ▂▄▆█
                                                                [D][wifi:1046]: - 'Home@Kitz' (60:B5:8D:4A:D0:C2) ▂▄▆█
                                      [D][wifi:1361]: Retry phase: INITIAL_CONNECT → SCAN_CONNECTING
                    [I][wifi:774]: Connecting to 'FRITZ!Box 7490' (38:10:D5:BC:14:AA) (priority 0, attempt 1/2 in phase SCAN_CONNECTING)...
                                                           [I][wifi:1149]: Connected
    [C][wifi:897]:   Local MAC: 14:33:5C:09:7F:58
                                                 [C][wifi:904]:   IP Address: 192.168.1.95
          [C][wifi:908]:   SSID: 'FRITZ!Box 7490'
                                                   BSSID: 38:10:D5:BC:14:AA
                                                                             Hostname: 'esphome-web-097f58'
                             Signal strength: -79 dB ▂▄▆█
                                                           Channel: 11
                                                                        Subnet: 255.255.255.0
               Gateway: 192.168.1.1
                                     DNS1: 192.168.1.1
                                                        DNS2: 0.0.0.0
                                                                     [D][wifi:1173]: Disabling AP
                 [W][component:373]: wifi cleared Warning flag
                                                              [I][safe_mode:042]: Boot seems successful; resetting boot loop counter
                                                    [D][esp32.preferences:149]: Writing 1 items: 0 cached, 1 written, 0 failed

Questions?

The LOG output looks good, right?
Why is the LAN port not activated and the WLAN is instead?
Why can’t I add the ESP32-ETH01 to the ESPHome Dashboard?

Jarod73 · February 3, 2026, 7:25pm

You can configure only wi-fi or ethernet in the yaml. If nothing changed, esphome doesn’t support both adapters at same time for wt32-eth01.

edit: is your code posted before complete, or something is missing?
Log suggest me you are trying to setup a bluetooth proxy , this is what I’ve used to flash mine : bluetooth-proxies/wt32/wt32-eth01.yaml at ab2a5cdaecee741a7284e5a2af47d3b5394d1e21 · esphome/bluetooth-proxies · GitHub and they work fine on ethernet.

ciao