Ethernet activity indicator flashes constantly when using softAP

[willemmerson]

The yellow ethernet activity indicator flashes constantly when using softAP, even when sending or receiving no data. This may be a hardware problem specific to the boards I'm using, which are Olimex Gateway and Olimex PoE, I don't have access to any other ESP32 boards with ethernet.
Both ethernet and softAP still work fine, so it's not exactly a huge problem. I don't actually know whether it indicates some kind of network activity or if the light is just flashing for no reason.
Below is a minimal PoC to make it happen (for IDF master), which just uses the same code as the softAP and ethernet examples:

Code: Select all

#include <esp_eth.h>
#include <esp_eth_mac.h>
#include <esp_eth_phy.h>
#include <esp_log.h>
#include <esp_netif.h>
#include <esp_netif_defaults.h>
#include <esp_netif_types.h>
#include <esp_wifi.h>
#include <nvs_flash.h>


void internal_flash_init() {
    esp_err_t err = nvs_flash_init();
    if (err == ESP_ERR_NVS_NO_FREE_PAGES || err == ESP_ERR_NVS_NEW_VERSION_FOUND) {
        ESP_ERROR_CHECK(nvs_flash_erase());
        err = nvs_flash_init();
    }
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(err);
}

void ethernet_init(void) {
    esp_netif_config_t cfg = ESP_NETIF_DEFAULT_ETH();
    esp_netif_t *eth_netif = esp_netif_new(&cfg);
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_eth_set_default_handlers(eth_netif));
    eth_mac_config_t mac_config = ETH_MAC_DEFAULT_CONFIG();
    esp_eth_mac_t *mac = esp_eth_mac_new_esp32(&mac_config);
    eth_phy_config_t phy_config = ETH_PHY_DEFAULT_CONFIG();
    phy_config.phy_addr = 0;
    esp_eth_phy_t *phy = esp_eth_phy_new_lan8720(&phy_config);
    esp_eth_config_t config = ETH_DEFAULT_CONFIG(mac, phy);
    esp_eth_handle_t eth_handle = NULL;
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_eth_driver_install(&config, &eth_handle));
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_netif_attach(eth_netif, eth_handle));
}

void wifi_softap_init(void) {
    esp_netif_create_default_wifi_ap();
    wifi_init_config_t cfg = WIFI_INIT_CONFIG_DEFAULT();
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_wifi_init(&cfg));
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_wifi_set_mode(WIFI_MODE_AP));
    wifi_config_t wifi_config = {.ap = {.authmode = WIFI_AUTH_OPEN, .max_connection=5,}};
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_wifi_set_config(ESP_IF_WIFI_AP, &wifi_config));
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_wifi_start());
}

void app_main() {
    internal_flash_init();
    esp_netif_init();
    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_event_loop_create_default());
    ethernet_init();
    wifi_softap_init();
}

The ethernet is configured in the sdkconfig.defaults file:

Code: Select all

CONFIG_ETH_ENABLED=y
CONFIG_ETH_USE_ESP32_EMAC=y
CONFIG_ETH_PHY_INTERFACE_RMII=y
CONFIG_ETH_RMII_CLK_OUTPUT=y
CONFIG_ETH_RMII_CLK_OUT_GPIO=17
CONFIG_ETH_SMI_MDC_GPIO=23
CONFIG_ETH_SMI_MDIO_GPIO=18

[WiFive]

If it is connected to a network, there is probably broadcast traffic.

[willemmerson]

Sorry I should have mentioned, it's flashing absolutely regularly, very fast (10-20hz), I would have thought traffic would be more random. Also, no clients are connected to softAP and the ethernet is connected to a switch with no internet connection.

[MasterExploder]

I can confirm the wifi is the cause, disabling in i don't have no more the anomaly on the traffic led blink.
Did you manage to find a solution to this?