---
title: "ESP32 weather station - migrating from WiFi to W5500 ethernet"
url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/jakelee/projects/esp32-weather-station-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/"
markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/jakelee/projects/esp32-weather-station-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/md"
type: "UCC: User Created Content"
author: "bobw1"
author_url: "https://forum.arduino.cc/t/esp32-weatherstation-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/1385740/5"
editor: "WIZnet"
editor_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/"
original_author: "bobw1"
original_url: "https://forum.arduino.cc/t/esp32-weatherstation-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/1385740/5"
published: "2025-08-13"
language: "en"
likes: 0
views: 1374
comments: 0
source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)"
---

# ESP32 weather station - migrating from WiFi to W5500 ethernet

> The user built a weather station with ESP32 Wrover Dev Kit connected over Wi-Fi. Due to remote-site constraints, they tried to switch to Ethernet using W5500.

Original author: bobw1 (source: https://forum.arduino.cc/t/esp32-weatherstation-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/1385740/5)

## Article

## Forum Discussion Summary

**Context & Challenge (bobw1 – May 30, 2025):**

The user built a weather station using an **ESP32 Wrover Dev Kit** connected over Wi-Fi.

Due to remote-site constraints, they attempted to switch to wired Ethernet using a **W5500 module**.

Though the setup allowed **pinging the device**, the weather station did **not fully function** over Ethernet.
[mischianti.org+13Arduino Forum+13Arduino Forum+13](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/esp32-weatherstation-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/1385740?utm_source=chatgpt.com)[ESP32](https://esp32.com/viewtopic.php?t=42288&utm_source=chatgpt.com)

---

## Technical Setup

The user shared their initial code snippet:

cpp

CopyEdit

`#include <Ethernet.h> #include <WiFi.h> #define ETH_SPI_SCS 5 // Chip Select pin uint8_t baseMac[6]; void setup() { Serial.begin(115200); delay(1000); Serial.println("Starting Ethernet connection..."); Ethernet.init(ETH_SPI_SCS); esp_read_mac(baseMac, ESP_MAC_ETH); Serial.printf("Ethernet MAC: %02X:%02X:%02X:%02X:%02X:%02X\n", baseMac[0], baseMac[1], baseMac[2], baseMac[3], baseMac[4], baseMac[5]); Ethernet.begin(baseMac); Serial.println("Checking Ethernet hardware..."); if (Ethernet.hardwareStatus() == EthernetNoHardware) { Serial.println("ERROR: No Ethernet hardware detected!"); return; } else { Serial.println("Ethernet hardware detected!"); } } `

Despite seeing “Ethernet hardware detected!” and being able to ping the module (confirmed by the user), the station did not complete the switch fully or serve data as expected.
[Arduino Forum+6Arduino Forum+6Arduino Forum+6](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/esp32-weatherstation-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/1385740?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

---

## Insights & Troubleshooting

The code confirms that pin mapping to the W5500 worked correctly and that Ethernet hardware was recognized—but doesn't verify network configuration (e.g., DHCP/static IP setup) or application-level support (e.g., HTTP server).

The user may still be missing key parts for a full connection such as gateway, subnet mask, or DNS setup, or may lack the code handling the actual data exchange needed for the weather station functionality.

---

## Summary Table

| Element | Observation |
| --- | --- |
| Module Detection | ESP32 recognized the W5500 module |
| Network Connectivity | Device responded to ping but lacked full functionality |
| Code Confirmation | Ethernet initialized over SPI with ESP32-generated MAC |
| Missing Components | Possibly missing IP configuration, application server code |

---

## Suggested Next Steps

To move toward full functionality:

**Check Network Configuration**

Use `Ethernet.begin(mac)` with optional parameters like IP, DNS, gateway, and subnet (particularly if DHCP isn’t available).

**Test Basic Connectivity**

Add serial output to confirm assigned IP (`Ethernet.localIP()`).

**Embed Application Logic**

For a weather station, create a web page or API endpoint to report data (e.g., use `EthernetServer` and `EthernetClient`).

**Consider Libraries**

`EthernetESP32` or `AsyncWebServer_ESP32_W5500` (depending on preference) can simplify server setup.

Use examples that take care of both Ethernet initialization and web serving.

---

Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/jakelee/projects/esp32-weather-station-migrating-from-wifi-to-w5500-ethernet/