This Espressif ESP32-Powered Remote Is Designed to Quickly Reboot Your Dodgy Wi-Fi Router

Pseudonymous maker "gokux" has designed a remote control for those times when your out-of-the-way wireless router goes unresponsive or otherwise needs a quick reboot — using a pair of Espressif ESP32 microcontrollers communicating directly with each other to trigger a power cycle, even when the router's Wi-Fi is down.

"If you have a Wi-Fi connection, you may encounter some problems with your Wi-Fi router, such as disconnecting from the internet. Most of the time, you can fix this issue by power cycling your router," gokux explains. "To make this process easier, I've created a wireless switch that lets you turn the router off and on without needing to be near it. Press a button at your desk, and the router will be turned off for two seconds, and then it will turn back on automatically."

The idea of a remote control for the router is a good one, with one key problem: if your remote relies on a Wi-Fi connection, how will it work when the problem the remote is designed to fix is that the Wi-Fi is down? The answer is simple: the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 boards in the remote and receiver never connect to the router's Wi-Fi network, but talk directly to each other using Espressif's ESP-NOW protocol.

Housed in 3D-printed cases, the remote control is simple: the sender is nothing more than a 3D-printed chunky push-button switch, which triggers the transmission on its internal microcontroller; the receiver has a matching microcontroller plus a MOSFET and step-down buck converter, and is designed to sit in-line on the router's 12V power input. When the signal is received, the MOSFET interrupts the power briefly — triggering a reboot.

Full instructions for building your own remote-reboot control system are available in gokux's Instructables page, along with files for 3D printing the housings, source code, and a full bill of materials.