Groundrun has demonstrated a system for automating Wi-Fi setup testing on ESP32-C6 development boards by combining hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setups with AI coding agents.
Groundrun Demonstrates Automated Wi-Fi Setup Testing for ESP32 Using Claude Code
The testing process utilizes Claude Code to independently develop firmware and manage test flows. By providing specific goals and stopping conditions, the AI agent can implement and execute various Wi-Fi connection mechanisms, including WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), SmartConfig, Bluetooth, Soft AP, and captive portals.
In the demonstration, the Groundrun system coordinated the hardware and software to measure the efficiency of each method. The results showed that WPS and SmartConfig were the fastest, both completing under 15 seconds. In contrast, Soft AP took nearly thirteen times longer than WPS due to its multi-screen flow. The captive portal method was noted as the most complex, requiring rapid form completion within a limited window before the mobile device closed the sign-in page.
By integrating these automated regression tests into a continuous integration (CI) pipeline, developers can ensure that Wi-Fi connectivity remains reliable even as firmware updates are applied.
Sources
- Automating Wi-Fi setup testing on the ESP32 （Hacker News Frontpage, 2026-09-30）
- Espressif