Connecting your module to your Wi-Fi network

Now, we are going to check whether the ESP8266 and the Arduino IDE are working correctly, and connect your chip to your local Wi-Fi network.

To do so, let's perform the following steps:

1. First, we need to write the code and then upload it to the board. The code is simple; we just want to connect to the local Wi-Fi network and print the IP address of the board. This is the code to connect to the network:

   // Import required libraries
   #include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
   
   // WiFi parameters
   constchar* ssid = "your_wifi_name";
   constchar* password = "your_wifi_password";
   
   void setup(void)
   {  
   // Start Serial
   Serial.begin(115200);
   // Connect to WiFi
   WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
   while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
       delay(500);
   Serial.print(".");
     }
   Serial.println("");
   Serial.println("WiFi connected");
   // Print the IP address
   Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
   }
   
   void loop() {
   
   }

   You can simply copy the lines of the preceding code and then paste them into the ESP8266 Arduino IDE that you downloaded earlier. Of course, put your own Wi-Fi name and password in the code. Save this file with a name of your choice.

2. Now, navigate to Tools | Boards and select Generic ESP8266 Module. Also, select the correct Serial port that corresponds to the FTDI converter that your are using.
3. After that, we need to put the board in the bootloader mode, so we can program it. To do so, connect the pin GPIO 0 to the ground, via the cable we plugged into GPIO 0. Then, power cycle the board by switching the power supply off and then on again.
4. Now, upload the code to the board and open the Serial monitor when this is done. Set the Serial monitor speed to 115200. Now, disconnect the cable between GPIO 0 and GND and power cycle the board again. You should see the following message:

   WiFi connected
   192.168.1.103
   

If you can see this message and an IP, congratulations, your board is now connected to your Wi-Fi network! You are now ready to build your first projects using the ESP8266 chip.