Integrating W5500 with ESP32 Using Core 3: Native Ethernet Protocol Support with SSL and Other Features

by Renzo Mischianti · 10 January 2025

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Integrating W5500 with ESP32 Using Core 3

The ESP32 has always been a popular choice for IoT projects, thanks to its robust Wi-Fi capabilities. However, with the new Core 3 release, the ESP32 now supports native Ethernet protocols with SSL, expanding its utility for wired network applications. This article explores how to integrate the W5500 Ethernet module with the ESP32 using the new Core 3, detailing the setup, configuration, and practical applications.

Introduction

The ESP32, with its dual-core processor and versatile connectivity options, is ideal for a range of IoT applications. The release of Core 3 has introduced native support for Ethernet protocols, making it easier to leverage wired connections with the same features as Wi-Fi, including SSL/TLS. This guide focuses on using the W5500 Ethernet module with the ESP32, providing secure and reliable network connectivity.

Hardware Requirements

To get started, you will need the following components:

ESP32 development board

Here my selection of esp32 ESP32 Dev Kit v1 - TTGO T-Display 1.14 ESP32 - NodeMCU V3 V2 ESP8266 Lolin32 - NodeMCU ESP-32S - WeMos Lolin32 - WeMos Lolin32 mini - ESP32-CAM programmer - ESP32-CAM bundle - ESP32-WROOM-32 - ESP32-S

Here my selection of esp32s3 ESP32 S3 Purlple AI-S3 - YD-ESP32-S3 - ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 - ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 - ESP32-S3 Board screen

W5500 Ethernet module
Jumper wires
Breadboard (optional)

Devices

The W5500 chip is a Hardwired TCP/IP embedded Ethernet controller that provides an easier Internet connection to embedded systems. W5500 enables users to have Internet connectivity in their applications just by using the single chip in which TCP/IP stack, 10/100 Ethernet MAC, and PHY are embedded.

WIZnet‘s Hardwired TCP/IP is the market-proven technology supporting TCP, UDP, IPv4, ICMP, ARP, IGMP, and PPPoE protocols. W5500 embeds the 32Kbyte internal memory buffer for the Ethernet packet processing. Using W5500, you can implement the Ethernet application by adding the simple socket program. It’s a faster and easier way than any other embedded Ethernet solution. Users can use eight independent hardware sockets simultaneously.

SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) is provided for easy integration with the external MCU. The W5500’s SPI supports 80 MHz speed. To reduce the system’s power consumption, W5500 provides WOL (Wake on LAN) and power-down mode.

Features

Supports Hardwired TCP/IP Protocols : TCP, UDP, ICMP, IPv4, ARP, IGMP, PPPoE
Supports 8 independent sockets simultaneously
Supports Power down mode
Supports Wake on LAN over UDP
Supports High Speed Serial Peripheral Interface(SPI MODE 0, 3)
Internal 32Kbytes Memory for TX/RX Buffers
10BaseT/100BaseTX Ethernet PHY embedded
Supports Auto Negotiation (Full and half duplex, 10 and 100-based )
Not supports IP Fragmentation
3.3V operation with 5V I/O signal tolerance
LED outputs (Full/Half duplex, Link, Speed, Active)
48 Pin LQFP Lead-Free Package (7x7mm, 0.5mm pitch)

There is a wide series of w5500 devices, but the most popular are 2 in particular.

The less expensive is the w5500 that you can see in the photo.

But now there is a compact version named W5500 lite, which is very interesting as a production device.

Here my selection of tested ethernet devices w5500 lite - w5500 - enc26j60 mini - enc26j60 - lan8720

Wiring the W5500 to ESP32-S3

Proper wiring ensures stable communication between the ESP32 and the W5500 module. Below are the pin connections. For this test, we are going to use an esp32 s3.

Here my selection of esp32s3 ESP32 S3 Purlple AI-S3 - YD-ESP32-S3 - ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 - ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 - ESP32-S3 Board screen

w5500 mini wiring diagram

w5500 wiring diagram

esp32 s3	w5500/w5500 mini
GPIO13	MISO
GPIO12	SCLK
GPIO11	MOSI
GPIO10	CS
GPIO9 (optional)	INT
GPIO3 (optional)	RST
3v3	3v3
GND	GND

// Set this to 1 to enable dual Ethernet support
#define USE_TWO_ETH_PORTS 0

#define ETH_PHY_TYPE        ETH_PHY_W5500
#define ETH_PHY_ADDR        1
#define ETH_PHY_CS          10
#define ETH_PHY_IRQ         9 // -1 if you won't wire
#define ETH_PHY_RST         3 // -1 if you won't wire

// SPI pins
#define ETH_SPI_SCK         SCK
#define ETH_SPI_MISO        MISO
#define ETH_SPI_MOSI        MOSI

Ensure the pins are connected as specified. This setup ensures that the ESP32 can communicate with the W5500 module over SPI.

Wiring the W5500 to ESP32

Proper wiring ensures stable communication between the ESP32 and the W5500 module. Below are the pin connections.

w5500 mini wiring diagram

w5500 wiring diagram

esp32	w5500/w5500 mini
GPIO19	MISO
GPIO18	SCLK
GPIO23	MOSI
GPIO5	CS
GPIO15 (optional)	INT
GPIO4 (optional)	RST
3v3	3v3
GND	GND

// Set this to 1 to enable dual Ethernet support
#define USE_TWO_ETH_PORTS 0

#define ETH_PHY_TYPE        ETH_PHY_W5500
#define ETH_PHY_ADDR        1
#define ETH_PHY_CS          5
#define ETH_PHY_IRQ         15   // -1 if you won't wire
#define ETH_PHY_RST         4 // -1 if you won't wire

// SPI pins
#define ETH_SPI_SCK         SCK
#define ETH_SPI_MISO        MISO
#define ETH_SPI_MOSI        MOSI

Ensure the pins are connected as specified. This setup ensures that the ESP32 can communicate with the W5500 module over SPI.

Configuring the Ethernet Settings

Configure the Ethernet settings in your sketch.

  SPI.begin(ETH_SPI_SCK, ETH_SPI_MISO, ETH_SPI_MOSI);
  ETH.begin(ETH_PHY_TYPE, ETH_PHY_ADDR, ETH_PHY_CS, ETH_PHY_IRQ, ETH_PHY_RST, SPI);

Use the Network onEvent function to know when we are ready to make a request.

  Network.onEvent(onEvent);

You must create a function to manage the connection event or to monitor all states of the network.

void onEvent(arduino_event_id_t event, arduino_event_info_t info)
{
  switch (event) {
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_START:
      Serial.println("ETH Started");
      //set eth hostname here
      ETH.setHostname("esp32-eth0");
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_CONNECTED:
      Serial.println("ETH Connected");
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_GOT_IP:
      Serial.printf("ETH Got IP: '%s'\n", esp_netif_get_desc(info.got_ip.esp_netif));
      Serial.println(ETH);
      eth_connected = true;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_LOST_IP:
      Serial.println("ETH Lost IP");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_DISCONNECTED:
      Serial.println("ETH Disconnected");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_STOP:
      Serial.println("ETH Stopped");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    default:
      break;
  }
}

After the connection, we will be ready to do the operations.

Simple HTTP request

First of all, we’ll try to make a simple HTTP request. I chose an online service created to test this kind of request to do this test.

I’m going to use a simple service given from httpbin.org, and you can use the same REST API in HTTP and HTTPS.

Remember that HTTP works on port 80 and HTTPS on 443, so to query the endpoint on the 443 port, you must validate a certificate.

Then, we try to connect and request an endpoint in GET.

// Test client connection
void testClient(const char * host, uint16_t port)
{
  Serial.print("\nconnecting to ");
  Serial.println(host);

  NetworkClient client;

  if (!client.connect(host, port)) {
    Serial.println("connection failed");
    return;
  }
  client.println("GET /get HTTP/1.1");
  client.println("Host: httpbin.org");
  client.println("Connection: close");
  client.println();

  while (client.connected() && !client.available());
  while (client.available()) {
    Serial.write(client.read());
  }

  Serial.println("closing connection\n");
  client.stop();
}

Remember to make the request after the module handshake is completed.

void loop()
{
  if (eth_connected) {
    testClient("httpbin.org", 80);
  }
  delay(10000);
}

And finally, the complete sketch.

/*
 * Author: Renzo Mischianti
 * Website: mischianti.org
 * Description: This sketch demonstrates how to set up and use Ethernet on an ESP32 module using the W5500 Ethernet module.
 *              The sketch initializes the Ethernet module, handles Ethernet events, and tests a simple client connection.
 */

#include "Arduino.h"

#include <ETH.h>
#include <SPI.h>

// Set this to 1 to enable dual Ethernet support
#define USE_TWO_ETH_PORTS 0

// #ifndef ETH_PHY_TYPE
#define ETH_PHY_TYPE        ETH_PHY_W5500
#define ETH_PHY_ADDR         1
#define ETH_PHY_CS           5 // CS esp32s3 	10 	esp32 	5
#define ETH_PHY_IRQ          -1 // 				9			15
#define ETH_PHY_RST          -1 // 				3			4
// #endif

// SPI pins							esp32s3		esp32
#define ETH_SPI_SCK         SCK  // 12 			18
#define ETH_SPI_MISO        MISO // 13 			19
#define ETH_SPI_MOSI        MOSI // 11 			23

static bool eth_connected = false;

// Ethernet event handler
void onEvent(arduino_event_id_t event, arduino_event_info_t info)
{
  switch (event) {
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_START:
      Serial.println("ETH Started");
      // Set Ethernet hostname here
      ETH.setHostname("esp32-eth0");
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_CONNECTED:
      Serial.println("ETH Connected");
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_GOT_IP:
      Serial.printf("ETH Got IP: '%s'\n", esp_netif_get_desc(info.got_ip.esp_netif));
      Serial.println(ETH);
      eth_connected = true;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_LOST_IP:
      Serial.println("ETH Lost IP");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_DISCONNECTED:
      Serial.println("ETH Disconnected");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_STOP:
      Serial.println("ETH Stopped");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    default:
      break;
  }
}

// Test client connection
void testClient(const char * host, uint16_t port)
{
  Serial.print("\nconnecting to ");
  Serial.println(host);

  NetworkClient client;
  if (!client.connect(host, port)) {
    Serial.println("connection failed");
    return;
  }
  client.println("GET /get HTTP/1.1");
  client.println("Host: httpbin.org");
  client.println("Connection: close");
  client.println();

  while (client.connected() && !client.available());
  while (client.available()) {
    Serial.write(client.read());
  }

  Serial.println("closing connection\n");
  client.stop();
}

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Network.onEvent(onEvent);

  SPI.begin(ETH_SPI_SCK, ETH_SPI_MISO, ETH_SPI_MOSI, ETH_PHY_CS);
  ETH.begin(ETH_PHY_TYPE, ETH_PHY_ADDR, ETH_PHY_CS, ETH_PHY_IRQ, ETH_PHY_RST, SPI);
}

void loop()
{
  if (eth_connected) {
    testClient("httpbin.org", 80);
  }
  delay(10000);
}

The result is this.

ETH Started
ETH Connected
ETH Got IP: 'eth0'
*eth0: <UP,100M,FULL_DUPLEX,AUTO,ADDR:0x1> (DHCPC,GARP,IP_MOD)
      ether 32:AE:A4:F5:01:C0
      inet 192.168.1.137 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.1.255
      gateway 192.168.1.1 dns 192.168.1.10


connecting to httpbin.org
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2024 07:54:20 GMT
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 199
Connection: close
Server: gunicorn/19.9.0
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true

{
  "args": {}, 
  "headers": {
    "Host": "httpbin.org", 
    "X-Amzn-Trace-Id": "Root=1-669e102c-1868445a1fafaaf7199a5fe3"
  }, 
  "origin": "84.221.199.122", 
  "url": "http://httpbin.org/get"
}
closing connection

HTTPS request

Now, if we change the endpoint to port 443, we will request a secure server with SSL encryption.

// Test client connection
void testClient(const char * host, uint16_t port)
{
  Serial.print("\nconnecting to ");
  Serial.println(host);

  NetworkClientSecure client;
  client.setInsecure();

  if (!client.connect(host, port)) {
    Serial.println("connection failed");
    return;
  }
  client.println("GET /get HTTP/1.1");
  client.println("Host: httpbin.org");
  client.println("Connection: close");
  client.println();

  while (client.connected() && !client.available());
  while (client.available()) {
    Serial.write(client.read());
  }

  Serial.println("closing connection\n");
  client.stop();
}

If you don’t set insecure mode, you can’t connect and receive a message like this.

ETH Started
ETH Connected
ETH Got IP: 'eth0'
*eth0: <UP,100M,FULL_DUPLEX,AUTO,ADDR:0x1> (DHCPC,GARP,IP_MOD)
      ether B8:D6:1A:68:E5:7F
      inet 192.168.1.146 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.1.255
      gateway 192.168.1.1 dns 192.168.1.10


connecting to httpbin.org
connection failed

And use the 433 port.

void loop()
{
  if (eth_connected) {
    testClient("httpbin.org", 443);
  }
  delay(10000);
}

Here is the complete sketch.

/*
 * Author: Renzo Mischianti
 * Website: mischianti.org
 * Description: This sketch demonstrates how to set up and use Ethernet on an ESP32 module using the W5500 Ethernet module.
 *              The sketch initializes the Ethernet module, handles Ethernet events, and tests a simple client HTTPS connection.
 */

#include "Arduino.h"

#include <ETH.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <NetworkClientSecure.h>

// Set this to 1 to enable dual Ethernet support
#define USE_TWO_ETH_PORTS 0

// #ifndef ETH_PHY_TYPE
#define ETH_PHY_TYPE        ETH_PHY_W5500
#define ETH_PHY_ADDR         1
#define ETH_PHY_CS           5 // CS esp32s3 	10 	esp32 	5
#define ETH_PHY_IRQ          -1 // 				9			15
#define ETH_PHY_RST          -1 // 				3			4
// #endif

// SPI pins							esp32s3		esp32
#define ETH_SPI_SCK         SCK  // 12 			18
#define ETH_SPI_MISO        MISO // 13 			19
#define ETH_SPI_MOSI        MOSI // 11 			23

static bool eth_connected = false;

// Ethernet event handler
void onEvent(arduino_event_id_t event, arduino_event_info_t info)
{
  switch (event) {
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_START:
      Serial.println("ETH Started");
      // Set Ethernet hostname here
      ETH.setHostname("esp32-eth0");
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_CONNECTED:
      Serial.println("ETH Connected");
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_GOT_IP:
      Serial.printf("ETH Got IP: '%s'\n", esp_netif_get_desc(info.got_ip.esp_netif));
      Serial.println(ETH);
      eth_connected = true;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_LOST_IP:
      Serial.println("ETH Lost IP");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_DISCONNECTED:
      Serial.println("ETH Disconnected");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    case ARDUINO_EVENT_ETH_STOP:
      Serial.println("ETH Stopped");
      eth_connected = false;
      break;
    default:
      break;
  }
}

// Test client connection
void testClient(const char * host, uint16_t port)
{
  Serial.print("\nconnecting to ");
  Serial.println(host);

  NetworkClientSecure client;
  client.setInsecure();

  if (!client.connect(host, port)) {
    Serial.println("connection failed");
    return;
  }
  client.println("GET /get HTTP/1.1");
  client.println("Host: httpbin.org");
  client.println("Connection: close");
  client.println();

  while (client.connected() && !client.available());
  while (client.available()) {
    Serial.write(client.read());
  }

  Serial.println("closing connection\n");
  client.stop();
}

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Network.onEvent(onEvent);

  SPI.begin(ETH_SPI_SCK, ETH_SPI_MISO, ETH_SPI_MOSI, ETH_PHY_CS);
  ETH.begin(ETH_PHY_TYPE, ETH_PHY_ADDR, ETH_PHY_CS, ETH_PHY_IRQ, ETH_PHY_RST, SPI);
}

void loop()
{
  if (eth_connected) {
    testClient("httpbin.org", 443);
  }
  delay(10000);
}

Now, when we execute the sketch, we obtain this output.

ETH Started
ETH Connected
ETH Got IP: 'eth0'
*eth0: <UP,100M,FULL_DUPLEX,AUTO,ADDR:0x1> (DHCPC,GARP,IP_MOD)
      ether 32:AE:A4:F5:01:C0
      inet 192.168.1.137 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.1.255
      gateway 192.168.1.1 dns 192.168.1.10


connecting to httpbin.org
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:10:17 GMT
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 200
Connection: close
Server: gunicorn/19.9.0
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true

{
  "args": {}, 
  "headers": {
    "Host": "httpbin.org", 
    "X-Amzn-Trace-Id": "Root=1-669e3009-5b117fd9360750c0582e7b17"
  }, 
  "origin": "84.221.199.122", 
  "url": "https://httpbin.org/get"
}
ÿclosing connection

Retrieve certificate

As you can see, for the test, I use the insecure mode

  NetworkClientSecure client;
  client.setInsecure();

Bat, the right thing to do is to retrieve the Certification Authority certificate to validate the host.

So, on the httpbin page, click on the site’s settings.

Then, you must select the connection information.

Now click on the certificate.

And finally, select the line at the top of the list (the root certificate).

Export the certificate and open the file, copy the content and put all in a char array variable.

const char* rootCA= R""""(-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----)"""";

Now, we can set the Certification Authority certificate. To do the check, we must validate the server httpbin to the NetworkClientSecure.

  NetworkClientSecure client;
  client.setCACert(rootCA);

Conclusion

Integrating the W5500 Ethernet module with the ESP32 using Core 3 expands the capabilities of your IoT projects by providing robust and secure wired network connectivity. With the native support for Ethernet protocols, SSL/TLS, and other features, you can leverage the full potential of the ESP32 for diverse applications.