ESP8266 wifi module not wanting to reset or connect to a wifi network

[tishadev]

First i tried this wiring and i tried 9600 and 15200 baud rates but i wouldnt get anything sent back.

then i tried this wiring:

my esp8266 replies to all of the AT commands but still doesnt work like its supposed to. When i send AT+RST i get a bunch of gibberish and weird question mark symbols and at the end it just says Ai-Thinker Technology Co.,Ltd. invalid .
If i try to connect to any wifi network (i have tried my home network and a hotspot from my phone) it just instantly says "ERROR". i used the command AT+CWJAP= “wifi name”,“password” and i added and removed spaces to see if that made a difference and i still get "ERROR". Next i tried a 9v battery connected to the Vin and gnd pins on my arduino and used all the AT commands i did before and i get the same result. I also went a step further and tried a 12v battery connected to the barrel jack port on the arduino uno with no new results. I later also tried swapping the rx and tx pins with no result either. What else can i try?

[Juraj]

some arduino clones can't provide enough current on 3.3 V pin for the esp8266

[tishadev]

would using a 9v or 12v battery not help that? since the arduino steps down the voltage does the current not increase? or am i completely wrong about this
also im using an elegoo uno r3

[Idahowalker]

Using pin 1 and pin 0, pins used for the programming port, for comms with a Uno is not recommended. Instead use software serial set to 9600.

SoftwareSerial Library | Arduino Documentation

Better yet, use a good ESP8266 and give the Uno to the local STEM program,

also

If you are using a 9V battery like this.

Expect short run times and many issues involving low power.

Problem, bread board power rail split:

Solution, bread board power rail split:

[tishadev]

I solved it! Turns out there is a second command other than AT+CWJAP called AT+CWJAP_CUR. In the serial monitor i received "WIFI CONNECTED WIFI GOT IP OK" so i hope everything else will work fine.

[Nick_Pyner]

@tishadev

I solved it!

Maybe not for long, particularly if you insist on using a 9v battery. Your problem isn't volts, it's amps.
I understand Uno's 3.3v supply is barely adequate to power an ESP, no amount of volts will fix that, and a proper choice of ESP is likely to make Uno redundant anyway.

[tishadev]

actually after using the AT+CWJAP_CUR command i could use the AT+CWJAP command as well without any errors. but i understand what you’re saying but i’m not even using a 9v battery i’m just using my computer for now. would you recommend a specific battery pack or just 2 AAs to power the esp8266 in the future?

[Nick_Pyner]

That rather depends on peripherals demand and how long you want t to run for, about which you say nothing. I am currently working on using a single 18650 with a tiny regulator that costs about a dollar for ESP and a similar step-up for a Pro Mini, but it only needs to run for a few hours and will spend 90% of the time sleeping. I can't imagine 2xAA being a great idea, you are short of volts as you come out of the starting gate.