@alteriom/painlessmesh 1.9.17 → 1.9.19

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -13,6 +13,37 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Fixed
 
+## [1.9.19] - 2025-12-21
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **Gateway Connectivity Error Non-Retryable Fix** - Infrastructure errors no longer waste time with futile retries
+  - Gateway connectivity errors ("Router has no internet", "Gateway WiFi not connected") are now non-retryable
+  - Distinguishes between infrastructure issues (need user fix) and transient errors (can retry)
+  - Provides immediate failure feedback instead of retrying for ~14+ seconds
+  - Saves battery and network resources by avoiding retries that can't succeed
+  - Clear error messages help users identify and fix infrastructure problems quickly
+  - Transient errors (HTTP 203, 5xx, 429, timeouts) still retry with exponential backoff
+  - New comprehensive test suite with 25 assertions covering retry logic
+  - Documentation: ISSUE_GATEWAY_CONNECTIVITY_NON_RETRYABLE_FIX.md
+  - Fully backward compatible: No API changes required
+
+## [1.9.18] - 2025-12-21
+
+### Added
+
+- **Internet Connectivity Check Enhancement** - Bridge nodes now verify actual internet access before processing HTTP requests
+  - Added `hasActualInternetAccess()` function that performs DNS resolution to detect router internet issues
+  - Gateway checks both WiFi association AND DNS resolution before attempting HTTP requests
+  - Provides early failure detection when router has no WAN connection
+  - Clear, actionable error messages help users troubleshoot connectivity problems:
+    - "Gateway WiFi not connected" - ESP not associated with WiFi network
+    - "Router has no internet access - check WAN connection" - WiFi OK but router offline
+  - Minimal performance impact: ~100ms DNS check vs 30+ second HTTP timeout
+  - New test suite with 22 assertions covering connectivity scenarios
+  - Documentation: ISSUE_INTERNET_CONNECTIVITY_CHECK.md
+  - Backward compatible: No API changes required
+
 ## [1.9.17] - 2025-12-21
 
 ### Changed

package/README.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 <div align="center">
 
-**Version 1.9.17** - Documentation enhancement with production-level quality and improved package organization
+**Version 1.9.19** - Gateway connectivity error non-retryable fix for infrastructure issues
 
 [![CI/CD Pipeline](https://github.com/Alteriom/painlessMesh/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Alteriom/painlessMesh/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
 [![Documentation](https://github.com/Alteriom/painlessMesh/actions/workflows/docs.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Alteriom/painlessMesh/actions/workflows/docs.yml)

package/examples/sendToInternet/README.md

@@ -146,6 +146,35 @@ mesh.sendToInternet("https://api.callmebot.com/...", "", callback);
 3. Check HTTP status code in callback (200 = success)
 4. URL-encode special characters in the message
 
+### Gateway shows "no internet access" but WiFi is connected
+
+**Symptom:** Error message "Router has no internet access - check WAN connection"
+
+**Cause:** The gateway node is connected to WiFi but the router itself has no internet connectivity. This is detected through DNS resolution testing.
+
+**Solutions:**
+1. **Check router WAN connection:**
+   - Verify router's internet LED indicator
+   - Check router's WAN port cable connection
+   - Ensure modem is powered and connected
+
+2. **Check ISP service:**
+   - Verify your internet service is active
+   - Test internet on other devices connected to same router
+   - Contact ISP if service is down
+
+3. **Router configuration:**
+   - Verify router has obtained WAN IP address
+   - Check router's internet connection status page
+   - Restart router if necessary
+
+**Technical Details:**
+The gateway performs two connectivity checks:
+1. `WiFi.status() == WL_CONNECTED` - Verifies WiFi association
+2. DNS resolution test - Verifies actual internet routing
+
+If WiFi is connected but DNS fails, it indicates the router has no upstream internet connection. This prevents unnecessary HTTP request timeouts and provides early error detection.
+
 ### Understanding HTTP Status Codes
 
 The callback provides `httpStatus` to indicate the result:

package/library.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "type": "git",
     "url": "https://github.com/Alteriom/painlessMesh"
   },
-  "version": "1.9.17",
+  "version": "1.9.19",
   "frameworks": [
     "arduino"
   ],

package/library.properties

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name=Alteriom PainlessMesh
-version=1.9.17
+version=1.9.19
 author=Coopdis,Scotty Franzyshen,Edwin van Leeuwen,Germán Martín,Maximilian Schwarz,Doanh Doanh,Alteriom
 maintainer=Alteriom
 sentence=A painless way to setup a mesh with ESP8266 and ESP32 devices with Alteriom extensions

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@alteriom/painlessmesh",
-  "version": "1.9.17",
+  "version": "1.9.19",
   "description": "painlessMesh is a user-friendly library for creating mesh networks with ESP8266 and ESP32 devices. This Alteriom fork includes additional packages for sensor data (SensorPackage), device commands (CommandPackage), and status monitoring (StatusPackage). It handles routing and network management automatically, so you can focus on your application. The library uses JSON-based messaging and syncs time across all nodes, making it ideal for coordinated behaviour like synchronized light displays or sensor networks reporting to a central node.",
   "keywords": [
     "arduino",

package/src/AlteriomPainlessMesh.h

@@ -29,10 +29,10 @@
 /**
  * @brief AlteriomPainlessMesh library version information
  */
-#define ALTERIOM_PAINLESS_MESH_VERSION "1.9.17"
+#define ALTERIOM_PAINLESS_MESH_VERSION "1.9.19"
 #define ALTERIOM_PAINLESS_MESH_VERSION_MAJOR 1
 #define ALTERIOM_PAINLESS_MESH_VERSION_MINOR 9
-#define ALTERIOM_PAINLESS_MESH_VERSION_PATCH 17
+#define ALTERIOM_PAINLESS_MESH_VERSION_PATCH 19
 
 /**
  * @brief Library description and usage information

package/src/arduino/wifi.hpp

@@ -2120,6 +2120,61 @@ class Mesh : public painlessmesh::Mesh<Connection> {
     router::broadcast<protocol::Variant, Connection>(variant, (*this), 0);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Check if gateway has actual internet connectivity
+   * 
+   * Tests DNS resolution to detect scenarios where WiFi is connected
+   * but the router has no internet access. This provides early detection
+   * before attempting HTTP requests that would timeout or fail.
+   * 
+   * @return true if internet is accessible, false otherwise
+   */
+  bool hasActualInternetAccess() {
+    using namespace logger;
+    
+    // First check WiFi connection
+    if (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    
+    // Check if we have a valid local IP
+    if (WiFi.localIP() == IPAddress(0, 0, 0, 0)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    
+    // Try to resolve a well-known DNS name
+    // Using Google's servers as they have high availability globally
+    IPAddress result;
+    
+#if defined(ESP32) || defined(ESP8266)
+    // Both ESP32 and ESP8266 support WiFi.hostByName()
+    int dnsResult = WiFi.hostByName("www.google.com", result);
+    
+    // Check if DNS resolution succeeded
+    if (dnsResult != 1) {
+      Log(COMMUNICATION, "hasActualInternetAccess(): DNS resolution failed (code=%d)\n", dnsResult);
+      return false;
+    }
+    
+    // Additional validation: Check if resolved IP is valid
+    // Some ESP8266 versions may return success but set IP to 255.255.255.255 on error
+    if (result == IPAddress(0, 0, 0, 0) || result == IPAddress(255, 255, 255, 255)) {
+      TSTRING resultStr = result.toString();
+      Log(COMMUNICATION, "hasActualInternetAccess(): Invalid DNS result IP: %s\n", resultStr.c_str());
+      return false;
+    }
+#else
+    // Other platforms: assume internet is available if WiFi connected
+    // (no reliable way to test without platform-specific APIs)
+    return true;
+#endif
+    
+    TSTRING resultStr = result.toString();
+    Log(COMMUNICATION, "hasActualInternetAccess(): Internet connectivity verified (resolved to %s)\n", 
+        resultStr.c_str());
+    return true;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Helper method to send gateway acknowledgment
    */
@@ -2196,8 +2251,16 @@ class Mesh : public painlessmesh::Mesh<Connection> {
           }
 
           // Check Internet connectivity
+          // First check WiFi status for quick fail
           if (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
-            sendGatewayAck(pkg, false, 0, "Gateway not connected to Internet");
+            sendGatewayAck(pkg, false, 0, "Gateway WiFi not connected");
+            return true;  // Consume package - we handled it (with error)
+          }
+          
+          // Then check actual internet access (DNS resolution)
+          // This detects when WiFi is connected but router has no internet
+          if (!hasActualInternetAccess()) {
+            sendGatewayAck(pkg, false, 0, "Router has no internet access - check WAN connection");
             return true;  // Consume package - we handled it (with error)
           }
 

package/src/painlessMesh.h

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * @file painlessMesh.h
  * @brief Main header file for Alteriom painlessMesh library
  * 
- * @version 1.9.17
+ * @version 1.9.19
  * @date 2025-12-21
  * 
  * painlessMesh is a user-friendly library for creating mesh networks with 

package/src/painlessmesh/mesh.hpp

@@ -1532,10 +1532,38 @@ class Mesh : public ntp::MeshTime, public plugin::PackageHandler<T> {
       isRetryable = true;
       Log(COMMUNICATION, "handleGatewayAck(): HTTP 429 rate limit, marking as retryable\n");
     }
-    // Network errors (httpStatus == 0) are retryable
+    // Network errors (httpStatus == 0) EXCEPT gateway connectivity errors
+    // Gateway connectivity errors are infrastructure issues (not transient)
     else if (ack.httpStatus == 0) {
-      isRetryable = true;
-      Log(COMMUNICATION, "handleGatewayAck(): Network error, marking as retryable\n");
+      // Check if this is a gateway-level connectivity error (non-retryable)
+      bool isGatewayConnectivityError = false;
+      
+      // These errors indicate infrastructure issues that won't be fixed by retrying:
+      // - "Router has no internet access" - WAN connection down
+      // - "Gateway WiFi not connected" - ESP not associated with WiFi
+      // Use find() for std::string (test env) or indexOf() for Arduino String
+      bool routerError = false, wifiError = false;
+      #if defined(PAINLESSMESH_BOOST)
+        // Test environment: TSTRING is std::string, use find()
+        routerError = (ack.error.find("Router has no internet") != std::string::npos);
+        wifiError = (ack.error.find("Gateway WiFi not connected") != std::string::npos);
+      #else
+        // Arduino environment: TSTRING is String, use indexOf()
+        routerError = (ack.error.indexOf("Router has no internet") >= 0);
+        wifiError = (ack.error.indexOf("Gateway WiFi not connected") >= 0);
+      #endif
+      
+      if (routerError || wifiError) {
+        isGatewayConnectivityError = true;
+        Log(COMMUNICATION, "handleGatewayAck(): Gateway connectivity error detected (non-retryable): %s\n", 
+            ack.error.c_str());
+      }
+      
+      // Only mark as retryable if it's NOT a gateway connectivity error
+      if (!isGatewayConnectivityError) {
+        isRetryable = true;
+        Log(COMMUNICATION, "handleGatewayAck(): Network error, marking as retryable\n");
+      }
     }
     // HTTP 4xx client errors (except 429) are NOT retryable
     // HTTP 3xx redirects are NOT retryable (should be followed by HTTPClient)