Console

Every setting and every status of the dongle is also a command on its serial console: the `esp>` prompt on the USB serial port, reachable from a terminal program, and relayed by a WiCAN PRO's Dongle console page. This page shows how to get there and what to type; the full list is in the [command reference](../reference/console-commands.md).

Getting to the prompt

From a computerThrough a WiCAN PROThe UART

The dongle adds a serial port next to its network adapter: USB Serial Device (COMx) on Windows, /dev/ttyACM0 on Linux, /dev/cu.usbmodem... on macOS. Open it with PuTTY, Tera Term, screen, minicom or the serial monitor of your choice at any baud rate, press Enter, and the prompt appears:

esp>

Every answer ends with OK or ERROR. If you cannot see what you type, echo 1 makes the dongle echo it.

USB › Dongle console on the WiCAN PRO sends a command over the cable and shows the answer: the quick buttons Signal, Operator, LTE IP, GPS and Version, or any command typed into Command. It needs the WiCAN's Dongle console switch on and a live USB link, so it answers in the USB Ethernet modes, not in WiFi modem mode once the lines are cut.

The dongle also has a second console on its UART, off by default (Advanced › Console › Uart). It is reachable only through the on-board USB-UART bridge, in the switch block's bridge position: a service path, not an everyday one.

The commands you will use

help                 every command in one list; help <command> for one
version              firmware, hardware, device id, partition, build
status               uptime and the status flags
lte -s               the mobile network: signal, registration, data, operator
lte -q               the radio in detail
gps -p               the fix
agnss -s             assisted GPS state
wifi_modem           USB mode, data lines, access point sharing, the mux
wifi_modem -k        the access point name and password
config list          the quick settings and their values
config set KEY VAL   change one of them (applies at the next boot)
led                  what the LED shows and why
imu -r               motion state, acceleration, temperature
restart_tracker -a   why the dongle restarted, the last eight times
reboot               restart
factoryreset         wipe the settings (then type yes within 60 s)

A session on a dongle in a car:

esp> version

firmware:  1.23.1
hardware:  ESPNetLink
device_id: 288485bb38f1
partition: ota_1
build:     Oct 24 2026 00:41:47
idf:       v6.0.2
OK
esp> gps -p
valid=1 lat=-37.9053303 lon=145.1450179 sat=26/13 fixq=2 type=-45 alt=64.9m hdop=0.7 pdop=1.2 vdop=1.0 spd=0.00kn/0.0km/h crs=146.62deg age=80ms
OK
esp> led
LED: status breathe rgb(0,255,0)
OK

The quick settings

config is a short list of the settings people change most, by their legacy names; every one of them is also on the web page. config list shows them, config get KEY one, config set KEY VALUE stores one, and the change applies at the next start (reboot).

Key	Setting	Default
APN, APN_USER, APN_PASS, APN_PIN	the carrier settings and the SIM PIN (Cellular)	internet, empty, empty, empty
DEVICE_NAME	the device name	ESPNetLink
WIFI_MODE	off, sta, ap, apsta (WiFi)	off
USB_CLASS	ncm or rndis (USB)	rndis
LTE_ENABLED, GPS_ENABLED	the uplink and the receiver	true, true
NCM_SHARE	share the LTE link over USB	false
AGNSS_ENABLED, AGNSS_CACHE_S	assisted GPS and its cache interval	false, 120
GPS_PASSTHRU, GPS_UART0_OUT	the NMEA passthrough switches	false, false

config list -j prints them as JSON; config reset puts these keys back to their defaults (a reboot to apply). Everything else is on the web page or in the HTTP API's settings documents.

Things to know

• One command at a time, on every transport together: a long command (lte -j while the modem is busy can take 20 seconds) makes the next one wait.
• debug 1 turns the firmware's log output on the console on; debug 0 off again. Useful when asked by support, noisy otherwise.
• sleep and wake are the power-saving commands: Sleep and wake.
• ota streams a firmware image over the console: a developer path, see Update.
• factory is the production test's command set (self-test, button, mux, LED, record, core dump, bootloader). factory selftest prints one JSON line with the hardware check; factory coredump prints a stored crash. The rest is for the factory station.
• A component's commands exist only while its Cli switch is on (Show advanced on its card).