I tested the ESP32's ESP-NOW feature outdoors to see if it could really achieve the long-range distances often claimed online — up to a kilometer or more! I set up two ESPs: one stationary sender and one mobile receiver, walking away to measure signal strength, estimate distance, and see how far we could go before losing connection.
Spoiler: The results were surprising… and not exactly what I expected. 😅
In this video, I’ll go through what ESP-NOW is and how it works, my real-world indoor and outdoor range test, how to set up a simple two-ESP communication system in Arduino IDE, how to make RSSI-based distance estimation and how the reality vs the claims of “long range” mode compares.
If you’ve been wondering whether ESP-NOW is suitable for your long-range IoT or sensor projects, this test will give you a clear picture before you commit.
💬 Have you tested ESP-NOW’s range? Share your results in the comments — I’d love to compare notes!