Feature Request: Periodic WiFi Reconnect Without Reboot

[DjordjeMandic]

Component name

wifi

Link to component documentation on our website

https://esphome.io/components/wifi

Describe the enhancement

Current behavior:
When using ESPHome with api_reboot_timeout: 0s and wifi_reboot_timeout: 0s (to avoid unwanted reboots), the device still relies on the WiFi component’s internal retry logic. If the device boots before the WiFi access point is available (common after a whole-house power outage), it may fail to connect and never try again, because there is no periodic reconnection logic when reboot timeouts are disabled.
To work around this, I will try to use an interval: automation that periodically disables and re-enables WiFi if wifi.connected is false.

Desired behavior:
Add a parameter such as wifi_reconnect_timeout that defines how long the WiFi component should wait when not connected before retrying a connection.

• On boot, if WiFi fails to connect within this timeout, retry again.

• If WiFi disconnects while running, start the timeout and retry when it expires.

• This allows connection recovery without relying on a reboot and without needing custom interval logic.

This would give users fine-grained control over reconnection behavior even when reboots are disabled.

Use cases

• Smart plugs controlling appliances (e.g., washing machines) where any reboot or power cycle is unacceptable because the relay turns off during restart.

• Devices that boot faster than the router after a power outage and must eventually reconnect without intervention.

• Devices where frequent reboots are undesirable or cause functional issues.

• General robustness: avoiding the need for custom interval hacks just to restore WiFi connectivity.

This enhancement would provide a safer built-in mechanism to ensure long-term WiFi stability without forcing device restarts.

Anything else?

Here is the workaround that I will try and see if it works:

interval:
  - interval: 15min
    then:
      if:
        condition:
          not: wifi.connected
        then:
          if:
            condition: wifi.enabled
            then:
              - wifi.disable
              - delay: 10s
              - wifi.enable
            else:
              - wifi.enable

[github-actions[bot]]

🏷️ I've automatically added the component: wifi label to help categorize this feature request.