Title: SD Card Configuration
Description: Automatically load Wi-Fi and WiGLE settings from SD card
URL: /latest/gps/sd-card-config/
Version: latest
Section: GPS & Wardriving
Search index: /search-index.json

# SD Card Configuration

> Automatically load Wi-Fi and WiGLE settings from SD card

## On this page

- [Configuration File Format](#configuration-file-format)
- [Configuration Fields](#configuration-fields)
- [Notes](#notes)
- [Getting Your WiGLE Token](#getting-your-wigle-token)
- [Loading Configuration](#loading-configuration)
- [Via GUI (Display Builds)](#via-gui-display-builds)
- [Via CLI](#via-cli)
- [How it works](#how-it-works)
- [Settings Storage](#settings-storage)
- [Use Cases](#use-cases)
- [Quick Device Setup](#quick-device-setup)
- [Field Deployment](#field-deployment)
- [Token Updates](#token-updates)
- [Backup Configuration](#backup-configuration)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [“SD Mount Failed”](#sd-mount-failed)
- [“Config File Not Found”](#config-file-not-found)
- [“Failed to Parse Config”](#failed-to-parse-config)
- [Settings Not Applying](#settings-not-applying)
- [Example Configurations](#example-configurations)
- [Minimal Wi-Fi Only](#minimal-wi-fi-only)
- [WiGLE Only](#wigle-only)
- [Complete Configuration](#complete-configuration)
- [Legacy API Format](#legacy-api-format)
- [Security Considerations](#security-considerations)
- [Related commands](#related-commands)
- [Related tasks](#related-tasks)

---

Load Wi-Fi credentials and WiGLE settings from config.cfg in the root of your SD card: create the file, then load it with Settings → WiGLE → Load Config from SD or the loadconfig CLI command and confirm the settings in the popup/output.
## Configuration File Format
Create config.cfg in the root directory of your SD card (/mnt/ghostesp/config.cfg):
#-------------
#-----WIFI----
#-------------
SSID=YourNetworkName
PASSKEY=YourWiFiPassword
AutoReconnect=true
#------------
#------Wigle-
#------------
# Encoded for Use token from Wigle.net/account
# Auto Upload Values = true/false
# Donate values = true/false (true preferred)
EncodedForUseToken=YourBase64EncodedToken
AutoUpload=true
Donate=true
## Configuration Fields
Field |
Required |
Description |
SSID |
Optional |
Wi-Fi network name to connect to |
PASSKEY |
Optional |
Wi-Fi password |
EncodedForUseToken |
Optional |
WiGLE “Encoded for Use” token from [wigle.net/account](https://wigle.net/account) |
AutoUpload |
Optional |
Enable automatic upload when Wi-Fi connects (true/false) |
Donate |
Optional |
Share wardriving data with WiGLE (true/false, recommended: true) |
AutoReconnect |
Optional |
Automatically reconnect to Wi-Fi when the connection drops (true/false) |
### Notes
- All fields are optional - only include what you want to configure
- Lines starting with # are comments and ignored
- Blank lines are ignored
- Field names are case-insensitive (SSID = ssid = Ssid)
- Boolean fields (AutoUpload, Donate, AutoReconnect) accept true, on, or 1; any other value is treated as false
## Getting Your WiGLE Token
See [WiGLE Upload](/latest/gps/wigle/) for how to obtain the “Encoded for Use” token from [wigle.net/account](https://wigle.net/account) or the legacy APIName:APIToken credentials.
When read from config.cfg, EncodedForUseToken accepts either form and detects it automatically:
- No colon: Treated as pre-encoded token (used directly)
- With colon: Treated as APIName:APIToken (base64 encoded automatically)
## Loading Configuration
### Via GUI (Display Builds)
- Insert SD card with config.cfg in root directory
- Navigate to Settings → WiGLE
- Select “Load Config from SD”
- Review the confirmation popup showing loaded settings:
Wi-Fi SSID (if configured)
- WiGLE token status (set/not set)
- AutoUpload status
- Donate status
### Via CLI
loadconfig
Example Output:
Loading config from SD card...
WiFi SSID: MyHomeNetwork
Wigle token: Set
AutoUpload: true
Donate: true
Configuration loaded successfully
## How it works
On JIT-mount boards the SD card is mounted just long enough to read config.cfg, then unmounted again. See [Storage Layout](/latest/getting-started/storage-layout/) for how mounting works across boards.
### Settings Storage
All settings from config.cfg are saved to Non-Volatile Storage (NVS), so they persist across reboots even if the SD card is removed.
## Use Cases
### Quick Device Setup
Set up multiple devices quickly by copying the same config.cfg to each SD card.
### Field Deployment
Pre-configure devices before deployment - no need to connect to CLI or navigate menus.
### Token Updates
Easily update WiGLE credentials across multiple devices by updating config.cfg.
### Backup Configuration
Keep a backup config.cfg with your preferred settings for easy restoration.
## Troubleshooting
### “SD Mount Failed”
- Ensure SD card is properly inserted
- Check that SD card is formatted (FAT32 recommended)
- Verify SD card is not corrupted
### “Config File Not Found”
- Verify file is named exactly config.cfg (case-sensitive)
- Ensure file is in the root directory of SD card, not in a subfolder
- Check that file path is /mnt/ghostesp/config.cfg
### “Failed to Parse Config”
- Check file format matches the example above
- Ensure no invalid characters in values
- Verify field names are spelled correctly
### Settings Not Applying
- Check NVS storage is not full (run settings list to verify CLI access)
- Verify values are valid (e.g., true/false for boolean fields)
- Try loading config again
## Example Configurations
### Minimal Wi-Fi Only
SSID=MyNetwork
PASSKEY=MyPassword123
### WiGLE Only
EncodedForUseToken=QUlEMTIzNDU2Nzg5MDphYmNkZWZnaGlqa2xtbm9wcXJzdHV2d3h5eg==
AutoUpload=true
Donate=true
### Complete Configuration
#-------------
#-----WIFI----
#-------------
SSID=WarDriveNet
PASSKEY=SecurePassword456!
AutoReconnect=true
#------------
#------Wigle-
#------------
EncodedForUseToken=QUlEMTIzNDU2Nzg5MDphYmNkZWZnaGlqa2xtbm9wcXJzdHV2d3h5eg==
AutoUpload=true
Donate=true
### Legacy API Format
# Using legacy APIName:APIToken format
EncodedForUseToken=AID0123456789:abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz123456
AutoUpload=false
Donate=true
## Security Considerations
- Config file contains sensitive information (Wi-Fi password, API tokens)
- Keep SD card secure when not in device
- Consider encrypting sensitive values if sharing config files
- Delete config.cfg after loading if you’re concerned about physical access
- Remember: Settings persist in NVS after loading, so config.cfg can be removed
## Related commands
Command |
Description |
loadconfig |
Load settings from config.cfg on SD card |
wigle show |
Display current WiGLE settings |
wifistatus |
Display current Wi-Fi connection and saved SSID status |
settings list |
List all available settings |
## Related tasks
- [WiGLE Upload Guide](/latest/gps/wigle/) - Complete WiGLE integration documentation
- [SD card setup](/latest/getting-started/sd-card/) - SD card formatting and mounting
- [Wi-Fi Configuration](/latest/wifi/) - Wi-Fi setup and management