esp-idf: WiFi stops working after one or two days of operation (IDFGH-4397)

Environment

• Module or chip used: ESP32-WROVER-E
• IDF version: v4.3-dev-1901-g178b122c1
• Power Supply: external 5V

WiFi is configured with sleep disabled (WIFI_PS_NONE). BLE is also enabled.

sdkconfig.txt

Problem Description

WiFi stops working after the device has been running for a long time (> 24 hours).

Some observations:

1. Cannot ping the device’s IP, and the device cannot make outbound connections
2. Nothing is written to the monitor logs when this happens
3. esp_wifi_sta_get_ap_info returns the correct AP record, so ESP still thinks it’s connected
4. If I try to reconnect, or connect to a different network, the connection fails:

I (112624324) app_prov_handler: WiFi Credentials Received :
        ssid ****
        password *****
I (112624514) app_prov_handler: WiFi Credentials Applied
I (112624634) wifi:new:<11,0>, old:<11,0>, ap:<255,255>, sta:<11,0>, prof:1
I (112624636) wifi:state: init -> auth (b0)
I (112624640) wifi:state: auth -> assoc (0)
I (112624646) wifi:state: assoc -> run (10)
I (112624684) app_prov_handler: Connecting state
I (112625358) app_prov_handler: Connecting state
I (112626033) app_prov_handler: Connecting state
I (112626708) app_prov_handler: Connecting state
I (112627383) app_prov_handler: Connecting state
I (112628058) app_prov_handler: Connecting state
I (112628690) wifi:state: run -> init (2a0)
I (112628691) wifi:new:<11,0>, old:<11,0>, ap:<255,255>, sta:<11,0>, prof:1
I (112628692) wifi:new:<11,0>, old:<11,0>, ap:<255,255>, sta:<11,0>, prof:1
E (112628704) app_prov: STA Disconnected
E (112628704) app_prov: Disconnect reason : 2
I (112628715) app_prov: STA Auth Error
I (112628734) app_prov_handler: Disconnected state