ESP32 as Access Point: TCP connection drops after 1–2 minutes on Windows 10/11, but only on first connection

[vahidajalluian]

I have an ESP32 running a program that opens both a TCP and UDP server on a specific port.

In Station mode (connecting to a modem/router): both connections work reliably with no drops.

In Access Point mode (ESP32 acts as Wi-Fi AP): the connection drops after about 1–2 minutes when connecting from Windows 10 or 11. but no problem in Windows 7. There is another connection on the PC with ethernet internet connection.

Here's the strange part: if I manually disconnect the PC from the ESP32's Wi-Fi and reconnect it, the TCP connection then stays stable indefinitely – no more drops.

What I've tried:

Disabling Windows power saving on Wi-Fi adapter

Setting tcp_keepalive on the ESP32 side

Increasing TCP timeout values

Questions:

Is this a known issue with ESP32's LWIP stack in AP mode?

Could it be related to ARP table expiration or DHCP lease renewal on first association?

Why would reconnecting the Wi-Fi client fix it permanently?

Environment:

ESP-IDF v5.3.1

Windows 10/11 clients

ESP32 acting as soft-AP with static IP (or specify DHCP settings)