diff --git a/environments.ini b/environments.ini
index bf50179..c60cca2 100644
--- a/environments.ini
+++ b/environments.ini
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ build_flags =
   '-DWM_PWD_FROM_MAC=true'
   '-DUSE_MAC_AS_GATEWAY_NAME'
   '-DDEFAULT_LOW_POWER_MODE=DEACTIVATED'
+  '-DWifiReconnectWatchDog=false' ; Don't reboot on persistent WiFi loss, it would interrupt the relay state
   '-DGATEWAY_MANUFACTURER="Theengs"'
   '-DGATEWAY_MODEL="TPLUG01"'
   '-UZwebUI="WebUI"' ; Disable WebUI
diff --git a/main/User_config.h b/main/User_config.h
index 3ac82d2..4a2af04 100644
--- a/main/User_config.h
+++ b/main/User_config.h
@@ -135,6 +135,14 @@
 #define maxConnectionRetryNetwork 5 //maximum Wifi connection attempts with existing credential at start (used to bypass ESP32 issue on wifi connect)
 #define maxRetryWatchDog          11 //maximum Wifi or MQTT re-connection attempts before restarting
 
+// WifiReconnectWatchDog: restart the ESP if the network can't be recovered after maxRetryWatchDog
+// consecutive reconnection attempts in the main loop. This allows the gateway to self-heal from a
+// wedged WiFi stack (e.g. the ESP32 driver getting stuck after a long uptime). Disable it on
+// environments where an unexpected reboot is undesirable (e.g. a smart plug that would lose its relay state).
+#ifndef WifiReconnectWatchDog
+#  define WifiReconnectWatchDog true
+#endif
+
 //set minimum quality of signal so it ignores AP's under that quality
 #define MinimumWifiSignalQuality 8
 
diff --git a/main/main.cpp b/main/main.cpp
index 1012a2a..79a12d2 100644
--- a/main/main.cpp
+++ b/main/main.cpp
@@ -2594,6 +2594,13 @@ void loop() {
     THEENGS_LOG_WARNING(F("Network disconnected" CR));
     gatewayState = GatewayState::NTWK_DISCONNECTED;
     if (!wifi_reconnect_bypass()) {
+      failure_number_ntwk++;
+      THEENGS_LOG_WARNING(F("failure_number_ntwk: %d" CR), failure_number_ntwk);
+      // Self-heal from a wedged WiFi stack: if reconnection keeps failing, restart the ESP.
+      // Disabled on environments where an unexpected reboot is undesirable (e.g. a smart plug).
+      if (WifiReconnectWatchDog && failure_number_ntwk > maxRetryWatchDog) {
+        ESPRestart(2);
+      }
       sleep();
     } else {
       gatewayState = GatewayState::NTWK_CONNECTED;