mog wrote:just for reference I've had similar issues when powering the ESP from FTDIFiend (based on FTDI FT232RL chip) which was supposed to provide enough current to power the ESP. It did indeed work but some things didn't function correctly so I've used a separate power supply for VCC and used GND, RX, TX pins from FTDI for UART only. Since that It's been working like a charm.
yup, it really should be written in big red capitals all over this website - don't power from the usb uart, it sometimes works but has unpredictable results. use a usb breadboard power supply and a nice 12v 3a dc jack.