diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ceec197..56b58f5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@ build
 firmware
 .gdb_history
 local.mk
+local.h
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 40cc578..77398a5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ git clone --recursive https://github.com/Superhouse/esp-open-rtos.git
 cd esp-open-rtos
 ```
 
+* To build any examples that use WiFi, create a file "local.h" in the top-level directory and add two macro defines to it:
+```c
+#define WIFI_SSID "mywifissid"
+#define WIFI_PASS "my secret password"
+```
+
 * Build an example project (found in the 'examples' directory) and flash it to a serial port:
 
 ```
diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index c1ce356..a7767c6 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ SDK_PROCESSED_LIBS = $(addsuffix .a,$(addprefix $(BUILD_DIR)sdklib/lib,$(SDK_LIB
 
 # Make rule for preprocessing each SDK library
 #
-$(BUILD_DIR)sdklib/%.a: $(ROOT)lib/%.a $(BUILD_DIR)sdklib/allsymbols.rename
+$(BUILD_DIR)sdklib/%.a: $(ROOT)lib/%.a $(BUILD_DIR)sdklib/allsymbols.rename $(ROOT)common.mk
 	$(vecho) "Pre-processing SDK library $< -> $@"
 	$(Q) $(OBJCOPY) --redefine-syms $(word 2,$^) --weaken $< $@
 
@@ -219,6 +219,12 @@ $(BUILD_DIR)sdklib/allsymbols.rename: $(patsubst %.a,%.rename,$(SDK_PROCESSED_LI
 PROGRAM_SRC_DIR ?= $(PROGRAM_DIR)
 PROGRAM_ROOT ?= $(PROGRAM_DIR)
 PROGRAM_MAKEFILE = $(firstword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))
+# if there's a local.h file in either the program dir or the
+# root dir, load macros from it (for WIFI_SSID,WIFI_PASS, etc.)
+PROGRAM_LOCAL_H = $(lastword $(wildcard $(ROOT)local.h $(PROGRAM_DIR)local.h))
+ifneq ($(PROGRAM_LOCAL_H),)
+PROGRAM_CFLAGS = $(CFLAGS) -imacros $(PROGRAM_LOCAL_H)
+endif
 $(eval $(call component_compile_rules,PROGRAM))
 
 ## Include other components (this is where the actual compiler sections are generated)
diff --git a/examples/http_get/main.c b/examples/http_get/main.c
index 2e68901..bfe945b 100644
--- a/examples/http_get/main.c
+++ b/examples/http_get/main.c
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@
 #define WEB_PORT 80
 #define WEB_URL "http://chainxor.org/"
 
-/* FILL THESE IN!!!!!!!!!! */
-#define WIFI_SSID "SSID Name Here"
-#define WIFI_PASS "Wifi Password Here"
+#if !defined(WIFI_SSID) || !defined(WIFI_PASS)
+#error "Please define macros WIFI_SSID & WIFI_PASS (here, or better in a local.h file at root level or in program dir."
+#endif
 
 void http_get_task(void *pvParameters)
 {
diff --git a/examples/http_get_ssl/main.c b/examples/http_get_ssl/main.c
index 7dfbc97..925c2e8 100644
--- a/examples/http_get_ssl/main.c
+++ b/examples/http_get_ssl/main.c
@@ -20,14 +20,13 @@
 
 #include "ssl.h"
 
-
-#define WEB_SERVER "10.10.10.1"
+#define WEB_SERVER "192.168.0.18"
 #define WEB_PORT "8000"
-#define WEB_URL "https://chainxor.org/"
+#define WEB_URL "/test"
 
-/* FILL THESE IN!!!!!!!!!! */
-#define WIFI_SSID "esptest"
-#define WIFI_PASS "secret passphrase"
+#if !defined(WIFI_SSID) || !defined(WIFI_PASS)
+#error "Please define macros WIFI_SSID & WIFI_PASS (here, or better in a local.h file at root level or in program dir."
+#endif
 
 static void display_cipher(SSL *ssl);
 static void display_session_id(SSL *ssl);