diff --git a/components/driver/test/test_adc2.c b/components/driver/test/test_adc2.c
index ec6e2ff4f..40549428e 100644
--- a/components/driver/test/test_adc2.c
+++ b/components/driver/test/test_adc2.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "esp_wifi.h"
 #include "esp_log.h"
 #include "nvs_flash.h"
+#include "test_utils.h"
 
 static const char* TAG = "test_adc2";
 
@@ -44,7 +45,9 @@ TEST_CASE("adc2 work with wifi","[adc]")
 {
     int     read_raw;
     int     target_value;
-    
+
+    test_case_uses_tcpip();
+
     //adc and dac init
     TEST_ESP_OK( dac_output_enable( DAC_CHANNEL_1 ));
     TEST_ESP_OK( dac_output_enable( DAC_CHANNEL_2 ));
diff --git a/components/esp32/test/test_esp32.c b/components/esp32/test/test_wifi.c
similarity index 98%
rename from components/esp32/test/test_esp32.c
rename to components/esp32/test/test_wifi.c
index 82e24b12c..ec35ce5ad 100644
--- a/components/esp32/test/test_esp32.c
+++ b/components/esp32/test/test_wifi.c
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "esp_wifi_types.h"
 #include "esp_log.h"
 #include "nvs_flash.h"
+#include "test_utils.h"
 
 static const char* TAG = "test_wifi";
 
@@ -79,7 +80,9 @@ static void test_wifi_start_stop(wifi_init_config_t *cfg, wifi_config_t* wifi_co
 }
 
 TEST_CASE("wifi stop and deinit","[wifi]")
-{    
+{
+    test_case_uses_tcpip();
+
     wifi_init_config_t cfg = WIFI_INIT_CONFIG_DEFAULT();
     wifi_config_t wifi_config = {
         .sta = {
diff --git a/components/http_server/test/test_http_server.c b/components/http_server/test/test_http_server.c
index 7c7eb6a05..07c91add5 100644
--- a/components/http_server/test/test_http_server.c
+++ b/components/http_server/test/test_http_server.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <http_server.h>
 
 #include "unity.h"
+#include "test_utils.h"
 
 int pre_start_mem, post_stop_mem, post_stop_min_mem;
 bool basic_sanity = true;
@@ -115,24 +116,39 @@ httpd_handle_t test_httpd_start(uint16_t id)
 TEST_CASE("Leak Test", "[HTTP SERVER]")
 {
     httpd_handle_t hd[SERVER_INSTANCES];
-    unsigned task_count = uxTaskGetNumberOfTasks();
-    pre_start_mem = esp_get_free_heap_size();
+    unsigned task_count;
     bool res = true;
 
+    test_case_uses_tcpip();
+
+    task_count = uxTaskGetNumberOfTasks();
+    printf("Initial task count: %d\n", task_count);
+
+    pre_start_mem = esp_get_free_heap_size();
+
     for (int i = 0; i < SERVER_INSTANCES; i++) {
         hd[i] = test_httpd_start(i);
         vTaskDelay(10);
-        if (uxTaskGetNumberOfTasks() != ++task_count) {
+        unsigned num_tasks = uxTaskGetNumberOfTasks();
+        task_count++;
+        if (num_tasks != task_count) {
+            printf("Incorrect task count (starting): %d expected %d\n",
+                   num_tasks, task_count);
             res = false;
         }
     }
 
     for (int i = 0; i < SERVER_INSTANCES; i++) {
         if (httpd_stop(hd[i]) != ESP_OK) {
+            printf("Failed to stop httpd task %d\n", i);
             res = false;
         }
         vTaskDelay(10);
-        if (uxTaskGetNumberOfTasks() != --task_count) {
+        unsigned num_tasks = uxTaskGetNumberOfTasks();
+        task_count--;
+        if (num_tasks != task_count) {
+            printf("Incorrect task count (stopping): %d expected %d\n",
+                   num_tasks, task_count);
             res = false;
         }
     }
@@ -144,6 +160,9 @@ TEST_CASE("Basic Functionality Tests", "[HTTP SERVER]")
 {
     httpd_handle_t hd;
     httpd_config_t config = HTTPD_DEFAULT_CONFIG();
+
+    test_case_uses_tcpip();
+
     TEST_ASSERT(httpd_start(&hd, &config) == ESP_OK);
     test_handler_limit(hd);
     TEST_ASSERT(httpd_stop(hd) == ESP_OK);
diff --git a/components/vfs/test/test_vfs_select.c b/components/vfs/test/test_vfs_select.c
index f9927a54f..8ec6794f4 100644
--- a/components/vfs/test/test_vfs_select.c
+++ b/components/vfs/test/test_vfs_select.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "esp_vfs_dev.h"
 #include "lwip/sockets.h"
 #include "lwip/netdb.h"
+#include "test_utils.h"
 
 typedef struct {
     int fd;
@@ -114,6 +115,8 @@ static inline void start_task(const test_task_param_t *test_task_param)
 
 static void init(int *uart_fd, int *socket_fd)
 {
+    test_case_uses_tcpip();
+
     uart1_init();
     UART1.conf0.loopback = 1;
 
@@ -296,9 +299,10 @@ TEST_CASE("concurent selects work", "[vfs]")
     };
 
     int uart_fd, socket_fd;
-    const int dummy_socket_fd = open_dummy_socket();
     init(&uart_fd, &socket_fd);
 
+    const int dummy_socket_fd = open_dummy_socket();
+
     fd_set rfds;
     FD_ZERO(&rfds);
     FD_SET(uart_fd, &rfds);
diff --git a/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/include/test_utils.h b/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/include/test_utils.h
index 746d94a08..68e8e81d7 100644
--- a/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/include/test_utils.h
+++ b/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/include/test_utils.h
@@ -43,6 +43,32 @@ void ref_clock_deinit();
  */
 uint64_t ref_clock_get();
 
+
+/**
+ * @brief Reset automatic leak checking which happens in unit tests.
+ *
+ * Updates recorded "before" free memory values to the free memory values
+ * at time of calling. Resets leak checker if tracing is enabled in
+ * config.
+ *
+ * This can be called if a test case does something which allocates
+ * memory on first use, for example.
+ *
+ * @note Use with care as this can mask real memory leak problems.
+ */
+void unity_reset_leak_checks(void);
+
+
+/**
+ * @brief Call this function from a test case which requires TCP/IP or
+ * LWIP functionality.
+ *
+ * @note This should be the first function the test case calls, as it will
+ * allocate memory on first use (and also reset the test case leak checker).
+ */
+void test_case_uses_tcpip(void);
+
+
 /**
  * @brief wait for signals.
  *
diff --git a/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/test_utils.c b/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/test_utils.c
index 01176a816..36aae4c29 100644
--- a/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/test_utils.c
+++ b/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/test_utils.c
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
 #include "test_utils.h"
 #include "rom/ets_sys.h"
 #include "rom/uart.h"
+#include "freertos/FreeRTOS.h"
+#include "freertos/task.h"
+#include "tcpip_adapter.h"
+#include "lwip/sockets.h"
 
 const esp_partition_t *get_test_data_partition()
 {
@@ -41,6 +45,32 @@ static void wait_user_control()
     }
 }
 
+void test_case_uses_tcpip()
+{
+    // Can be called more than once, does nothing on subsequent calls
+    tcpip_adapter_init();
+
+    // Allocate all sockets then free them
+    // (First time each socket is allocated some one-time allocations happen.)
+    int sockets[CONFIG_LWIP_MAX_SOCKETS];
+    for (int i = 0; i < CONFIG_LWIP_MAX_SOCKETS; i++) {
+        int type = (i % 2 == 0) ? SOCK_DGRAM : SOCK_STREAM;
+        int family = (i % 3 == 0) ? PF_INET6 : PF_INET;
+        sockets[i] = socket(family, type, IPPROTO_IP);
+    }
+    for (int i = 0; i < CONFIG_LWIP_MAX_SOCKETS; i++) {
+        close(sockets[i]);
+    }
+
+    // Allow LWIP tasks to finish initialising themselves
+    vTaskDelay(25 / portTICK_RATE_MS);
+
+    printf("Note: tcpip_adapter_init() has been called. Until next reset, TCP/IP task will periodicially allocate memory and consume CPU time.\n");
+
+    // Reset the leak checker as LWIP allocates a lot of memory on first run
+    unity_reset_leak_checks();
+}
+
 // signal functions, used for sync between unity DUTs for multiple devices cases
 void unity_wait_for_signal(const char* signal_name)
 {
diff --git a/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/unity_platform.c b/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/unity_platform.c
index 6beb85cb9..02fcd887b 100644
--- a/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/unity_platform.c
+++ b/tools/unit-test-app/components/unity/unity_platform.c
@@ -37,6 +37,16 @@ static size_t before_free_32bit;
 const size_t WARN_LEAK_THRESHOLD = 256;
 const size_t CRITICAL_LEAK_THRESHOLD = 4096;
 
+void unity_reset_leak_checks(void)
+{
+    before_free_8bit = heap_caps_get_free_size(MALLOC_CAP_8BIT);
+    before_free_32bit = heap_caps_get_free_size(MALLOC_CAP_32BIT);
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_HEAP_TRACING
+    heap_trace_start(HEAP_TRACE_LEAKS);
+#endif
+}
+
 /* setUp runs before every test */
 void setUp(void)
 {
@@ -54,12 +64,7 @@ void setUp(void)
     printf("%s", ""); /* sneakily lazy-allocate the reent structure for this test task */
     get_test_data_partition();  /* allocate persistent partition table structures */
 
-    before_free_8bit = heap_caps_get_free_size(MALLOC_CAP_8BIT);
-    before_free_32bit = heap_caps_get_free_size(MALLOC_CAP_32BIT);
-
-#ifdef CONFIG_HEAP_TRACING
-    heap_trace_start(HEAP_TRACE_LEAKS);
-#endif
+    unity_reset_leak_checks();
 }
 
 static void check_leak(size_t before_free, size_t after_free, const char *type)
diff --git a/tools/unit-test-app/main/app_main.c b/tools/unit-test-app/main/app_main.c
index 1dbcdd3b0..73a8201ff 100644
--- a/tools/unit-test-app/main/app_main.c
+++ b/tools/unit-test-app/main/app_main.c
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 #include "freertos/task.h"
 #include "unity.h"
 #include "unity_config.h"
-#include "tcpip_adapter.h"
 
 void unityTask(void *pvParameters)
 {
@@ -13,10 +12,6 @@ void unityTask(void *pvParameters)
 
 void app_main()
 {
-    // TCP/IP adapter is initialized here because it leaks memory so the
-    // initialization in test cases would make the test fail because of leak.
-    tcpip_adapter_init();
-
     // Note: if unpinning this task, change the way run times are calculated in
     // unity_platform
     xTaskCreatePinnedToCore(unityTask, "unityTask", UNITY_FREERTOS_STACK_SIZE, NULL,