Meshtastic-Bitchat Bridge

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3ebd0c6f-3552-441d-bd7e-a3e5f88676d4

A bidirectional bridge connecting Bitchat and Meshtastic. This tool allows local Bluetooth chat clients to communicate over long distances via LoRa radios, effectively extending the range of Bitchat using the Meshtastic network.

How It Works

The script runs on a Linux device (like a Raspberry Pi or laptop) that has both Bluetooth and a USB connection to a Meshtastic device.

1. Bitchat to Meshtastic: The bridge scans for nearby Bitchat devices over Bluetooth. When it receives a message from a phone, it relays that message to the Meshtastic LoRa network.
2. Meshtastic to Bitchat: The bridge listens for incoming LoRa messages from the Meshtastic network. When a message arrives, it broadcasts it over Bluetooth to all connected Bitchat clients.

Prerequisites

• A Linux computer with a Bluetooth adapter.
• A Meshtastic device connected via USB (e.g., /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0).
• Python 3.7 or higher.

Installation

1. Clone this repository.

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended):

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   

3. Install the required Python libraries:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Required for iOS Support

To prevent "Enter PIN to pair" popups on iOS devices, you must optimize the BlueZ configuration.

Edit Bluetooth Settings: Edit /etc/bluetooth/main.conf:

sudo nano /etc/bluetooth/main.conf

Find the [General] section and ensure these lines are set:

JustWorksRepairing = never
ControllerMode = le
Privacy = device

Disable Battery Plugin: The battery plugin often triggers pairing requests. You should disable it in the service definition.

Edit the service file:

sudo nano /lib/systemd/system/bluetooth.service

Find the ExecStart line and add -P battery at the end. Note that the path to bluetoothd may vary depending on your distribution (e.g., /usr/lib/... or /usr/libexec/...):

# Example (keep your existing path, just add -P battery at the end)
ExecStart=/usr/libexec/bluetooth/bluetoothd -P battery

Apply Changes:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart bluetooth

Usage

1. Connect your Meshtastic device to the computer via USB.
2. Ensure your Bluetooth adapter is active.

3. Run the bridge script:

   python3 mesh-bit.py
   

4. Open the Bitchat app on your phone and bring it close to the bridge. It should connect automatically.

Troubleshooting

Bluetooth on Linux can sometimes become unresponsive or get stuck in a bad state. If the bridge fails to discover devices or connect, follow these steps to reset the system.

1. Stop the script by pressing Ctrl+C.

2. Force kill any lingering Python processes that might be holding the adapter:

   pkill -f "python.*mesh-bit"
   

3. Restart the Bluetooth service (requires sudo):

   sudo systemctl restart bluetooth
   

4. (Optional) If issues persist, you can try resetting the HCI interface directly:

   sudo hciconfig hci0 down
   sudo hciconfig hci0 up
   

5. Run the script again.

Credits

This project was built with help and inspiration from the following open source projects:

• bitchat-python: https://github.com/kaganisildak/bitchat-python
• Meshtastic Python: https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-python