nils-a/rgregg--meshcore-proxy

MeshCore Proxy lets you put a MeshCore companion radio on your network so that other apps and devices can talk to it even if they are not physically plugged into it. Normally, the radio connects to a single computer via a USB cable or Bluetooth. This tool bridges that connection, exposing the radio over a standard network port (TCP) so that multiple clients on your local network can interact with the radio as if it were directly connected to them. At a high level, you run this tool on the computer that is physically tethered to the radio. The proxy software connects to the radio via USB or Bluetooth and then starts listening for network traffic on port 5000. When another program on your network wants to send a command to the radio, it sends data to that port. The proxy receives it, translates it, and forwards it to the radio, passing any responses back to the requesting program. The proxy also includes an event logging feature that decodes and displays the messages flowing between the radio and your apps, which is helpful if you are trying to debug a connection or monitor activity. This is useful for people running MeshCore radios who want to integrate them into broader smart home setups or manage them remotely. For example, if you use Home Assistant to automate your home, you can use this proxy to let your Home Assistant server talk to a radio plugged into a different machine. It also supports command-line tools and mobile apps, so you can check on your radio from your phone or laptop without having to be in the same room as the hardware. The project is built in Python and can be installed easily via standard package managers. It also offers a ready-to-use Docker container, which is convenient if you want to run it continuously on a small server like a Raspberry Pi. The documentation notes a few platform specifics, such as the fact that macOS handles Bluetooth differently than Linux or Windows, requiring a device name or UUID rather than a standard MAC address.