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Bitchat – A decentralized messaging app that works over Bluetooth mesh networks

(github.com)
770 points ananddtyagi | 2 comments | 07 Jul 25 00:05 UTC | HN request time: 0.442s | source
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syntaxing ◴[07 Jul 25 00:30 UTC] No.44485489[source]▶
Whoa this is really neat. I’ve been trying to get into Meshtastic but it’s hard to convince others when you need special hardware. Would be super neat if Apple did something similar. Shouldn’t be too hard since the AirTags use the same idea?

Would also be neat if there was a way to build a LoRA proxy to extend the range. I might give this a try with my meshtastic devices.

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K0balt ◴[07 Jul 25 01:57 UTC] No.44486004[source]▶
It depends on the antenna efficiency of course, but I was surprised to discover that BLE modes around 128kbps using coded-PHY have a range extending over 1-1/2 km without a directional antenna. At 2.4ghz its line of sight, of course, but still…
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kragen ◴[07 Jul 25 03:55 UTC] No.44486615[source]▶
That's extremely surprising to me too. I would have expected BLE to reach a few meters, not kilometers. How can I learn more?
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1. Aurornis ◴[07 Jul 25 12:41 UTC] No.44489786[source]▶
Search for “BLE coded PHY”.

The S8 coded mode with 125kbps rate is the long distance one. Support for it in phones is not widespread, sadly.

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2. kragen ◴[07 Jul 25 16:05 UTC] No.44491742[source]▶
Thanks! I didn't realize that was the key phrase.