MultiRFLink TCP Bridge

multi_rflink_tcp_bridge.py is a Python app that consolidates multiple RFLink streams (433MHz, 868MHz, etc.) from distributed devices, with their own IP addresses or ports, into a single TCP output - ready for Home Assistant or any automation hub.

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📌 Key Benefit

🔧 Multi-RFLink support out of the box - Home Assistant supports only one RFLink connection natively. This bridge removes that limitation by allowing multiple RFLink units - each potentially sniffing different RF frequencies like 433MHz and 868MHz - to be connected simultaneously.

🛰️ Extend signal range and coverage by deploying RFLink devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi Zero W + RF modules) in different rooms or floors. This bridge links all devices into one TCP stream, letting Home Assistant consume everything from a single, unified endpoint.

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📖 Table of Contents

• Features
• Quickstart
• Configuration
• Usage
• Running as a Service
• Remote Device Setup
• Integration Examples
• Roadmap
• Contributing
• License

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🧩 Features

• Supports 433MHz and 868MHz RFLinks in parallel
• Centralizes multiple RFLink TCP feeds into one
• Compatible with Home Assistant, Node-RED, MQTT, etc.
• Optional Telegram alerts on disconnect/reconnect
• Graceful handling of stale messages on client connection
• Lightweight and efficient (runs on Pi Zero W)

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🚀 Quickstart

git clone https://github.com/mortylabs/multi_rflink_tcp_bridge.git
cd multi_rflink_tcp_bridge
cp .env.example .env
nano .env  # configure IPs, ports, and logging
pip install -r requirements.txt
python multi_rflink_tcp_bridge.py

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⚙️ Configuration

Create and customize a .env file in the project root:

cp .env.example .env

Variable	Description	Example
RFLINK1_IP, PORT	RFLink device #1 IP and port	192.168.1.10:5000
RFLINK2_IP, PORT	Optional second RFLink device	192.168.1.11:5001
RFLINK3_IP, PORT	Optional third RFLink device	192.168.1.12:5002
RFLINK_BRIDGE_IP	IP for this bridge to listen on	0.0.0.0
RFLINK_BRIDGE_PORT	Port for unified stream	1234
WRITE_LOG_TO_DISK	Write logs to file (true or false)	true
LOGGING_LEVEL	Logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR)	INFO
TELEGRAM_ENABLED	Enable Telegram alerts	true
TELEGRAM_BOT_KEY	Telegram bot token	-
TELEGRAM_BOT_CHAT_ID	Target chat ID for alerts	-

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🧠 Usage

Once configured, simply run the script:

python multi_rflink_tcp_bridge.py

• Starts listener threads for each RFLink
• Forwards their messages into one bridge stream
• Supports reconnects and alerting via Telegram
• Messages drained on new client connect to avoid stale payloads

This bridge gives your automation system a unified, real-time view of your RF environment, regardless of how many RFLinks you deploy or where you place them.

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🚁 Running as a Service

To run the bridge as a background service that starts automatically on boot:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/multirflink.service

[Unit]
Description=MultiRFLinkTCPBridge service
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStartPre=/bin/sleep 10
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 -u /home/pi/github/multi_rflink_tcp_bridge/multi_rflink_tcp_bridge.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
User=pi
Group=pi

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable multirflink
sudo systemctl start multirflink
sudo systemctl status multirflink

Note: ExecStartPre=/bin/sleep 10 prevents Errno 99 bind failures on boot by giving the network stack time to fully initialise before the bridge tries to bind its port.

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🔌 Remote Device Setup

For each Raspberry Pi Zero W / 2 W with an RFLink USB device:

1. Install Python 3 and rflinkproxy

sudo apt update
pip3 install rflink

2. Create a proxy systemctl service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/rflinkproxy.service

[Unit]
Description=RFLink Proxy Service
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/home/pi/start-rflinkproxy.sh
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi
User=pi
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable rflinkproxy
sudo systemctl start rflinkproxy

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🏠 Integration Examples

🔌 Home Assistant

sensor:
  - platform: tcp
    host: 192.168.1.50  # IP of your bridge device
    port: 1234          # Port defined in your .env
    name: RFLink Stream

🔁 Node-RED Integration

To integrate the unified RFLink stream into Node-RED:

1. Add a TCP In node

   • Type: stream
   • Host: IP of your MultiRFLinkTCPBridge (e.g., 192.168.1.50)
   • Port: TCP port from your .env (e.g., 1234)

2. Connect it to a debug or processing node

   • This will show raw RFLink messages from all linked devices

💡 Tip: You can split or parse the RFLink strings using a function node.

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📈 Roadmap

• Multi-RFLink support across IPs and ports
• Support for multiple frequencies (433MHz and 868MHz)
• Telegram alert integration for error/reconnects
• Graceful queue draining on new client connect
• Systemctl service with boot-time Errno 99 fix
• Dockerfile and container support
• AsyncIO-based socket backend for better scalability

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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💬 Questions?

Have feedback or need support?

• Open an issue
• Start a discussion on the repo
• Suggest features or improvements via pull requests