WiFi-to-IoT Raspberry Pi

The server component for Raspberry Pi to receive Wi-Fi password via Bluetooth

Getting Started

To set up the server on your Raspberry Pi, you can simply write the image file provided here to the Pi. You will not have to follow the set up instructions below. Skip to How to Use section for instructions of the app. Your Pi will be ready to receive incoming connection.

Otherwise, if you do not want to download the already-set image file, follow the steps below to set up your Pi from scratch.

Set Up Your Raspberry Pi

• You need a FAT32-formatted 8GB SD card, power supply, Ethernet cable, and a LAN.
• Follow the instructions here to write the Raspbian Jessie Lite image to the Pi.
• Insert the SD card to the Pi. Connect your Pi to the router with your Ethernet cable. Power the Pi up.
• Follow the instructions here to find the IP address of the Pi. Nmap is a useful open-source tool.
• SSH into the Raspberry Pi with default username pi and password raspberry.

Bluetooth Configurations on Raspberry Pi

Download pip

sudo apt-get install python-pip

Download the Bluetooth Module

sudo apt-get install python-bluez

Download the WiFi Module

sudo pip install wifi

Download Expect

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install expect

Upload and Run the Scripts

Upload these scripts to the home directory /home/pi of your Raspberry Pi. You can accomplish this by using FTP with the same credentials as for SSH:

• btctl.sh: This script automates bluetoothctl and allows the Pi to accept Bluetooth pairing request without keycode.
• btconfig.sh: The script configures Bluetooth on the Pi, and makes the python script run on boot.
• rename.sh: The one-time-only script allows the user to change the Pi's hostname.
• rfcomm-server.py: The Bluetooth server that enables the Pi to wait for incoming serial connection.

Inside the Pi's home directory, make btconfig.sh executable and run it:

chmod +x btconfig.sh

sudo ./btconfig.sh

Reboot the Pi (if you wish to rename your Pi, you can reboot after you complete the next section)

sudo reboot

Rename Raspberry Pi

Make the script executable in the home directory:

chmod +x rename.sh

Run the command with the new name as the argument:

sudo ./rename.sh newName

Reboot the Pi for changes to take effect:

sudo reboot

How to Use

Mobile App

• Unplug the Ethernet cable from the Pi.
• Scan and pair with Raspberry Pi using your device's built-in Bluetooth. This app only lists paired devices.
• Open the WiFi-to-IOT app and the Pi should be listed when you click Select.
• Select your Pi and connect.
• Once connected, the WiFi section will appear. Choose a WiFi network and enter the password.
• The attempt to connect could take up to 20 seconds.
• Disconnect when you finish.

Troubleshoot

• If you just rebooted your Pi, it would take up to 15 seconds for the server to restart and be able to listen for connections.
• If you still fail to connect to the Pi multiple times, reboot it. Try unpair the Pi, and pair with it again.
• The server checks for general network connections. Unplug the Ethernet cable from your Pi so it could correctly report WiFi status.
• If WiFi connection failed, make sure the network signal is stable, and the password entered is correct.
• Make sure no other devices are connected to the Pi when you attempt to connect.

Authors

Kelly Cho

License

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

Acknowledgments

• Bluetooth Serial Plugin
• Raspberry Bluetooth Demo