Bluetooth Web Bridge

The Bluetooth Web Bridge allows you to use a device on your local network (like a laptop or another phone) as a relay node. This is particularly useful if your main controller (iPhone) is on a different network (e.g., 5G/LTE) but you still want to control local devices.

How it works

Your iPhone broadcasts HTTP commands via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). A web page running on a local device receives these commands and executes the actual HTTP request on its local network.

iPhone (5G/LTE) --[Bluetooth]--> Laptop/Bridge (WiFi) --[HTTP]--> Local Device

Requirements

Bridge Device: A computer (Chrome/Edge) or device running a Web Bluetooth capable browser.
Proximity: The iPhone must be within Bluetooth range of the bridge device.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Enable the Bridge on iPhone

Open Control It and go to Settings > Engines > Bluetooth Bridge. Tap Start Advertising. The status should change to "Ready".

2. Open the Bridge Page

On your local device (connected to the target WiFi), navigate to the Web Bridge page (e.g. https://control-it-app.com/bridge).

Security: Ensure the bridge page is allowed to make local network requests. Modern browsers may block requests from HTTPS to local HTTP IP addresses ("Mixed Content"). You may need to use a specialized browser (like Bluefy on iOS) or adjust browser flags.

3. Connect

Click the Connect button on the website.
Select ControlIt-Bridge from the scanned device list.
Click Pair.

4. Control

Once connected, any HTTP Action you trigger on your iPhone will be sent to the Bridge. The Bridge will then attempt to fetch the URL. This allows you to control local smart home devices without your phone being connected to WiFi.

Fallback: If the Bridge is not connected, the App will attempt to execute the HTTP request directly from the phone in the background.