A Groundbreaking Bitcoin Hackathon Entry

A groundbreaking open-source project has been submitted to the official Bitcoin 2025 Hackathon.

This project, titled Darkwire, introduces an infrastructure that enables users to send Bitcoin transactions without any internet access.

The creator, who goes by the pseudonym “cyber”, explains that Darkwire uses long-range radio to facilitate Bitcoin transfers in extreme conditions—such as authoritarian countries or disaster zones—where internet access is limited or completely unavailable.

Cyber cited examples like politically sensitive regions such as the Rafah crossing or the Indo-Tibetan border, as well as natural disaster areas where infrastructure has been destroyed or taken offline.

“Darkwire is for individuals seeking privacy or wishing to bypass surveillance of their communications and transactions,” Cyber said. “Think of it as Tor, but for Bitcoin transactions in hostile environments.”

How Darkwire Works?

At its core, Darkwire uses LoRa (Long Range Radio) technology to establish a decentralized mesh network. This allows devices to transmit small packets of data—like text messages or Bitcoin transactions—across several kilometers, entirely without traditional internet connections, cellular networks, or satellites.

In addition to long-range transceivers, the system uses microcontrollers like the Arduino UNO to form a mesh network—a decentralized web in which multiple nodes are connected to one another without relying on centralized access points.

Through the Darkwire graphical user interface (GUI), users can generate a signed raw Bitcoin transaction in hexadecimal format. This hex data is then sent from the user’s computer to a nearby Darkwire node.

“The Darkwire node takes this transaction data, fragments it into smaller packets if necessary, and transmits it wirelessly using LoRa.”

Under ideal conditions, these nodes can operate within a 10km range with direct line of sight. However, in densely populated or obstructed environments, the range may drop to around 5km.

Hopes To Bring It Past Its Nascent Stage

Darkwire currently remains just another project in the Bitcion 2025 Official Hackathon, but cyber aims to continue working on the project with hopes of refining it into a mature open-source platform and "the gold standard" in LoRa-based comms.

Cyber also calls for open-source contributors who would like to collaborate with him to work on the project.

Additionally, Cyber notes that the project has yet to implement several darkwire features, such as the UTXO retrieval for messages, encryption for messages, and also uploading to Nostr (an open-source protocol for transmitting messages).

There are also many limitations that would require time to resolve, including the sensitivity to terrain obstacles, as well as the need of internet access for exit nodes.

A Tool for Resistance and Resilence

As governments worldwide ramp up digital surveillance and internet shutdowns, darkwire could become a vital tool for activists, journalists, and everyday users seeking to preserve financial sovereignty and free expression.

By making Bitcoin transactions possible without the internet, darkwire stands to empower those most at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.

“I do hope people living in any kind of authoritarian regimes and states do get to use darkwire and put the truth out there,” cyber concluded.