Raspberry Pi Setup Guide

To install the Viam RDK, you need a Raspberry Pi running a 64-bit Linux distribution.

If you already have a 64-bit Linux distribution installed on your Pi, skip ahead to enable the required communication protocols for your hardware.

Click to check whether the Linux installation on your Raspberry Pi is 64-bit

If you already have a 64-bit Linux distribution installed on your Pi, you can skip ahead to installing viam-server. To check whether the Linux installation on your Raspberry Pi is 64-bit (required for running viam-server), ssh into your Pi and then run lscpu.

Example output:

If the value of “Architecture: ‘xxxxxx’” ends in “64”, you can skip ahead to installing viam-server.

Hardware requirements

• A Raspberry Pi single board computer
• A microSD card
• An internet-connected computer
• A way to connect the microSD card to the computer (microSD slot or microSD reader)

Install Raspberry Pi OS

To install Raspberry Pi OS (formerly called Raspbian) on a microSD card from which the Pi boots, connect the microSD card to your computer.

1. Download the Raspberry Pi Imager and launch it.

   

2. Select CHOOSE OS. Click on Raspberry Pi OS (other). Select Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) from the menu. You should be brought back to the initial launch screen.

3. To make your Raspberry Pi easier to access in the next step, configure your Raspberry Pi’s hostname, ssh credentials, and wifi. Click the gear-shaped settings icon in the lower right to bring up the Advanced options menu.

   

   Important

   If you are using a non-Raspberry Pi OS, altering the Advanced options will cause the initial boot to fail.

   

   Check Set hostname and enter the name you would like to access the Pi by in that field.

   There are two ways you can secure your Raspberry Pi: with an SSH key or with password authentication.

   To use the SSH key method: check Enable SSH. Using SSH Keys for authentication is a great way of securing your Raspberry Pi as only someone with the private SSH key will be able to authenticate to your system. If you select Allow public-key authentication only, and the section set authorized_ keys for 'pi' is pre-populated, that means you do have an existing public SSH key that is ready to use. In that case, you do not have to change this section.

   If this section is empty, you can either generate a new SSH key using these instructions, or you can use password authentication instead.

   

   If you decide to use the password authentication method: click on Use password authentication. If you scroll down, you have the option to change the username, then to set a password:

   

   Tip

   Be sure that you remember the hostname, username, and password you use, as you will need this when you SSH into your Pi.

   Caution

   The default username and password on Raspberry Pis are

   • username: pi
   • password: raspberry

   However, it’s bad practice to keep the default username and password on a Raspberry Pi since doing so makes it easy for hackers to get access to your Pi. In the past, malware infected thousands of Raspberry Pi devices that were using the default username and password.

   Lastly, you should connect your Pi to Wi-Fi, so that you can run viam-server wirelessly. Check Configure wireless LAN and enter your wireless network credentials. SSID (short for Service Set Identifier) is your Wi-Fi network name, and password is the network password. Change the section Wireless LAN country to where your router is currently being operated and then hit save:

   

   This should return you to the initial screen.

4. Now you need to pick your storage medium, so click CHOOSE STORAGE:

   

   You may have many devices listed, select the microSD card you intend to use in your Raspberry Pi. If this page is blank and you do not have any listed, make sure your microSD card is connected to your computer correctly:

   

5. After clicking save, double check your OS and Storage settings and then click WRITE:

   

   You will be prompted to confirm erasing your microSD card: select YES. You may also be prompted by your operating system to enter an Administrator password:

   

   After granting permissions to the Imager, it will begin writing and then verifying the Linux installation to the MicroSD card:

   

   Remove the microSD card from your computer when it is complete:

   

6. Place the SD card into your Raspberry Pi and boot the Pi by plugging it in to an outlet. A red LED will turn on to indicate that the Pi is connected to power.

Connect with SSH

Once your Raspberry Pi is plugged in and turned on, wait a minute to let your Pi boot up.

Launch your terminal on your computer and run this command:

ssh <USERNAME>@<HOSTNAME>.local

If you are prompted “Are you sure you want to continue connecting?”, type “yes” and hit enter. Then, enter your password. You should be greeted by a login message and a command prompt.

Next, it’s good practice to update your Raspberry Pi to ensure all the latest packages are installed:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Enable Communication Protocols

If you are using hardware that requires I2C, SPI, serial, or one-wire protocols to communicate with your Pi, you will need to enable them using raspi-config.

Launch the config tool by running the following command:

sudo raspi-config

Use your keyboard to select “Interface Options” and enable the relevant protocols.

For these changes to take effect, you need to restart your Raspberry Pi if it hasn’t already prompted you to do so.

sudo reboot

Next Steps

Now that your Pi has a Viam-compatible operating system installed, you’re ready to install viam-server.

Troubleshooting

Write error when imaging Raspberry Pi OS

If you experience the error Verifying write failed. Contents of SD card is different from what was written to it when imaging your Raspberry Pi with the Imager in step 5, there might be an issue with your micro SD card reader.

Try a different micro SD card reader, or use a different USB port on your computer.

If you are connecting your SD card reader to your computer through a USB hub, try connecting directly it to your computer instead.

Error: can’t read from I2C address

If you see the error error: can't read from I2C address in your logs after installing viam-server, you need to enable I2C support on your Raspberry Pi. You can use the command sudo journalctl --unit=viam-server to read through the viam-server log file. Follow the instructions to enable communication protocols on your Pi to resolve this error.

Add additional WiFi credentials

If you move your robot to a different WiFi network, you will have to update the WiFi credentials.

You can update the WiFi configuration by creating a new wpa_supplicant.conf file on the “boot” partition.

The steps are explained below.

1. Plug your Pi’s microSD card into your computer and create a plain text file called wpa_supplicant.conf.

2. Paste the following example into the file, replacing “Name of your wireless LAN” and “Password for your wireless LAN” with your credentials. Be sure to use UNIX (LF) line breaks in your text editor.

3. Save the file and eject the microSD card.

4. Put the microSD card back into the Pi and boot the Pi.

The wpa_supplicant.conf file will be read by the Pi on boot, and the file will disappear but the WiFi credentials will be updated.

You can duplicate the “network” section to add additional WiFi networks (for example your work, and your home).

The “priority” attribute is optional and can be used to prioritize networks if multiple networks are configured (higher numbers are prioritized).

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
country=us

network={
 ssid="Name of your wireless LAN"
 psk="Password for your wireless LAN"
 priority=10
}

network={
ssid="Name of your other wireless LAN"
psk="Password for your other wireless LAN"
priority=20
}

Additional troubleshooting

You can find additional assistance in the Troubleshooting section.