Raspberry Pi Connect is now available for every Pi board out there
Setting up remote access on your Raspberry Pi just got easier.
Raspberry Pi Connectthe free browser-based remote desktop software released for the single-board microcomputer in May 2024, was a welcome release, albeit limited by requiring a Pi400Pi 4 or Pi 5 because the 64-bit version of Raspberry Pi OS is required.
However, the latest update to the service (via Tom’s Hardware) offers support for 32-bit variants of RPi OS, as well as true SSH support, meaning even the headless RPi OS Lite can use the service as an easy way to set up remote access without installing third-party software.
The latest beta of Raspberry Pi Connect
If Toms notes that this is a timely and welcome change, as the next best third-party option, RealVNC, dropped its free at-home option earlier this month.
There are still some caveats with RPi Connect as it stands now. It’s still a beta version, so it’s wise to expect some hiccups. It also still requires a command-line package installation rather than being bundled with the operating system. And perhaps the biggest dealbreaker: because you still need RPi OS, you can’t install any of the other contenders best RPi distribution outside.
Our biggest disappointment with the service also remains intact. As we noted in our piece on the original beta version of RPi Connect , it requires the creation of a Raspberry PI ID. Something about this seems to run counter to the DIY computing ethos that the Raspberry Pi Foundation seems to want to push.
If you’re as pedantic as we are, SSH without the baggage of RPi Connect has always been available (and probably always will be) in the Raspberry Pi OS preferences. The settings of most other distributions are also worthwhile.