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Download & Setup

Download & Setup

Download & Setup

📦 Already got the official PiFi Kit? - See the PiFi Kit Quick Start Guide instead
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Before you get going: You’ll need a smartphone, a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, a micro SD card, an ethernet cable, a sufficient power supply (see Raspberry Pi docs) and a PC/laptop (Mac, Windows or Linux) with an SD card reader/dongle in order to flash the SD card.

1. Download the PiFi App

To start download the PiFi app. Visit pifi.org/app on your phone or if you’re already on your phone, tap the links below:

2. Download Raspberry Pi Imager or Balena etcher

On your computer (Mac, Windows or Linux) we need software to flash PiFi firmware onto your SD card:

3. Grab the latest PiFi Firmware Image

Download the latest firmware image for your Raspberry Pi 4 or 5:

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Tip: Only flash firmware images from trusted sources, we recommend using pifi.org/downloads for official builds

4. Flash your Micro SD Card

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  • On your computer, open Balena Etcher or Raspberry Imager you installed in step two
  • Connect your micro-SD card to your computer (via SD card reader/adapter)

Flashing via Raspberry Pi imager

  • Select your Pi device,
  • Under Operating System choose Use custom then select the firmware image you downloaded in step three
  • Under Storage select the D card you’ve inserted into your computer
  • Tap Next, tap No to ‘apply OS customisation settings’, tap Yes to erasing existing data
  • You’re all set!

Flashing via Balena etcher

  • Tap Flash from file and select the firmware image you downloaded in step 2
  • Tap Select target and choose your SD card
  • Then tap Flash ⚡️
  • You’re all set!

5. Insert SD Card & Cables

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  • Ensure your Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 is powered off to start
  • Insert the micro-SD card into the Raspberry Pi
  • Insert an ethernet cable into the Raspberry Pi and connect the other end of the cable a LAN port in your internet router
  • Insert your power supply into the Raspberry Pi and power it on
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Important: 🚥 On PiFi - a red/orange LED on Raspberry Pi means VPN is off, and after booting a green LED suggests VPN is enabled. This differs from the usual LED pattern, particularly on Raspberry Pi 5 which suggests it’s in “shutdown state”. So red/orange LED is nothing to worry about

6. Connect to PiFi in WiFi Settings

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  • Allow up to up to 3 minutes for PiFi to install on your Raspberry Pi (the Pi may turn on or Pi may reboot during install)
  • After three minutes, open WiFi Settings on the same smartphone / device where you installed the PiFi app in step one
  • Allow it a few moments for the networks on your device to refresh
  • You should see PiFi 4 Setup (if using Raspberry Pi 4) or PiFi 5 Setup (if using Raspberry Pi 5)
  • Tap that network to connect to PiFi and enter the default password:
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Default password: Raspberry314
Note: If your PiFi is offline on Android, you may need to accept the ‘Stay connected’ notification to be able to allow your Raspberry Pi to communicate with the PiFi app
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7. Open the PiFi app 🎉

You should now be all set - just tap ‘Get Started’ and follow the on-screen steps. If you need help with using the PiFi in-app features check our the PiFi documentation for help, tips and tutorials.

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Optional: Help & Support

If you run into issues, see our troubleshooting docs and if you can’t find the answer there, ask the PiFi community for help