Connect your Raspberry Pi to WiFi for Internet Access and Remote Access

Learn how to connect a Raspberry Pi to a WiFi network and enable remote access so you can control it from anywhere. …

Updated October 28, 2023

Learn how to connect a Raspberry Pi to a WiFi network and enable remote access so you can control it from anywhere.

Introduction

WiFi is an essential component of modern life, and connecting your Raspberry Pi to a WiFi network allows for a multitude of possibilities such as remote access, internet connectivity, and more. In this guide, we will walk through the process of setting up a Raspberry Pi with WiFi connectivity and enabling remote access so you can control it from anywhere.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

A Raspberry Pi device (any model)
A MicroSD card with Raspbian or another compatible OS installed
A WiFi router and network credentials
An Ethernet cable (for initial setup)
Access to a computer or laptop for configuration

Setting up Wifi on the Raspberry Pi

First, we need to enable SSH (Secure Shell) which allows us to remotely connect to and control our Raspberry Pi from any device with an internet connection. To do this, create a file named ssh in the boot partition of your MicroSD card. This will enable SSH on startup.
Insert the MicroSD card into your Raspberry Pi and power it up using an Ethernet cable to connect it to your router.
Connect to your router’s admin interface by going to a web browser and typing in its IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1). Login with your username and password.
Note down the IP address assigned to your Raspberry Pi device by the router. This can usually be found under “DHCP Clients” or “Connected Devices”.
Open a terminal on your computer or laptop and use the ping command to check if you can reach the Raspberry Pi:

$ ping <raspberry_pi_ip>

Once you have confirmed that you can connect to the Raspberry Pi, SSH into it using the following command:

$ ssh pi@<raspberry_pi_ip>

When prompted, enter the default password raspberry. You will now be logged in to your Raspberry Pi remotely.
Next, we need to edit the WiFi configuration file. Run the following command:

$ sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

Add the following lines at the end of the file (replace <your_ssid> and <your_password> with your WiFi network credentials):

network={
    ssid="<your_ssid>"
    psk="<your_password>"
}

Save and exit the file by pressing Ctrl+X, then Y, and finally hitting Enter.
Restart the WiFi service to apply the changes:

$ sudo systemctl restart wpa_supplicant

Disconnect the Ethernet cable from your Raspberry Pi, and it will now connect to your WiFi network using the credentials you provided. You can verify this by running:

$ iwconfig

You should see your WiFi adapter with an IP address assigned to it. 13. To enable remote access over SSH even after rebooting, edit the sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf file and add the following line at the end:

hostname

This will ensure that your Raspberry Pi always gets the same IP address from your router. Save and exit the file as before. 14. Reboot your Raspberry Pi by running:

$ sudo reboot

Connecting to Your Raspberry Pi Remotely

Now that you have connected your Raspberry Pi to WiFi, you can access it remotely from any device with an internet connection. Simply use the ssh command with your Raspberry Pi’s IP address:

$ ssh pi@<raspberry_pi_ip>

If you enabled a static IP address in the previous step, you can also connect using your router’s hostname or the .local domain:

$ ssh pi@raspberrypi.local

You are now connected to your Raspberry Pi remotely and can start setting up projects, running scripts, or accessing the command line interface.

Conclusion