Securely Access Your Remote Raspberry Pi From Anywhere With This Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to set up a remote connection using PuTTY, a popular tool for connecting to Linux systems, and securely access your Raspberry Pi from anywhere. …


Updated September 28, 2023

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Learn how to set up a remote connection using PuTTY, a popular tool for connecting to Linux systems, and securely access your Raspberry Pi from anywhere.

SSH (Secure Shell) is a powerful tool that allows you to remotely access and control another computer or device securely over the internet. By using SSH, you can manage your Raspberry Pi from any location with an internet connection, without needing a monitor, keyboard, or mouse attached to it. In this article, we will show you how to set up an SSH connection on Windows 10 using PuTTY, a popular SSH client for Windows.

Step 1: Enable SSH on Your Raspberry Pi

To begin, make sure that the SSH server is enabled on your Raspberry Pi. By default, SSH is disabled on Raspbian (the operating system used by most Raspberry Pis). To enable it, follow these steps:

  1. Open a terminal window by clicking on “Menu” -> “Accessories” -> “Terminal” in the Raspberry Pi desktop.
  2. Type sudo raspi-config and press Enter to open the Raspberry Pi configuration tool.
  3. Navigate to “Interfacing Options” using the arrow keys, then select “SSH” and press Enter.
  4. Choose “Yes” when prompted to enable SSH, then select “OK” and “Finish” to save your changes.
  5. Reboot your Raspberry Pi by typing sudo reboot and pressing Enter.

Step 2: Find Your Raspberry Pi’s IP Address

Before connecting via SSH, you need to know the IP address of your Raspberry Pi. You can find this by running the following command in a terminal window on your Raspberry Pi:

hostname -I | cut -d" " -f1

This will display your Raspberry Pi’s local IP address, which should be something like 192.168.x.x. Make note of this IP address for later use.

Step 3: Install PuTTY on Your Windows Computer

Download and install PuTTY from the official website: https://www.putty.org/

Once installed, open PuTTY by clicking on its icon or searching for it in your Start menu.

Step 4: Connect to Your Raspberry Pi with SSH

In PuTTY, enter your Raspberry Pi’s IP address into the “Host Name (or IP Address)” field and click “Open”.

PuTTY Configuration

You will be prompted to select or create a profile for your connection. You can leave this blank if you don’t need to save the settings for future use.

You may see a warning about the server’s host key not being cached in the registry. This is normal, and you can proceed by clicking “Yes”.

Now, enter your Raspberry Pi’s username (usually pi) and password when prompted. You should now be connected to your Raspberry Pi via SSH!

PuTTY Connection Successful

From here, you can run commands on your Raspberry Pi remotely, just as if you were sitting in front of it. For example, to check the system status, type sudo systemctl status and press Enter.

Remember that SSH connections are secure by default, so your data is encrypted during transmission. However, it’s still a good idea to keep your Raspberry Pi and other devices up-to-date with the latest security updates. Additionally, consider using a strong password or public key authentication for added security.

That’s it! You can now access your Raspberry Pi from anywhere with an internet connection using PuTTY and SSH. Happy remote hacking!