Setting up remote access on your Raspberry Pi is now even easier.
Raspberry Pi Connectionthe free browser-based remote desktop software released for the single board microcomputer in May 2024, it was a welcome release, although limited by requiring a PI 400Pi 4 or Pi 5 as a result of requiring the 64-bit version of the Raspberry Pi operating system.
However the last update to the service (via Tom Hardware) provides support for 32-bit variants of RPi OS, as well as true SSH support, meaning that even RPi OS Lite without a graphical interface can use the service as an easy way to set up remote access without installing third-party software.
The latest beta version of Raspberry Pi Connect
As tom As he points out, this is a timely and welcome change, given that the next best third-party option, RealVNC, removed its free starter option earlier this month.
There are still some caveats with RPi Connect as is. It's still a beta version, so it would be wise to expect some hiccups. It also requires the installation of a command-line package rather than being included with the operating system. And, perhaps the biggest deal breaker is that, because you still need RPi OS, you can't install any of the other contenders for best RPi distribution out there.
Our biggest disappointment with the service remains intact. As we noted in our article on the original beta version of RPi Connect, it requires the creation of a Raspberry PI ID. There's something about this that seems antithetical to the spirit of DIY computing that the Raspberry Pi Foundation seems to want to embrace.
If you're as pedantic as we are, SSH without the RPi Connect baggage has been (and probably always will be) available in the Raspberry Pi OS preferences and settings of most other distros worth their salt.
