Setting up remote access on your Raspberry Pi has just got even easier.
Raspberry Pi Connect, the free browser-based remote desktop software released for the single-board microcomputer in May 2024, was a welcome release, if limited by requiring a Pi 400, Pi 4, or Pi 5 as a result of requiring the 64-bit version of Raspberry Pi OS.
However the latest update to the service (via Tom’s Hardware) brings support for 32-bit variants of RPi OS, as well as true SSH support, meaning that even the headless RPi OS Lite can use the service as a straightforward way of setting up remote access without installing third-party software.
Raspberry Pi Connect’s latest beta
As Tom’s notes, this is a timely and welcome change, given that the next best third-party option, RealVNC, scrapped its free home option earlier this month.
There are still some caveats with RPi Connect as it stands. It’s still a beta release, so you’d be wise to expect some hiccups. It also still requires a command-line package install rather than being bundled with the OS. And, perhaps the biggest deal-breaker, because you still need RPi OS, you’re unable to install any of the other contenders for best RPi distribution out there.
Our biggest disappointment with the service remains intact, too. As we noted in our piece on RPi Connect’s original beta release, it requires the creation of a Raspberry PI ID. Something about this seems antithetical to the DIY-computing ethos that the Raspberry Pi Foundation seems to want to go for.
If you’re as pedantic as we are, SSH without any of the RPi Connect baggage has been (and likely always will be) available in Raspberry Pi OS’s preferences, and the settings of most other distributions worth their salt.
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