Three Simple Ways To Get Online With A Raspberry Pi Zero IoT Device

As you know from the guides that I put out, I’m a Raspberry Pi collector. I collect the full size units as well as the Pi Zero units. In a previous post I explained how to emulate ethernet over a USB as a way to connect to a Pi Zero that is not using WiFi or ethernet. However, what happens when you decide you’re at a point where you’d like to bring your Pi Zero online?

I’m going to show you three quick, easy, and cheap ways to get WiFi internet on your Raspberry Pi Zero IoT device, none of which will require any soldering or advanced hardware knowledge.

Connect To Multiple Wireless Networks With A Raspberry Pi

So I recently picked up some more Raspberry Pi 3 units. You’re probably thinking I’m building my own T1000 (Terminator reference) with these things. No, actually I got these units for work to play around with some IoT projects around the office at Couchbase. I have a few offices that I visit at Couchbase which brought up my need to have multiple possible wireless networks to connect to as I travel. These are headless units so I’m not connecting to them with a mouse and keyboard.

Now one would imagine that I can just add a bunch of networks to a configuration file in Linux, but that wasn’t the case. There are special configurations that must be done to allow the Raspberry Pi to automatically connect to different wireless networks as they become available.

We’re going to see how to add multiple WiFi network SSIDs to a Raspberry Pi operating with Raspbian so it can automatically connect as they become in range.

TPDP Episode #7: Developing For The Internet Of Things (IoT) And Where To Start

When it comes to software development there are many different items to develop for. I’ve spent most of my developer life creating applications for the web, desktop, and mobile, but when it comes to possibilities it doesn’t end there. In recent years the Internet of Things (IoT) has been taking over. In this episode of The Polyglot Developer Podcast, guest speaker Jen Looper and I discuss the Internet of Things and what you need to get started as a developer.

Jen Looper is a developer advocate at Progress Software, but is also a huge advocate for IoT. In Episode #7: Developing for The Internet of Things (IoT) and Where to Start, we’re going to discuss quite a bit, covering everything from a background on IoT to possible development technologies for various hardware.

Auto Attaching USB Storage To A Raspberry Pi Running Linux

I’ve written a few articles about how I’m using my many Raspberry Pi units. Recently I wrote about using a Raspberry Pi as an automatic network backup server, but I didn’t talk about expanding the storage beyond the micro or standard sized SD card. What if you want to utilize a much larger USB hard drive or thumb drive? By default Linux won’t mount the drive, and heck, it may not even be in the correct format.

We’re going to see how to format a USB drive, mount it on a Raspberry Pi, and then auto mount it every time the Raspberry Pi reboots.

Connect to a Raspberry Pi Zero with a USB Cable and SSH

As some of you may know, I have a hoarding problem. I am hoarding Raspberry Pi microcomputers. In my personal collection I have one from each generation, making four standard units. Well, I recently picked up another unit, but this time a Raspberry Pi Zero. These things are about the size of a nine volt battery, but pack some serious punch. The problem is they are incredibly rare because they retail for only $5.00.

Unlike the standard Raspberry Pi units, these do not have WiFi, ethernet, or standard sized USB ports. This changes things when it comes to connecting. We’re going to take a look at getting set up with one of these Pi Zero IoT devices and be on your way towards some cool hack projects.

Clone A Raspberry Pi SD Card For Quick Storage Upgrades

I recently found myself needing to switch micro SD cards in my Raspberry Pi 3, not necessarily because it needed a storage upgrade, but more because I had a different device that needed the exact memory card that the Raspberry Pi was using. The problem was that I had already done a lot of work on the Raspberry Pi that I didn’t necessarily want to have to do again. This made me wonder. Could I just clone the micro SD card and be good to go? The answer was yes, and it really wasn’t difficult to do.

We’re going to take a look at how to clone or copy a Raspberry Pi memory card to a new one with potentially more space than the previous.

Create A Raspberry Pi Automatic Network Backup Server

I have a few Raspberry Pi units that I’ve picked up over the years. As of now I have a RPi 256MB, RPi 512MB and a RPi2 1024MB unit. I’m currently using the faster model as a RetroPie which I’ll discuss in a future article, but for the older models I have them doing server stuff. For example, I have my 256MB model acting as a network backup server that one of my computers automatically uploads to.

Here we’re going to look at what it takes to get an automated backup server rolling with a Raspberry Pi and how exactly it can be useful to you.