Raspberry Pi Connect allows secure remote access without network knowledge

Have you tried the Raspberry Pi Connect announced by the official Raspberry Pi blog?
It was released as a beta version in May 2024 and has been upgraded several times to add more features, reaching v2.1.0 at the time of writing. The previous VNC is no longer recommended and is replaced by.

To use Raspberry Pi Connect, you need to create a Raspberry Pi ID. You only need to set up an email address, password and device name. It is free.

You can access the Raspberry Pi OS desktop at home not only locally but also via mobile communication such as a smartphone.

The biggest advantage of Raspberry Pi Connect is that screen sharing is a very simple procedure.
It is available for all Raspberry Pi models. It is a great way to connect to your Raspberry Pi at home and control your desktop remotely.

No network knowledge required.

Even within the confines of my home, the means of screen sharing on the Raspberry Pi from my main machine used to be through VNC. I had to find and specify a local IP address to connect.
To access it from outside the house, you had to change your firewall settings or expose a specific port on your router in the first place.

With Raspberry Pi Connect, you don’t need anything.
Once logged in with your Raspberry Pi ID, simply click on the registered Raspberry Pi to connect as a remote control.

Environment required for operation

• Raspberry Pi OS bookworm 64bit or later*.
• Sign in with your Raspberry Pi ID

It helps that I don’t need to know anything about complicated networks.

(*Please note that the default image of PL-R4 and PL-R5M series may differ)

rpi-connect is preinstalled

In the current Raspberry Pi OS, rpi-connect is installed from the beginning. The icon appears in the upper taskbar tray.

First, enable it with the rpi-connect command.

rpi-connect on
✓ Raspberry Pi Connect started

You can then sign in with your Raspberry Pi ID from the icon in the menu bar to access it as a device tied to the ID side.
If you have already created a Raspberry Pi ID, simply configure the Raspberry Pi you wish to operate from the device registration.

Creating a Raspberry Pi ID

(Work on the Raspberry Pi side)

If you are new, create a new Raspberry Pi ID. You can create one from the “create one for free” link on the sign-in screen.
Click on the icon and choose Sign in and your default web browser will open.

To create a new device, enter your email address, password, and the name of the device you wish to register.

What should we call you? can be anything. It is like a label. In this case, it is ComputeModule4, so I used CM4. If you have only one Raspberry Pi, it doesn’t matter.
If you have more than one Raspberry Pi, it would be easier to understand if it has a meaning such as the model name or the installation location.

Once registered, you will be taken to the list screen from “view all devices”. At first, there is only one.

If you look in the device column of your account, you will see that you are registered. From this screen, you can connect by selecting either Screen Sharing or Shell Remote in Connect Via.

If you have already created an ID, simply specify your email address and password from the Sign In (login) button.

You can also set up 2-step verification. You may want to set this up later, as you can also connect from outside.

Try connecting from a PC/Mac in the home

(Work on the side you want to operate)

Leave the Raspberry Pi side as it is and connect it from a machine (PC/Mac) in the home.

In this test environment, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (Industrial Raspberry Pi PL-R4) is located next to the main machine (Mac) and is on a LAN within the home. With Raspberry Pi Connect, screen sharing (remote control) can be done by simply selecting the device name without having to look up the IP address or anything else.

Simply go to the Raspberry Pi Connect page from the web browser of the PC/Mac you wish to operate, log in the same way, and click on the desired device to connect.

Raspberry Pi Connect: https://connect.raspberrypi.com/

Select Screen Sharing for the CM4 and the named device you wish to operate.

Just wait a few seconds to connect.
The desktop of the device you just registered is now displayed in the Mac web browser.

Various buttons are located around the screen. To end the connection, press the Disconnect button in the upper left corner.
Mouse movement is also relatively smooth.

Icons show status

You will notice that the icon in the upper task tray will change.

From left to right, it means signed out, signed in, and connected.

Connecting on the go (smartphone)

Now try connecting to the Raspberry Pi at home from outside the house.

Raspberry Pi Connect uses the same real-time communication technology that makes Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc. available in your browser.

The small screen doesn’t change much, but it does put the phone in landscape view.

When turned sideways, special key buttons appeared at the bottom and buttons for operating terminal and copy and paste at the top.

It does not seem to interfere with checking rather than operating anything. Operation is difficult with a smartphone.

This makes it easy to connect on the go without having to open a port on the router.
The same is true for operating and checking the Raspberry Pi at home from the office.

time lag

When the window was dragged with a finger despite the small screen, it seemed to follow with a delay of about 1.5 seconds compared to local, although this was not measured. This is due to communication speed issues and the resolution of the display screen, so it is difficult to make a general statement.

We have not yet found an option to drop the number of colors used.
This area may be added in another upgrade.

If the number of colors could at least be reduced, the operation would seem a bit faster.

Email us

A notification will be sent to the email address you have set up with your Raspberry Pi ID, including the fact that you have successfully logged in.

Even if you are not good at networking, you can still connect.

If you register the device in advance, you can access it without having to open a port on your router, which is very helpful for Linux and Raspberry Pi beginners. Even if you are not only a beginner, it is also helpful that you don’t have to do complicated settings.

Security is scary, so you may want to set your account to two-step verification from your account settings.

If the Raspberry Pi you want to operate is registered as a device and connected to the Internet, you can basically connect without any problems.

It is a system that would be useful even if both were in the home, not necessarily when you are out and about. Above all, it’s easy, because you don’t need to know the IP address at all to get connected.

The same access was available on an industrial Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4.
We encourage you to try accessing the site from an external device such as a smartphone to experience its ease of use.

Raspberry Pi Connect for Organizations

It provides a mechanism for one-to-one as well as one-to-many operation. Raspberry Pi Connect for Organizations.
It is a paid plan with unlimited users for $0.5/month per device and a one-month trial.

If it is for industrial use, it is necessary for multiple people to have access to it.

Please refer to the official page and documentation for more information. (See https://connect.raspberrypi.com/organisations/new )