RASPBERRY PI GUIDE I have gotten increasingly into small tech over the years, and in March 2026 I finally took the plunge into the world of the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a Single-Board Computer (SBC) released in 2012 by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. As of writing it is the best-selling British computer, surpassing the ZX Spectrum only three years after its launch. The Pi was originally designed to teach computer science, but has since become a metaphorical zen garden for all manner of tech projects. As it is compact in size and consumes little energy, this makes it an ideal choice for 24/7 operations such as webservers and chatrooms. Its operating system, the Raspberry Pi OS, is a Linux-based OS. As a result, Pi-work is designed with tech enthusiasts in mind and is not a tool for casual users. To use a Pi, you have to be comfortable using a terminal and with the prospect of learning some degree of Linux. This page serves as my personal guide for current and future Pi-rojects, as well as for any of you who want to join me. CONTENTS Part 1: Getting a Pi Part 2: Setting the Scene Part 3: Establishing your Pi Part 4: Safely Turning Off your Pi PART 1: GETTING A PI Given the low-power nature of my services, I made the more conservative choice of the Pi 4B. I purchased this from The Pi Hut, which is the most popular UK vendor for Raspberry Pis. The delivery on Pi Hut is honestly one of the fastest I have ever had from an e-vendor, even if I had to click for Royal Mail rather than have the poor thing chucked about by Evri (formerly Hermes). What Arrived in the Post Raspberry Pi 4 Model B I purchased the 2GB option, but you can buy Pis available with up to 8GB of RAM. Official 32GB SD card (pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS) This one was pre-loaded with the Pi OS, thus saving me from having to flash it to the card manually. The latter process is not covered in this guide. Official Raspberry Pi power supply (white UK plug) Always use the official Raspberry Pi power supplies. Using anything else can underpower your Pi. A black USB cable This cable came as a bonus, but was ultimately left unused during my setup. It is still good to keep around as a spare. Official black/grey case, complete with an embossed Pi logo This protects the Pi's circuit board from dust, static, and physical damage. You can probably put a few little stickers on it. What Did Not Arrive White micro-HDMI to HDMI cable Because I did not realise my black USB cable was not a micro HDMI one. This is for establishing a display on your spare desktop monitor, which you will need for navigating the Pi setup. PART 2: SETTING THE SCENE Starting a Pi cannot be done from your main device. You need extra hardware, as you are temporarily making a miniature desktop setup. If you are low on supplies, you can unplug things from your main setup. Expect the main setup to fall asleep if it has been left on. Putting a mouse or keyboard back in will not automatically wake it up. Step 1: The Scene Spare monitor An Acer was used for this initial setup. Spare keyboard A spare Dell keyboard from a late Christmas gift worked nicely here. Spare mouse A Razer mouse was used, as there were no spare mice on hand. Step 2: Checklist Before proceeding, make sure you have all of the following: Your Pi's micro SD card (pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS) Your Pi's microHDMI cable Your Pi's power supply Your Pi's protective case Your Raspberry Pi A spare keyboard A spare monitor A spare mouse Once you have all of these, you are ready to assemble your Pi. PART 3: ESTABLISHING YOUR PI Be sure to keep a clean workspace and a non-metal platform for your Pi to sit on. Step 1: Inserting the SD Card 1. Slot the Pi into the bottom half of its case. Press on the flat circuit board parts of the Pi until it makes a nice snapping sound. Do not be shy, it can handle this even if it looks like it cannot. 2. The SD card slot is located on the underside of the Pi board, on the other side of the USB ports. With your Pi in one hand and your Micro SD in the other, slot it gently into the Pi. The gold contacts have to face up towards you and the board it is entering, while the label side faces underneath. If the card keeps entering at an angle, you are likely trying to insert the wrong side. 3. Push gently until it clicks. It should not be at an angle or stick out past the edge of the bottom case. 4. Slot the top case onto the Pi. You have now loaded your Raspberry Pi. The SD card is crucial to doing anything with the Pi and it must always be handled carefully. Step 2: Connecting Cables and Power 1. Spare keyboard into any USB port on the Pi. 2. Mouse into any USB port on the Pi. 3. White HDMI cable: The small micro-HDMI end goes into the Pi. Use the port closest to the power port. The normal HDMI end goes into the spare monitor. 4. Make sure the spare monitor is plugged in and turned on. 5. Plug the power supply into the Pi's USB-C port last. When you plug in the power, the Pi will turn on and your spare monitor should start doing things. Step 3: Navigating the Wizard 1. Let the Pi boot up. It should start with a black screen, then a rainbow gradient, and finally the Raspberry Pi welcome screen. This is light-mode only so do not do this in the dark. 2. You are now in the Raspberry Pi Setup Wizard. Like other Setup Wizards, this will walk you through the installation and help you create an account for your Pi. This account is how you log into the Pi when you want to do things on it. 3. Set your language, region and timezone. 4. User Account: the username must be lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens only. Make sure it is easy enough to type comfortably, as you will have to enter this every time you want to access the Pi. As with any other account setup, write everything down somewhere so you do not lose anything. Nothing appears on screen when typing your password. This is normal. 5. Network: connect to WiFi, or skip if you are using ethernet. 6. Reboot: accept any reboot requests. Step 4: Enabling SSH Access Secure Shell Protocol lets you control the Pi from your main computer without needing the extra desktop setup. This is known as a headless setup, and is common practice amongst Pi users. It is a completely legitimate means of updating files, servers and more. 1. Click the terminal icon, the black monitor icon in the top toolbar. 2. Type: sudo raspi-config Press Enter to select it. 3. It will ask for the password you set up in the wizard. This logs you into your Pi account, and you will have to do this every time you want to remotely access your Pi. If you cannot see it while typing, this is normal and common in terminals. 4. A blue menu should appear. Use your keyboard's arrow keys to go to 3 Interface Options and press Enter to select it. 5. Navigate to the option for SSH and select it. It will ask you "Would you like the SSH server to be enabled?", to which you select Yes. 6. Press Tab to highlight Finish and one last Enter to select. 7. To check your SSH is working, type: sudo systemctl status ssh You should see "active (running)" in the output. 8. Press Q to exit the menu entirely. Your SSH is now established. Step 5: Getting Your Pi's IP Address You are almost done with the setup, but if you stop here you will not be able to access your Pi remotely. The last thing you need is your Pi's IP address, which you enter every time you want to access it. 1. In the terminal, type: hostname -I 2. Write down the number it shows. This is your Pi's IP address, and tends to differ slightly from your main computer's. 3. You now have your Pi's IP address. IP addresses can sometimes change for a variety of reasons. If you cannot SSH into your Pi, you will need to repeat this process. PART 4: SAFELY TURNING OFF YOUR PI Now that you have established your brand new Pi and written down its information, you are free to stop from here. However, you have probably noticed that your Pi lacks the conventional means of shut-down. Instead, it goes as follows. Step 1: Proper Shutdown Procedure 1. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, pull the power cable or turn it off at the switch. This can corrupt the SD card and render it unusable. 2. Every time you want to shut down your Pi, enter this command in the terminal: sudo shutdown now 3. Press Enter to execute the shutdown command. You should see a series of text in the terminal announcing the shutdown. Step 2: Knowing When It Is Safe to Switch Off Like other computers, the Pi does not shut down instantly. Here is how you can tell when it is safe to turn it off at the wall or remove the plug. 1. Your monitor screen turns off completely. The Acer I used showed a "No Signal" message. 2. The LED is no longer green, leaving a red light behind. This means the Pi is powered but not fully on. Conclusion Congratulations, you have just set up a Raspberry Pi. Pat yourself on the back, give your Pi a pat on its back, and revel in the freedom of self-hosted tech. You can stop reading if this is all you needed. Alternatively, you can find other guides on what to do with your brand new Pi friend.