Connecting the pi-top to a Wi-Fi Network

How do I connect my pi-top to Wi-Fi network?

During first-boot onboarding, you should configure your pi-top to connect to a Wi-Fi network. If needed you can revisit the Wi-Fi configuration page later through the Web Portal (instructions below).

Wi-Fi Connection

In the Wi-Fi settings page (when presented during device setup, or in the web portal) you can select a network from the dropdown and then enter a password. For networks with advanced security settings see the 'Advanced Wi-Fi Configuration' section below.

Once connected, you can use the Miniscreen to find the pi-top's IP address and verify the network SSID the pi-top is connected to. Navigate to the 'Network' menu and scroll to the 'Wi-Fi' entry. You should see the network signal strength at the top, the network name at the middle and the pi-top's IP address at the bottom.

You can use that IP address to connect to the pi-top. 

Reconfiguring Wi-Fi through the Web Portal

The pi-top 'Web Portal' is a web page, served from the pi-top, which allows access to configuration of the device. You can use it to reconfigure Wi-Fi after the onboarding.

To access the Web Portal, you must have a computer with a network connection to the pi-top, for example via the pi-top's built-in Wi-Fi Hotspot. You can then enter the pi-top's IP address into your browser address bar, which should open a web page like the following:

Select "Wi-Fi Settings" from the menu and then click "Let's Go". 

Advanced Wi-Fi Configuration

If your Wi-Fi network requires advanced security settings other than a simple SSID and password, you will need to use the advanced options. You can access these through the 'Advanced Configuration' button, which will open a interface in a popup window.

pi-tops can be connected to advanced networks such as WPA2 Enterprise networks and below we give some example configurations. If your specific case is not covered here and you require further assistance please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

WPA2 Enterprise

There are a variety of ways that organizations can choose to implement WPA2 enterprise authentication including:

• PEAP
• TTLS
• TLS

You will need information about your WPA Enterprise network setup to complete the required configuration.

In the 'Advanced Configuration' interface, first click '+' to add a new network, select the 'Wi-Fi' type, 'Create' and then configure your settings as needed.

When you have entered all the configuration for your particular network, click “Save”.

Now you can close the 'Advanced Wi-Fi Configuration'. 'Skip' the Wi-Fi page and continue with the onboarding. Your pi-top should automatically connect to the configured network after the restart on the final page.