Getting Started

This is a quick guide on installing UniFiPi; which can be downloaded from the downloads page.

Step 1 – Download and Extract

When you Unzip you should see a .img file, this is the file used image the SD card

    Step 2 – Burn Image to SD Card

    • Download Etcher
    • Open and select both the SD card and the .img file then click “Flash!”

    Step 3 – Boot Up Raspberry Pi

    • Put SD card into Raspberry Pi
    • Plug in all required cables
    • Wait up to 5 minutes for Raspberry Pi to Boot

    Step 4 – Browse to Web Interface and Configure Controller

    Where to go from here?

     

    23 Comments

    Erik · June 7, 2018 at 8:36 am

    Hi,
    Thanks for what looks like a very promising product! I have the latest version and it asks me for username and password during the boot up. Is this correct? On that case what is the username and password?
    Thanks

    Reply

      Kowen · June 7, 2018 at 1:09 pm

      Hey Erik,

      You’ll need to provide more details about your issue. The username and password are provided on the getting started page (user: pi password: raspberry). I’m guessing you have a screen plugged into the raspberry pi? You only need power and ethernet plugged into the raspberry pi and all other configuration is done from another computer by going to https://unifipi.local

      Thanks,
      Kowen

      Reply

    Jonas Strand · June 15, 2018 at 2:04 am

    Hello!
    Thanks for making a nice image for Unifi, seems promising!
    I have a problem though.
    When i start up the pi, for the first time, i cant log into the Unifi Controller, but i can get into Webmin. I am getting to the part where i have to make an exception for the HTTPS certificate, but after that, it just loads forever. And restarting the pi doesnt help. Any idea why?

    Thanks!
    Jonas Strand

    Reply

      Kowen · June 15, 2018 at 9:00 am

      Hey Jonas,

      That’s interesting, You should check a few things:
      * What version of Pi are you using? (UniFiPi officially supports Pi 2 and 3B, if you are using an older version give it 10 minutes to load or so)
      * Have you tried another, higher current, power supply with your Pi? (Sometimes not having enough power can cause odd issues, even check the cable. I’ve had dud cables before, causing weird issues…)
      * What speed is your SD card? Is it corrupt? Is it old? Have you tried a different one?

      Let me know how you get on!

      Reply

        Jonas Strand · June 15, 2018 at 9:14 am

        Hey, thanks for the quick answer!

        I am using a Pi 3B, so i guess its good.
        The power supply is rated at 2 amps, but i will try switching it with a stronger one.
        The SD card is the one that came with it, 16 gigs and class 10, so i dont think thats the problem, but who knows.
        You will hear back from me when i have tried switching stuff 😀

        Thanks!
        Jonas Strand

        Reply

    Brett Kruger · June 27, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    This is a great little product but 2 questions, how do I change the root and pi account passwords, and when do I go to change to a static IP address?

    Reply

      Kowen · June 29, 2018 at 2:49 pm

      Hey, thanks for the question.
      Go to https://unifipi.local use the username pi and password raspberry to log in. From there to change the passwords you go to system -> change passwords -> Click on the user you want to change the password for and then click change password. To set a static IP addresss, within webmin, click networking -> network configuration -> network interfaces -> Active now Tab -> eth0 -> ipv4 address -> save.

      Thanks,
      Kowen

      Reply

    Frank · July 6, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Hi Kowen,
    nice piece of work!
    I had the same problem as Jonas. The Web-Interface loads forever. I also tried different browsers and platforms (e.g. on Android). Same problem. I was using a Pi B+ V1.2 with a 2.5 Amp power suppl, which worked fine with other images.
    Now I switched to a Raspi 3 Model B V1.2 with the same SD card and power supply. This one works out of the box. Strange!
    What is the console login? Maybe I could take a look at the log files.

    Reply

      Kowen · July 10, 2018 at 11:05 am

      Hey Frank,

      thanks for that. That’s interesting I wonder what’s going on there.
      You’ll need to enable SSH and allow port 22 in webmin, sorry I don’t have a tutorial on that just at this stage.

      Kowen

      Reply

    Clinton Peterson · July 21, 2018 at 3:03 am

    Hey Kowen,

    Just loaded this up and it looks like a fantastic package. I have so many PIs laying around and this was a great use for 1 of them.

    Reply

      Kowen · July 23, 2018 at 11:01 am

      Hey Clinton,

      Glad to help out!

      Kowen

      Reply

    Pieter-Jan Dominicus · August 9, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    Hey Kowen,

    Is the image compatible with PI Model 3B+ or do you have plans to support it?

    Reply

      Kowen · August 9, 2018 at 9:42 pm

      Hi Pieter,

      I’m not sure if this runs on 3B+. I assume it does, but not officially supported because I don’t have one *yet*! 🙂

      Thanks,
      Kowen

      Reply

    Gavin · August 21, 2018 at 10:51 am

    Hi,
    Great product!
    On another note: I think the RPI 3B+ uses different bootloader files than the other earlier models.

    Reply

      Kowen · August 31, 2018 at 10:43 am

      Hey Gavin,

      Thanks for trying it out and commenting, It’s much appreciated!
      I have updated the build scripts to include all the necessary changes for the 3+. 🙂

      Kowen

      Reply

    Sam · September 8, 2018 at 6:24 am

    As many others here in the comments, I would first like to say Thank you for creating this!

    I also had trouble with getting to the web interface and wanted to share my work around.

    Symptoms: Connected Raspberry Pi 3 Model B to network with software installed. Pi is not accessible through either web interface.

    Solution: Connect keyboard and display to Pi. Reboot and log in with admin credentials (pi \ raspberry). Type “ifconfig eth0” to get IP address currently assigned.
    Use https://“ip address” to get to webmin interface
    Use https://“ip address”:8443 to get to Unifi Controller

    Hope this helps at least one person 🙂

    Reply

    nvdh · September 16, 2018 at 4:26 am

    Hi there. This is so awesome.

    Just Got a Pi 3B+; Im not able to get the UI to load.

    Can anyone confirm that the image is compatible with the PI 3B+ ?

    Thx

    Cheers

    Reply

    klunkerbus · October 3, 2018 at 2:53 am

    Very intriguing. Do you have any concern for logging causing wear/longevity issues with the SD-card? Have you considered adding NUT or some other form of UPS interface?

    Reply

      Kowen · October 16, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      Hey Klunkerbus,

      I have run many of these in the past and never had any issues with wear issues. It’s something interesting but not something we’ve actively pursued.
      I’m not sure what you mean by NUT or UPS interface 🙂

      Reply

    1d10t5 · October 16, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Well, I’ve tested this on an original RPi B model, and works fine, but a tad on the slow side of course (single core).

    I then decided to give it a try on a 3B+ last friday, and less than 15 minutes I was able to log into Webmin and setup the Unifi controller side. As these were just tests, I didn’t actually use it to control my Unifi products (USG, Switch 8-150w, UAP-AP-PRO, and an UAP-IW).

    I had a moment today and attempted to start from scratch, this time using my desktop instead of laptop (laptop on wifi on friday worked fine with RPi 3B+ connected to switch).

    I downloaded the image, etcher, and flashed the same micro sd card (SanDisk HC 16GB class 10) I had success with on Friday.

    Only difference this time was a PoE hat on the Rpi 3B+ connected directly to the board. I’ve since attempted without with the same results.

    I can no longer access Webmin nor Unifi SDN from https://unifipi.local or https://unifipi.local:8443 as stated in the directions and worked on Friday.

    Network has not changed over the weekend, not even the slightest settings, none. I can access it from the IP address after doing a LAN scan, but kind of defeats the purpose, imo.

    Any ideas why the “local” address won’t work?

    Been racking my head for a few hours and several restarts, different ethernet cables, another SanDisk HC 16GB class 10 micro SD card, without the PoE hat, and still have no luck with the “local” access (besides finding the IP address and directly connecting).

    Any help is welcome.

    Thank you again

    Reply

    1d10t5 · October 16, 2018 at 11:58 am

    Update to earlier reply:

    As I have a fresh install of Windows 10 (Insider Preview) I did not have Bonjour installed.

    After that, works fine!

    Also, this is the PoE I went with, as its small footprint and passive cooling.

    https://navolabs.com/product/raspberry-pi-3-micro-poe-hat/

    Thanks again for a very incredible package!

    Reply

    Kabz · April 18, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    Hey kowan, awesome work here this is so damn handy. If we start deploying these I will be sure to contribute. Is there any way to get the GNOME gui to run? If we deploy these it would also be used as a management interface to our customers’ networks’.

    Reply

      Kowen · April 18, 2019 at 4:11 pm

      Hey Kabz!

      It would just be a matter of googling “Install Gnome Minimal Raspbian” Or some combination of those 🙂 You’re the first person to ask about it and I might even roll a desktop edition of UniFiPi :D.

      Kowen

      Reply

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