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What is Raspberry Pi? What are its Types and Features?

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Raspberry Pi
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The Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board credit-card-sized computers developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools and in developing countries. The Raspberry Pi can be plugged into a computer monitor or TV and uses the standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing and to learn how to program in languages like Python and Scratch. It is capable of doing everything you would expect the desktop computer to do, from playing high definition video, browsing the internet, word-processing, making spreadsheets, and playing games. The Raspberry Pi has the ability to interact with the outside world which has been used in the wide array of digital maker projects, from the music machines and parent detectors to weather stations and the tweeting birdhouses with the infra-red cameras.

Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi

Related: How to use Raspberry Pi as a VPN Router?

Raspberry Pi is widely used by children to learn the program and understand how the computer works. Raspberry Pi is very useful for one who interested in technology, DIY projects or home automation. The Raspberry Pi can be used for various things. It is the Single-board computer. The CPU is on the board. It’s missing the bunch of things that we expect from the consumer product, there is no monitor, keyboard or mouse.

Topics Discussed:

What does the Raspberry Pi do?
Types of Raspberry Pi
How to Backup Your Raspberry Pi SD Card?
How to Run Raspberry Pi Desktop on Windows or macOS?
How to Boot Your Raspberry Pi from a USB Mass Storage Device?
How to Install Raspbian OS on Your Raspberry Pi?
How to Install Ubuntu Core on Raspberry Pi?
How to Install NOOBS on Raspberry Pi?
How to Install Plex for Raspberry Pi?
How to Install Putty for Raspberry Pi?
Best Operating Systems for Your Raspberry Pi Projects
How to Setup Your Raspberry Pi as a VPN Router?
How to use your Raspberry Pi as a VPN router?
How to Set up an FTP Server on the Raspberry Pi?
How to Set up a Raspberry Pi AirPlay Receiver?
How to set up a Web Server on the Raspberry Pi?
How to Set up Raspberry Pi Weather Station Using the Sense HAT?
How to Set up a Minecraft Pocket Edition Server On Your Raspberry Pi?
How to Set up a Raspberry Pi Plex Server?
How to Connect Raspberry Pi Camera Module?
How to Connect Raspberry Pi to WiFi Network?
How to Connect Raspberry Pi to Laptop Using VPN Server?
How to Use the Raspberry Pi as a Wireless Access Point?
How to Use the Raspberry Pi as a Network-Wide Ad Blocker?
How to Use Raspberry Pi as a Chromecast Alternative?
How to Use the Raspberry Pi as a NAS box?
How to Establish Remote Desktop Access to Your Raspberry Pi?
How to Play Retro Games on Your Raspberry Pi with DOSBox?
How to Create a Raspberry Pi Thermometer Using Sense HAT?
How to Create A Raspberry Pi Clock Using the Sense HAT?
How to Compile VLC Media Player with Hardware Acceleration for Raspberry Pi?
How to SSH into the Raspberry Pi?
How to watch Netflix on Raspberry Pi?
How to Play Retro Games on the Raspberry Pi Using RetroPie?
How to run x86 programs on the Raspberry Pi?
How would Raspberry Pi Router Perform as a Router?

What does the Raspberry Pi do?

The Raspberry Pi was designed to run simple programs, and simple programs can be designed to do an almost limitless variety of things. Raspberry Pi is the tiny computer so that you can load the basic operating system and use it as the low-powered computer. It is the coolest thing to know that the Raspberry Pi only costs less than $40, which can run a web browser, word processor, and even video game system emulators and ROMs. You can dedicate the Raspberry Pi to do one task, which can be used as the dedicated entertainment device, or as the part of your smart home. Some of the most common things which can be done using the Raspberry Pi,

Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi

It can boot directly to the media centre program, which turns the Raspberry Pi into the low-cost version of a Roku or Fire TV.

It can Boot directly to the emulator and run classic arcade and console games.

You can do almost anything with the Raspberry Pi when you combine it with the other hardware, You can use it to send you an email when your home doorbell rings, for instance, or take the photo when it detects the movement. The options with this device are limitless, and they grow every day as the brilliant hobbyists come up with the new ways to use the device.

Types of Raspberry Pi

There are many Raspberry Pi models available which has different specifications and capabilities. The below-mentioned table has the short comparison of the Raspberry Pi current lineup.

Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi

[su_table]

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Raspberry Pi 2 Model B Raspberry Pi Model B+ Raspberry Pi Model A+ Raspberry Pi Zero & Zero W
Processor Chipset Broadcom BCM2837 64-bit quad-core processor Broadcom BCM2837 64-bit quad core processor Broadcom BCM2835 32-bit single-core processor Broadcom BCM2835 32-bit single-core processor Broadcom BCM2835 32-bit single-core processor
Processor Speed 1.2 GHz 900 MHz 700 Mhz 700 Mhz 1 GHz
RAM 1 GB 1 GB 512 MB 256 MB 512 MB
Storage MicroSD MicroSD MicroSD MicroSD MicroSD
Output 4 USB ports 4 USB ports 4 USB ports 1 USB port 1 micro-USB port
GPIO 40-pin 40-pin 40-pin 40-pin 40-pin
Ethernet Port Yes Yes Yes No No
Wi-Fi Yes No No No No (Zero)/Yes (Zero W)
Bluetooth Yes No No No No (Zero)/Yes (Zero W)

[/su_table]

How to Backup Your Raspberry Pi SD Card?

It is always recommended to back up the data of your device for safety purposes because redoing one that you have already worked hard on. since the Raspberry Pi uses the microSD card as the primary storage, it is very easy to back up the Raspberry Pi on any platform. This article helps you to backup Raspberry Pi SD card on Windows, Linux, or macOS and how to restore it from that backup too. Shut down the Raspberry Pi safely (The shutdown process varies based on the OS you are running –  for Raspbian, it’s just sudo shutdown now in the command line) and remove your microSD card. then put the card in your computer’s card reader slot and follow the steps given in the below-mentioned link.

Read more about How to Backup Your Raspberry Pi SD Card?

How to Run Raspberry Pi Desktop on Windows or macOS?

Many of the Raspberry Pi users would like to run Desktop on the Raspberry Pi. This article provides you with the steps to use your PC or Mac to run the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s desktop operating system, Debian with the Raspberry Pi Desktop. This OS is very much similar to the Raspbian and both of them are based on Debian, this lets you use your PC or Mac as a kind of substitute for your Raspberry Pi. This makes it pretty useful for testing out the projects when your Pi isn’t handy. You can experience the familiarity with a Raspbian interface with your PC or Mac’s hardware, which is highly powerful than the little Pi.

Read more about How to Run Raspberry Pi Desktop on Windows or macOS?

How to Boot Your Raspberry Pi from a USB Mass Storage Device?

Raspberry Pi boots from the microSD card by default, But since the release of the Raspberry Pi 3, the new Pis has the ability to boot from the USB mass storage device as well. It is also an easy thing to do, and this article explains to you how to boot the Raspberry Pi from the USB mass storage device such as the flash drive or USB hard disk. Beware that the new boot mode is in its experimental stage, so it might not work with the USB stick or hard drive. This problem happens due to the USB compatibility issue, this only affects some of us, but the next warning that you get may relevant to you: Setting the boot mode is permanent. With that said, this sounds much scarier than it is: Your Pi will still boot preferentially from the microSD card if one is plugged in.

Read more about How to Boot Your Raspberry Pi from a USB Mass Storage Device?

How to Install Raspbian OS on Your Raspberry Pi?

Raspbian OS is the Debian-based computer operating system for Raspberry Pi. There is a various version of Raspbian including the Raspbian Stretch and the Raspbian Jessie. It has been officially given by the Raspberry Pi Foundation as the primary operating system for the family of Raspberry Pi Single-board computers Since 2015. The OS was developed by Mike Thompson and Peter Green as the Independent Project. The initial build was completed in June 2012. The operating system is still under development. It is highly optimized for the Raspberry Pi line’s low-performance ARM CPUs. It uses PIXEL, Pi improved Xwindows Environment. It is Lightweight OS as it is in the main desktop environment as the latest update.

Read more about How to Install Raspbian OS on Your Raspberry Pi?

How to Install Ubuntu Core on Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi is the series of small single board computers which is developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to promote the teaching of the basic computer science in the schools and also in the developing countries. It does not include the peripherals and cases. According to the Raspberry Pi foundation, more than 5 million Raspberry Pis were sold by February 2015, making it the best selling “general purpose computer.

Read more about How to Install Ubuntu Core on Raspberry Pi?

How to Install NOOBS on Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi is an excellent device, but it cannot do much of anything without the operating system. The user has to choose and manually install an appropriate operating system based on their needs. One such software is NOOBS (New Out of Box Software), this is the perfect one for the Raspberry Pi newbies. It enables you to choose the preferred operating system and install it right then and there. NOOBS is designed to make it easy to select and install the operating systems for the Raspberry Pi, without having to worry about the manually imaging the SD card.

Read more about How to Install NOOBS on Raspberry Pi?

How to Install Plex for Raspberry Pi?

Plex is one of the most popular media server and media centre apps available. Plex can be installed on various devices and on different platforms, which lets you enjoy the media content without any hassle. Raspberry Pi fans have been putting the client-side Plex app on Raspberry Pi for years. Until recently, though, it was not possible to set up the server-side app on the Raspberry Pi.

Read more about How to Install Plex for Raspberry Pi?

How to Install Putty for Raspberry Pi?

Putty is the open-source terminal emulator, serial console and a network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Rlogin, Telnet, and raw socket connection. It also can connect to the special port. The name “Putty” has no official meaning. Putty was originally written for the Microsoft Windows, but now it has been ported to various other operating systems. The official ports are available for some Unix-like platforms, with the work-in-progress ports to Classic Mac OS and MacOS, and the unofficial ports have been contributed to the platforms such as Windows Mobile, Windows Phone Symbian and some other operating systems.

Read more about How to Install Putty for Raspberry Pi?

Best Operating Systems for Your Raspberry Pi Projects

Raspberry Pi is now six years old. It has received in a new revolution in computing, that stretches far beyond its original remit, which was to promote the basic computer science education in schools. There have been several fresh Pi developments over the past few years. The original Pi was released in 2015 and the Pi and its essentials kit are available for less than $15. The Pi Zero W was added to the Zero family in February 2017, which features 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM and support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, all for just around $20, with accessories.

Read more about Best Operating Systems for Your Raspberry Pi Projects

How to Setup Your Raspberry Pi as a VPN Router?

To create a VPN Router through the Raspberry Pi, the built-in WiFi, the newest version of the Raspberry Pi is very useful than ever for the networking projects. You can use the Raspberry Pi as the VPN Access Point, which enables you to browse the web more privately.

Read more about How to Setup Your Raspberry Pi as a VPN Router?

How to use your Raspberry Pi as a VPN router?

The router is the networking device which forwards the data packets between computer networks. The router has the specific processor, which handles the data packets and RF segment that handles wireless. The Raspberry Pi can be converted into a router. Running your own VPN server is a great way to increase your mobile security and get access to the LAN from the internet, but they are very hard to set up. But the Raspberry Pi makes this task much simple, cheap and effective. You can set the VPN router using the Raspberry Pi. the newest version of Raspberry is, even more, better with the built-in Wifi. It is highly useful for networking projects.

Read more about How to use your Raspberry Pi as a VPN router?

How to Set up an FTP Server on the Raspberry Pi?

Many of the Raspberry Pi users want to transfer the files quickly and easily between the Raspberry Pi and the computer. You may install the Raspbian OS and just want few of your key files. It is the very useful thing to learn how to set up the FTP server on the Raspberry Pi.  With the File Transfer Protocol or SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol, also known as the Secure File Transfer Protocol). You can transfer files from the Raspberry Pi to your other computers and vice versa. It only takes some little set-up, but once running, it is a really efficient way to move the files back and forth.

Read more about How to Set up an FTP Server on the Raspberry Pi?

How to Set up a Raspberry Pi AirPlay Receiver?

Apple’s AirPlay is an outstanding feature, for this, you need to have enough Apple products to make it work. Apple AirPlay allows you to sling from the Apple device to another device. But Apple has been a little nicer than the usual about licensing the tech out to the third-party companies, But there is still a good chance, that your particular stereo isn’t AirPlay-capable, which is very bad, but this is the problem you can solve with the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi AirPlay receiver can be made with few commands in Terminal. You can Plug the Raspberry Pi into your TV with the HDMI cable, and bingo: you are ready to rock, and all this without the need to buy the Apple TV. The only limitation is that the receiver is audio-only. This article helps you to connect your Raspberry Pi to your speaker then installing the software so that it becomes recognized as the AirPlay receiver on your internet network.

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How to set up a Web Server on the Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi Web Server can provide you with plenty of advantages. From the economic point of view, you should know that the web hosting services are not free So that you have to pay every month/year. unlike the Raspberry Pi who just needs the connection. In addition by choosing the Raspberry Pi. You can have the possibility to modify the services such as Size of the disk, the hosting of Database, etc. This is not the case with the specialized hosts, which often sell the shared hosting with the low-configuration capacity. but to support more users, you should use the Raspberry Pi 3, the Raspberry Pi with 1GB of RAM rather than the Pi type B+ (512 MB of RAM).

Read more about How to set up a Web Server on the Raspberry Pi?

How to Set up Raspberry Pi Weather Station Using the Sense HAT?

Setting up the Raspberry Pi Weather Station using the Sense HAT is more hardware-oriented. In this article, we are going to show you how to set up the Raspberry Pi weather station which can be accessed over the internet. The things you need for this project is Sense HAT, a Raspberry Pi add-on board which was made especially for the Astro Pi mission. To record all the environmental information, the Sense HAT was designed with a variety of sensors which can detect things like temperature. With the Raspberry Pi and the Sense HAT working together, you can put this information online, which gives your home a new smart feature.

Read more about How to Set up Raspberry Pi Weather Station Using the Sense HAT?

How to Set up a Minecraft Pocket Edition Server On Your Raspberry Pi?

Minecraft is one of the highly played games by people all over the world. Many of the Minecraft Players are highly addicted to the game. This project is perfect for a casual Minecraft play because it turns the Raspberry Pi into the low-powered Minecraft server.

Read more about How to Set up a Minecraft Pocket Edition Server On Your Raspberry Pi?

How to Set up a Raspberry Pi Plex Server?

Plex is one of the most popular Media Server applications. This turns your local content into the streamable content. You can stream all the streamable content if you have some photos, videos, and other media on your device. Raspberry Pi users have been putting the client-side Plex App on the Rasberry Pi for years. Because it wasn’t possible to set up the server-side app on the Raspberry Pi.

Read more about How to Set up a Raspberry Pi Plex Server?

How to Connect Raspberry Pi Camera Module?

There are various generations of Raspberry Pi models which have been released so far. It is considered as the multi-purpose device and being used for a variety of purposes. In this article, we have given the steps to connect your Raspberry Pi to your Camera. It converts your Raspberry Pi into a digital camera, in which you can take pictures and videos easily.

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How to Connect Raspberry Pi to WiFi Network?

Raspberry Pi has received a new revolution in computing, that stretches far beyond its original remit, but still many users with some old Pi models are struggling to connect the Raspberry Pi to home WiFi network. This article will help you to connect Raspberry Pi to Wifi network in cases where you don’t have the graphical user interface for the Raspberry Pi. For doing this you must have the WiFi dongle unless you are using the Raspberry Pi 3, which has the WiFi built-in.

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How to Connect Raspberry Pi to Laptop Using VPN Server?

Many Raspberry Pi users don’t have any Monitors, for those people this article provides a simple method to use the laptop as a Raspberry Pi display If you don’t have the HD monitor. As we all know that the Raspberry Pi is known as the “Pocket-Size PC“, but for debugging and project purposes it is difficult to carry the additional display for it. And many people don’t have access to the HDMI display So that it will be pretty easy to connect Raspberry Pi to the laptop display.

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How to Use the Raspberry Pi as a Wireless Access Point?

The Raspberry Pi can do plenty of things, the latest Raspberry Pi comes with the built-in wireless capabilities. It acts as plenty of different devices including router! If you turn the Raspberry Pi into a wireless access point, you can make it as the router. The below link will provide you with the steps to turn your Raspberry Pi as the Wireless Access Point.

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How to Use the Raspberry Pi as a Network-Wide Ad Blocker?

Unlike many other ad blocking services, that blocks ads on your computer, the Raspberry Pi can do something more, which blocks the ads at the router level, So that there will be no ads on your computer, and also no ads on your smartphone, tablet and any other device on your network.

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How to Use Raspberry Pi as a Chromecast Alternative?

Google’s Chromecast is one of the most popular audio and video streaming services available. The small device plugs into the HDMI port and controlled by the computer or even a mobile device. Casting through this device is as simple as tapping a button in the supported applications. the good news is you can do a similar thing with the Raspberry Pi. In this article, we will explain to you how to use your Raspberry Pi as the Chromecast alternative. Here I have to mention one thing, that is the Raspberry Pi won’t behave like the exact alternative and it doesn’t support the Google’s Cast button, but it supports streaming YouTube videos as well as local audio, images and videos from your device to your TV.

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How to Use the Raspberry Pi as a NAS box?

Building the NAS on your Raspberry Pi is one of the smartest ways to create DIY NAS for safe and efficient file management. NAS (Network Attached Storage) Server is the network storage system to serve and share the files with another client computers in the local network area. It enables multiple users to access and share the same file storage. It can be used in different file sharing protocols to share the data through the network. The mainly used protocol is Server Message Block. Additional protocols are the (NFS) Network File System, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), SCP (Secure Copy), SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) and many more. There are some Network Attached Storage (NAS) solutions but that can be bought, setup and accessed within an hour.

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How to Establish Remote Desktop Access to Your Raspberry Pi?

To use VNC you need to have two programs. First, you need the VNC Server on the computer you want to control. Then you need a VNC Viewer on the device that you wish to control from. Luckily Raspbian comes with pre-loaded VNC Connect, RealVNC’s remote access software. It consists of the VNC Server and the VNC Viewer. The primary thing you have to do before getting started is to ensure that you have the latest version of the VNC Connect.

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How to Play Retro Games on Your Raspberry Pi with DOSBox?

Many of you are aware that the Raspberry Pi can run Microsoft DOS games. The below link will help you to play DOS games on your Raspberry Pi with the DOSBox, an MS-DOS emulator.

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How to Create a Raspberry Pi Thermometer Using Sense HAT?

The Raspberry Pi can do plenty of things on its own, but measuring the temperature is not one of those things. It can do this with the help of an Add-on device called Sense HAT, which gives the Raspberry Pi new ways to sense and measure the world around it. We have already made the Raspberry Pi Digital Clock in the previous project. Now you can use the Sense HAT to create the Raspberry Pi thermometer.

Read more about How to Create a Raspberry Pi Thermometer Using Sense HAT?

How to Create A Raspberry Pi Clock Using the Sense HAT?

The Raspberry Pi can so plenty of tremendous things right out of the box, But it can do even more with the help of the Sense HAT, which is an add-on developed for the Astro Pi project. Astro Pi sent expanded Pis into space, and the Sense HAT provided most of the new functionality used on the mission. In that new functionality, A small LED matrix, which just so happens to be perfect for use as the digital clock display.

Read more about How to Create A Raspberry Pi Clock Using the Sense HAT?

How to Compile VLC Media Player with Hardware Acceleration for Raspberry Pi?

The VLC media player is one of the best options available for playing videos and music. VLC Media Player is considered one of the best video player available. It is available for many Operating Systems, which includes Windows, OS X and Linux. Raspberry Pi VLC can be made possible with the help of Raspbian OS, Raspbian the popular Raspberry Pi OS, is based on the Debian, one of the earliest Linux distributions, Raspberry Pi users can easily install VLC by opening the Terminal and running the command

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How to SSH into the Raspberry Pi?

The SSH, also known as Secure Socket Shell, is the network protocol which provides the administrators with the secure way to access the remote computer. It also refers to the suite of utilities, that implement the protocol. It provides strong authentication and secures encrypted data communications between tow computers connecting over the insecure network such as the Internet. Network commands widely use SSH and move files from one computer to another.

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How to watch Netflix on Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi is an affordable device, which lets you do a lot of things. One of the simplest and most useful ways to use the Raspberry Pi is as the low-cost alternative to the Roku or Fire TV. You can also load programs like Plex and Kodi onto the Raspberry Pi to create the affordable media centre device, but even those simple projects aren’t strictly necessary if you are looking to watch the Netflix on the Raspberry Pi. But the Pi can’t stream the Netflix, when its right out of the box, So that you have to give your Pi the power to stream Netflix.

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How to Play Retro Games on the Raspberry Pi Using RetroPie?

The Raspberry Pi is a small device, but it’s very powerful – especially when you compare it to the bulky computers of the past. The modern video games far outstrip the Raspberry Pi, Some older models such as Nintendo Entertainment System or Sega Genesis are weaklings in the comparison. This is what makes the Raspberry Pi more than capable of playing the retro games, and the team behind the RetroPie project have developed the way to help you do exactly that. Installing the RetroPie on the Raspberry Pi provides you with the ability to emulate a ton of old video game systems, It turns your Raspberry Pi into an ultimate retro gaming machine.

Read more about How to Play Retro Games on the Raspberry Pi Using RetroPie?

How to run x86 programs on the Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi can do plenty of things that your PC can do – but it’s not designed to do everything. The Pi has an ARM processor so that it doesn’t have the out-of-the-box support for programs designed for computers with the x86 processors. That’s the bummer because the x86 is the Intel’s processor infrastructure available on the PCs, which is needed to run the Windows programs. By using the ExaGear, a paid program, we can emulate the x86 Raspberry Pi environment and run the Windows applications such as Spotify, Skype, and uTorrent.

Read more about How to run x86 programs on the Raspberry Pi?

How would Raspberry Pi Router Perform as a Router?

The Raspberry Pi model 3 B+ is the latest version of the ‘top of the line’ Pi, with all the features, and it is still available at just $35. This year’s Pi has an improved CPU frequency, WiFi performance,  and wired LAN performance, and has some other smaller changes. The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ has a metal cover on the SoC, and it has the metal shield with the embossed Raspberry Pi logo covering the WiFi and Bluetooth circuitry. The shiny Pi logo engraved on the wireless cover gives a premium feel than older models. The microSD card slot is a push/pull (not push to eject). It also has the new CPU design with the metal enclosure, which evaporates heat much better than the older plastic casing. It works well even without the extra heatsink or active cooling.

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