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Install on Raspberry Pi

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Jasper van Loenen edited this page Apr 29, 2026 · 13 revisions

The simplest way to fully replace your old bridge device is to use a Raspberry Pi. You don't need a very fast one for this to work: I like to use a Raspberry Pi Zero W as they are easy to find second-hand, are small and pretty cheap. Make sure to get the W model as the original Raspberry Pi Zero doesn't have wifi.

Note: for security reasons SSH is disabled by default in this image. To enable it add a file called ssh into the bootfs partition. The username is pi and password is littleprinterlives.

What you need:

  • A micro SD card (8Gb is fine)
  • An SD card reader
  • Raspberry Pi Zero W (or any other model, either with WiFi or ethernet connected)
  • Power adapter for the Raspberry Pi
  • A Zigbee USB dongle. I'm using the Sonoff ZBDongle-E
  • A micro USB to USB A adapter to connect to dongle to the Pi (not needed if you use a model that has full-size USB ports)

Raspberry Pi imager

We'll set up the script from our computer (not from the Pi). Download the Rasperry Pi Imager software and run it.

1. Select model

Select the Raspberry Pi model you are using from the list

imager_step_01

2. Select Custom OS

For the operating system (OS) scroll down to Use Custom and in the popup that opens select the little-printer-zigbee-bridge.img.gz image you downloaded.

imager_step_02

3. Select your SD card

Select the SD card you want to write the image to. Double-check you are selecting the right one!

imager_step_03

4. Start writing file to card

Check the settings and click WRITE to start writing the image to the SD card. The writing itself can take a while.

imager_step_04

5. Setup WiFi credentials

When it's done, two new partitions should appear in your file explorer (you might have to remove and re-insert the SD card into the card reader).

Enter the one called bootfs'. Create a file called wifi.txt(all lowercase) and paste the following code into it. Update theSSIDandPASSWORD` values to match your network.

# Enter your WiFi credentials below, then save the file.
# This file will be deleted automatically on first boot for security.

SSID=YourNetworkName
PASSWORD=YourPassword

# Optional: set your country code (default: GB)
# COUNTRY=GB
imager_step_06

6. Start the pi and print!

Thats it! Safely eject your SD card, insert it into your Raspberry Pi. Connect your Zigbee dongle and power the Pi.

Booting might take a while (up to a few minutes), but if you check your printer status in the app or on the website it should change to online and you should be able to send your files!

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