How to SSH into Raspberry Pi with Command Prompt - Raspberry Pi BD

🔒 What is SSH?

SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol used to securely connect to another computer over a network. When you SSH into your Raspberry Pi, you can remotely execute commands, transfer files, and configure your system as if you were physically sitting at the Pi.

🧰 What You’ll Need

• Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS installed
• Internet connection for both your Raspberry Pi and the computer
• Another computer running Windows
• SSH enabled on the Raspberry Pi (see our guide on enabling SSH if not yet done)
• Raspberry Pi’s IP address (you can find this by checking your router or using the Fing app)

⬇️ Step 1: Enable SSH on Your Raspberry Pi

Before you can SSH into your Raspberry Pi, SSH must be enabled. If you haven’t done this yet, you can follow these instructions:

• For desktop users: Open the Raspberry Pi Configuration tool, go to the Interfaces tab, and enable SSH.
• For headless setups: Insert the Raspberry Pi’s SD card into your computer, create an empty file named ssh (no extension) in the root directory of the boot partition, and then insert the SD card back into the Raspberry Pi.

Once SSH is enabled, you can proceed to the next step.

🚀 Step 2: Find Your Raspberry Pi’s IP Address

To SSH into your Raspberry Pi, you need to know its IP address. Here are a few ways to find it:

• Router Settings: Log in to your router’s admin panel and look for a list of connected devices. The Raspberry Pi should appear with its IP address listed.
• Fing App: You can use the Fing app on your smartphone to scan your network and find the Raspberry Pi’s IP address.
• Command Line: If you have a monitor connected to your Pi, you can run the command hostname -I to display the IP address.

💻 Step 3: Open Command Prompt on Windows

To access the Command Prompt, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. Type Command Prompt</ or cmd in the search bar and press Enter.

🔑 Step 4: SSH into Your Raspberry Pi

Now that you know the IP address of your Raspberry Pi, you can SSH into it directly from the Command Prompt. Use the following command, replacing <ip-address> with your Raspberry Pi’s actual IP address:

ssh pi@<ip-address>

For example, if the Raspberry Pi’s IP address is 192.168.1.100, you would type:

ssh pi@192.168.1.100

If this is your first time connecting, you may see a security warning asking you to confirm the authenticity of the host. Type yes to continue.

🔑 Step 5: Enter the Raspberry Pi Password

After typing the SSH command, you’ll be prompted for the password. By default, the username is pi and the password is raspberry, unless you’ve changed them.

Once you enter the correct password, you will be logged into the Raspberry Pi, and the Command Prompt will display something like this:

pi@raspberrypi:~$

You are now remotely connected to your Raspberry Pi!

🔒 Step 6: Change the Default Password

For security reasons, it’s a good idea to change the default password. To do so, run the following command:

passwd

Follow the prompts to set a new password for the pi user. Make sure to choose a strong password to keep your Raspberry Pi secure.

⚡ Step 7: Secure Your SSH Connection

For enhanced security, consider the following:

• Use SSH keys instead of passwords for authentication.
• Disable SSH password authentication and use public key authentication only.
• Change the default username from “pi” to something unique for extra security.
• Use a firewall to restrict access to your Raspberry Pi over SSH.