Hi,
Can anyone help me connect my Pi 3 to my old laptop.
Due to me not getting as much free time as I would like to play with the Pi, I need an easy quick way to get it up and running. I would like to just plug it into my old laptop and use the laptop keyboard and screen to program and test Pi projects.
This will allow me to take the Pi out on the road with me, or work at home without having to pack everything away when the kids come home.
Thank to anyone who can help.
A simple step by step guide would be great.
One way to do it over a network connection is to SSH into it.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/remote-access/ssh/
Connecting it directly to your laptop is bit more work but can be done.
What you do depends on whether you want to use Ethernet , WIFI or maybe even USB.
https://learn.pimoroni.com/tutorial/sandyj/setting-up-a-headless-pi
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Been there done that recently. I’ve found SSH (PuTTY) over WiFi to be easiest with a Pi Zero W, but Ethernet (over a cross-over cable) would mean you’d not be dependent on WiFi networks when moving around. Using a static IP for the Pi saves swearing when the router’s DHCP allocations change!
You say “old laptop” - if it’s running Windows (XP onwards!) may I suggest that you install a Linux distro (dual boot if you still need Windows) because it’ll be a lot easier, faster, more reliable and secure! I’d suggest Mint 18.3 (19.2 is the latest but it doesn’t support really old hardware so well). I was given an old but lightly used F-S laptop with 17" screen with broken Vista, iffy WiFi card and dead battery. A tiny Edimax Nano dongle sorted the WiFI (plug and go), and Mint 18.3 runs like a charm - I use it whenever I want the benefit of its monster screen. I repaid the gift by using Linux to recover Gbs of photos!
Most useful tip I can think of when using PuTTY, you can copy on a laptop with [Ctrl]+C but [Ctrl]+V won’t work in Terminal or nano, use [Shift]+[Ins] instead. This makes following
Answered on my 7 year-old Toshiba Portege (dual boot Mint18.3 and W7, which is only used to update my TomTom’s maps).
Many thank to everyone who as given me an answer.
As soon as I get the chance I will try a few of these ideas.
If I can get this working, I should be able to try loads of different projects while out on the road.
Thanks again.
Anyone else with other suggestions please post.