Setting up the Raspberry Pi

Requirements

You will need a computer, a suitable SD card for your Raspberry Pi with the correct operating system installed (see “Setting up the SD card”), and an internet connection. …

Installing BirdNET Pi

1. Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi.

2. Connect the Raspberry Pi to the power supply using the power adapter. An LED on the Raspberry Pi should light up or flash. It is best to wait a few minutes for it to boot up.

3. Open the console.

More information about the console Instructions for opening and operating the console.

4. Connect to the Pi using the following command. Use the data you entered previously. …

ssh birder@birdnetpi.local

Terminal

PS C:\Users\Name> ssh birder@birdnetpi.local
The authenticity of host 'birdnetpi.local (2a02:4454:c122:2000:15gc:24b7:f06a:f322)' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:kfRttaVIh+Z/FbSq9g6adalVfIsgvUtk4o.
This key is not known by any other names.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Fehlerbehebung

What if no connection can be established? (The specified host is unknown.)

If the following message appears:

Terminal

PS C:\Users\Name> ssh birder@birdnetpi.local
ssh: Could not resolve hostname birdnetpi.local: The specified host is unknown.

this means that no connection can be established to your Raspberry Pi.

Check the following points:

1. Power supply: Make sure that the Raspberry Pi is turned on, the SD card is inserted correctly, and the status LEDs are flashing or lit.
2. Network: Make sure that your PC and Raspberry Pi are on the same network—i.e., connected to the same Wi-Fi or hotspot. (Make sure that the Wi-Fi data in the Raspberry Pi OS matches your current Wi-Fi.)
3. Reinstallation: If the connection still fails, reinstall Raspberry Pi OS on the SD card and carefully re-enter the Wi-Fi access data.
4. Direct connection: Experienced users can connect a keyboard and screen directly to the Raspberry Pi to manually check the connection and network settings.

What if ‘WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!’ is displayed?

Don’t worry—this is normal if you have previously connected to a Raspberry Pi with the same name via SSH. Here’s how to fix the problem:

1. Open the file: C:\Users\username.ssh\known_hosts (the exact path is also in the warning) with a text editor.

2. Find all lines that start with birdnetpi.local and delete them. There may be several entries spanning multiple lines.

3. If you have never used SSH for other connections, you can also delete the entire contents of the file. 4. Save the file, close the editor, and then try the connection again.

5. Confirm the connection.

yes

Terminal

Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'birdnetpi.local' (ED25529) to the list of known hosts.
Connection closed by 2a02:4454:c122:2000:15gc:24b7:f06a:f322 port 23
birder@birdnetpi.local's password:

6. A password prompt should then appear. Enter the password stored in the operating system. Note that the password will remain invisible as you type it. If you are no longer prompted to enter a password, restart the process by entering the command from step 4.

Terminal

birder@birdnetpi.local's password:
Linux birdnetpi 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-v8 #1 SMP PREEMPT Debian 1:6.12.47-1+rpt1~bookworm (2025-09-01) aarch64

The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/\*/copyright.

Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
Last login: Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 2025 from 2a02:4454:c122:2000:15gc:24b7:f06a:f322

7. This step is only for Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: The RAM of the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is too small to install BirdNET-Pi without modification. Therefore, the so-called swap size must be increased. This ensures that, in addition to the physical hardware, part of the SD card is also used as RAM. Without this adjustment, BirdNET-Pi cannot be installed on the Zero 2 W. In addition, the Wi-Fi power options must be adjusted.

sudo sed -i 's/CONF_SWAPSIZE=512/CONF_SWAPSIZE=2048/g' /etc/dphys-swapfile &&
sudo sed -i 's/#CONF_MAXSWAP=2048/CONF_MAXSWAP=4096/g' /etc/dphys-swapfile &&
sudo sed -i '/^exit 0/i sudo iw wlan0 set power_save off' /etc/rc.local

Verify changes

Check the ‘swap size’.

To ensure that the changes have actually been applied, you can open the appropriate file with the following command.

sudo nano /etc/dphys-swapfile

It is important that the lines CONF_SWAPSIZE=2048 and CONF_MAXSWAP=4096 are correct. If not, adjust the numbers.

Terminal

  GNU nano 7.2                  /etc/dphys-swapfile                           # /etc/dphys-swapfile - user settings for dphys-swapfile package
# author Neil Franklin, last modification 2010.05.05
# copyright ETH Zuerich Physics Departement
#   use under either modified/non-advertising BSD or GPL license

# this file is sourced with . so full normal sh syntax applies

# the default settings are added as commented out CONF\__=_ lines

# where we want the swapfile to be, this is the default

#CONF_SWAPFILE=/var/swap

# set size to absolute value, leaving empty (default) then uses computed value# you most likely don't want this, unless you have an special disk situation

CONF_SWAPSIZE=2048

# set size to computed value, this times RAM size, dynamically adapts,

# guarantees that there is enough swap without wasting disk space on excess

#CONF_SWAPFACTOR=2

# restrict size (computed and absolute!) to maximally this limit

# can be set to empty for no limit, but beware of filled partitions!

# this is/was a (outdated?) 32bit kernel limit (in MBytes), do not overrun ># but is also sensible on 64bit to prevent filling /var or even / partition

CONF_MAXSWAP=4096
[ Read 26 lines ]
^G Help ^O Write Out ^W Where Is ^K Cut ^T Execute
^X Exit ^R Read File ^\ Replace ^U Paste ^J Justify

Press Control + x Ctrlx Control + x Ctrlx , then y y y y , and finally Enter Enter Enter Enter to save the file.

Check the Wi-Fi power options.

1. To ensure that the changes have actually been applied, you can open the appropriate file with the following command.

sudo nano /etc/rc.local

Terminal

  GNU nano 7.2                     /etc/rc.local

[ New File ]
^G Help        ^O Write Out   ^W Where Is    ^K Cut         ^T Execute
^X Exit        ^R Read File   ^\ Replace     ^U Paste       ^J Justify

If the file is empty, proceed with the next steps. However, if it looks like step two below, you can close the file again.

2. Insert the following content:

#!/bin/bash
sudo iw wlan0 set power_save off
exit 0

Terminal

  GNU nano 7.2                     /etc/rc.local
#!/bin/bash
sudo iw wlan0 set power_save off
exit 0
[ New File ]
^G Help        ^O Write Out   ^W Where Is    ^K Cut         ^T Execute
^X Exit        ^R Read File   ^\ Replace     ^U Paste       ^J Justify

3. Press Control + x Ctrlx Control + x Ctrlx , then y y y y , and finally Enter Enter Enter Enter to save the file.

Now restart the Raspberry Pi.

sudo reboot

Then wait a few minutes until the system has fully booted up and connected to the Wi-Fi. Then reconnect to the Pi via SSH (see steps 4 and 6).

8. Use this command to start the BirdNET-Pi installation. The process may take several minutes, depending on your internet connection and system performance. Leave the terminal open until the installation is complete.

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Nachtzuster/BirdNET-Pi/main/newinstaller.sh | bash