Hello guys
I am trying to connect my pi zero to my PC with windows 10 through a usb cable.
I have followed many guides but it just won't work.
My usb drivers don't recognize the pi zero and I can't find software for it...
Anyone know where to get this or how to connect ?
Thanks
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- DougieLawson
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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Languages using left-hand whitespace for syntax are ridiculous
DMs sent on https://twitter.com/DougieLawson or LinkedIn will be answered next month.
Fake doctors - are all on my foes list.
The use of crystal balls and mind reading is prohibited.
DMs sent on https://twitter.com/DougieLawson or LinkedIn will be answered next month.
Fake doctors - are all on my foes list.
The use of crystal balls and mind reading is prohibited.
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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Simple steps:
1.) add new line to 'config.txt' with
2.) in 'cmdline.txt' you need to add below modules after the 'rootwait' statement
g_ether.dev_addr will assign the MAC address to the network interface on the Pi Zero and g_ether.host_addr lets you assign the MAC address visible to the host PC. Doing this allows you to distinguish between different Pi Zeros (connected to the same host) quite easy. Numbers above are examples only; changed the last two digits i.e.
3.) be sure you have Bonjour sevice running on your Win10 host (installs with iTunes i.e.). You can also use the IP address when you want to connect via SSH. VNC and SSH connection can be used simultaniously.
Alreday discussed here viewtopic.php?p=1000628#p1000628 (i.e.)
1.) add new line to 'config.txt' with
Code: Select all
dtoverlay=dwc2
Code: Select all
modules-load=dwc2,g_ether g_ether.host_addr=00:22:82:ff:ff:20 g_ether.dev_addr=00:22:82:ff:ff:22
3.) be sure you have Bonjour sevice running on your Win10 host (installs with iTunes i.e.). You can also use the IP address when you want to connect via SSH. VNC and SSH connection can be used simultaniously.
Alreday discussed here viewtopic.php?p=1000628#p1000628 (i.e.)
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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Thank you for the fast answers.
I know all the codes and read those site a thousand times
But I have found a mistake and now my pi zero can cannect to my pc but I can't find it with putty...
I type "raspberrypi.local" but I always get the message that the host doesn't exist..
I know all the codes and read those site a thousand times

But I have found a mistake and now my pi zero can cannect to my pc but I can't find it with putty...
I type "raspberrypi.local" but I always get the message that the host doesn't exist..
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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Did you install BonJour on your Windows PC ? (it is either a standalone download or included with iTunes)samdevolder wrote:Thank you for the fast answers.
I know all the codes and read those site a thousand times
But I have found a mistake and now my pi zero can cannect to my pc but I can't find it with putty...
I type "raspberrypi.local" but I always get the message that the host doesn't exist..
Take what I advise as advice not the utopian holy grail, and it is gratis !!
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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Yes I have I think. If I go to task manager, by services there is Bonjour running. Or how do you open it ?fruitoftheloom wrote:Did you install BonJour on your Windows PC ? (it is either a standalone download or included with iTunes)samdevolder wrote:Thank you for the fast answers.
I know all the codes and read those site a thousand times
But I have found a mistake and now my pi zero can cannect to my pc but I can't find it with putty...
I type "raspberrypi.local" but I always get the message that the host doesn't exist..
I just think my PC doesn't recognise the Pi Zero as an usb ethernet device...
How can I change that ?
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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
- Check your device manager for a RNDIS device - if there is no such device your Zero was not recognized at all --> check if configuration is right
- Install iTunes since it has the latest Bonjour service
- use the IP address to SSH (instead of raspberrypi.local)
If everything fails -> get a MAC
(and rid of Windows)
- Install iTunes since it has the latest Bonjour service
- use the IP address to SSH (instead of raspberrypi.local)
If everything fails -> get a MAC



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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
There is no RNDIS device that is the problem.. But how do I fix this ?aBUGSworstnightmare wrote:- Check your device manager for a RNDIS device - if there is no such device your Zero was not recognized at all --> check if configuration is right
- Install iTunes since it has the latest Bonjour service
- use the IP address to SSH (instead of raspberrypi.local)
If everything fails -> get a MAC![]()
![]()
(and rid of Windows)
Where can I change the configuration of the pi ?
And I did download the latest Itunes

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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
It's just that my PC doesn't recognize my pi zero as an RNDIS ethernet gadget because I don't have that driver...
Anyone knows where I can find this driver ?
Or how I can fix this ?
Anyone knows where I can find this driver ?
Or how I can fix this ?
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Hi everyone,
I just downloaded Jessie Lite image, unpacked did all required changes to get that usb/ethernet connectivity and it worked like a charm. Then I've decided that I have to do these usual things: apt-get update and then upgrade
After upgrade and reboot I've lost that usb/ethernet thing... my mac & pc do not see anything and windows cannot recognise my Pi Zero, it says "Unknown USB device".
Any help would be much appreciated... I can rollback of course but just curious what happens as I don't have kb/mouse anywhere around my only connection was through g_ether module...
Thanks!
I just downloaded Jessie Lite image, unpacked did all required changes to get that usb/ethernet connectivity and it worked like a charm. Then I've decided that I have to do these usual things: apt-get update and then upgrade
After upgrade and reboot I've lost that usb/ethernet thing... my mac & pc do not see anything and windows cannot recognise my Pi Zero, it says "Unknown USB device".
Any help would be much appreciated... I can rollback of course but just curious what happens as I don't have kb/mouse anywhere around my only connection was through g_ether module...
Thanks!
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
So I have managed to get in. The device was showing up as a USB device and I needed to manually install the driver for windows 10. I found the driver on reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/c ... indows_10/
direct link: http://domotique.caron.ws/wp-content/up ... %20OTG.zip
updated USB driver to this RNDIS driver and then rebooted the Pi.. I am now at the terminal
wow that was an effort!
https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/c ... indows_10/
direct link: http://domotique.caron.ws/wp-content/up ... %20OTG.zip
updated USB driver to this RNDIS driver and then rebooted the Pi.. I am now at the terminal
wow that was an effort!
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Is there a way to get the usb0 to connect to the internet? I've tried adding static addresses to /etc/network/interfaces and dhcpcd.conf but nothing works. Ifconfig shows the static address but cannot ping it or ping 8.8.8.8 from the terminal.
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
Yes you can, but first you have to go back to the original network configuration and then you have to use google to find how to activate "internet connection sharing" on your Windows computer.dubsdj wrote:Is there a way to get the usb0 to connect to the internet? I've tried adding static addresses to /etc/network/interfaces and dhcpcd.conf but nothing works. Ifconfig shows the static address but cannot ping it or ping 8.8.8.8 from the terminal.
The road to insanity is paved with static ip addresses
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
So I finally figured it out after been led down many wrong paths in google.
Solution was from a post here: http://blog.gbaman.info/?p=791
Someone called Jarez posted this and it worked!
Ok after following this tutorial, I am now operating my Pi completely headlessly and with internet access (Windows):
1. Follow the instructions in the tutorial
2. Once the Pi Zero appears as an ethernet device in device manager make sure the drivers are completely up to date (Right click and search online for drivers) luckily windows found them and pulled through for me.
3. Open up putty and SSH using default port 22 and the address rapberrypi.local
4. If all you want it terminal access stop here, if you want graphical access continue.
5. You may want to configure the Pi Zero to have a static IP address on your home network, therefore you will need to edit the network interfaces file, type in “sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces” on your putty terminal.
6. Comment out everything but the line “source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d” and add all the information corresponding to your network setup as such:
(information can be obtained by using cmd on your windows computer and typing “ipconfig” recording all important addresses such as gateway, broadcast etc if you dont already know them)
*************************************
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
allow-hotplug usb0
iface usb0 inet static
address 192.168.0.XXX # whatever IP address you want the pi zero to occupy however it must not clash with the IP’s currently on the network or the ones which the DHCP assigns.
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.0.0 # the base IP of your network
broadcast 192.168.0.255 # whatever your broadcast #address is
gateway 192.168.0.1 # gateway IP for your network
nameserver 8.8.8.8 # google nameserver
dns-nameserver 8.8.8.8 8.8.8.4 # google dns servers
***************************************
7. Hop back over to your windows computer and go into “change adapter settings” in the networks and sharing center.
8. Click on properties on Pi Zero ethernet adapter, and then click on ipv4 properties, set the IP address acquisition to manual and enter the static IP address you want assigned to the Pi Zero, along with the broadcast address, leave the gateway blank.
9. Save these settings, and then highlight your Wi-Fi / Ethernet device and also your Pi Zero eth adapter and then click on “add to bridge” – this will bridge these two adapters and allow internet access to be shared.
10. Restart your Pi Zero with the changes you made in step 6.
11. Restart your computer also if necessary.
12. When your computer starts up head over to putty log in to your Pi and type ifconfig in the terminal, you should see the ip address you assigned appear as the IP address of the device.
13. Double check connections by pinging the IP address of the host device and then ping http://www.google.com , if this does not work try pinging 8.8.8.8 which is a google nameserver, if it can get a response your DNS configuration may be an issue. Please check your route table and ensure that it has added the route to your host computer and to the router.
14. If you can ping google you are in good shape, type in “sudo apt-get install xrdp” , then reboot
15. Windows should already have installed remote desktop connection, type in the IP address you have assigned to the Pi Zero and you should be able to set up a remote connections, complete with visual control over the single USB cable!
16. If you have any issues, post and I may be able to help.
Solution was from a post here: http://blog.gbaman.info/?p=791
Someone called Jarez posted this and it worked!
Ok after following this tutorial, I am now operating my Pi completely headlessly and with internet access (Windows):
1. Follow the instructions in the tutorial
2. Once the Pi Zero appears as an ethernet device in device manager make sure the drivers are completely up to date (Right click and search online for drivers) luckily windows found them and pulled through for me.
3. Open up putty and SSH using default port 22 and the address rapberrypi.local
4. If all you want it terminal access stop here, if you want graphical access continue.
5. You may want to configure the Pi Zero to have a static IP address on your home network, therefore you will need to edit the network interfaces file, type in “sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces” on your putty terminal.
6. Comment out everything but the line “source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d” and add all the information corresponding to your network setup as such:
(information can be obtained by using cmd on your windows computer and typing “ipconfig” recording all important addresses such as gateway, broadcast etc if you dont already know them)
*************************************
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
allow-hotplug usb0
iface usb0 inet static
address 192.168.0.XXX # whatever IP address you want the pi zero to occupy however it must not clash with the IP’s currently on the network or the ones which the DHCP assigns.
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.0.0 # the base IP of your network
broadcast 192.168.0.255 # whatever your broadcast #address is
gateway 192.168.0.1 # gateway IP for your network
nameserver 8.8.8.8 # google nameserver
dns-nameserver 8.8.8.8 8.8.8.4 # google dns servers
***************************************
7. Hop back over to your windows computer and go into “change adapter settings” in the networks and sharing center.
8. Click on properties on Pi Zero ethernet adapter, and then click on ipv4 properties, set the IP address acquisition to manual and enter the static IP address you want assigned to the Pi Zero, along with the broadcast address, leave the gateway blank.
9. Save these settings, and then highlight your Wi-Fi / Ethernet device and also your Pi Zero eth adapter and then click on “add to bridge” – this will bridge these two adapters and allow internet access to be shared.
10. Restart your Pi Zero with the changes you made in step 6.
11. Restart your computer also if necessary.
12. When your computer starts up head over to putty log in to your Pi and type ifconfig in the terminal, you should see the ip address you assigned appear as the IP address of the device.
13. Double check connections by pinging the IP address of the host device and then ping http://www.google.com , if this does not work try pinging 8.8.8.8 which is a google nameserver, if it can get a response your DNS configuration may be an issue. Please check your route table and ensure that it has added the route to your host computer and to the router.
14. If you can ping google you are in good shape, type in “sudo apt-get install xrdp” , then reboot
15. Windows should already have installed remote desktop connection, type in the IP address you have assigned to the Pi Zero and you should be able to set up a remote connections, complete with visual control over the single USB cable!
16. If you have any issues, post and I may be able to help.
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
I've now got a desktop via VNC and performance is OK however are there any tweaks to increase the performance of a VNC session? thanks.
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
WARNING: This method is NOT recommended. The recommended method is to use "Internet Connection Sharing". The reason is that with ICS the Pi is not directly connected to the network, with bridging you are joining the Pi to the network which may not be permitted if it is not your own private network. Interfering with a shared network, such as in a dorm/school/company, will not be appreciated by the official network administrators. If you use bridging and static addresses you must know very well what you are doing, duplicate IP addresses on network can bring down the infrastructure and can get you into big trouble.dubsdj wrote:So I finally figured it out after been led down many wrong paths in google.
Solution was from a post here: http://blog.gbaman.info/?p=791
Someone called Jarez posted this and it worked!
Ok after following this tutorial, I am now operating my Pi completely headlessly and with internet access (Windows):
1. Follow the instructions in the tutorial
2. Once the Pi Zero appears as an ethernet device in device manager make sure the drivers are completely up to date (Right click and search online for drivers) luckily windows found them and pulled through for me.
3. Open up putty and SSH using default port 22 and the address rapberrypi.local
4. If all you want it terminal access stop here, if you want graphical access continue.
5. You may want to configure the Pi Zero to have a static IP address on your home network, therefore you will need to edit the network interfaces file, type in “sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces” on your putty terminal.
6. Comment out everything but the line “source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d” and add all the information corresponding to your network setup as such:
(information can be obtained by using cmd on your windows computer and typing “ipconfig” recording all important addresses such as gateway, broadcast etc if you dont already know them)
*************************************
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
allow-hotplug usb0
iface usb0 inet static
address 192.168.0.XXX # whatever IP address you want the pi zero to occupy however it must not clash with the IP’s currently on the network or the ones which the DHCP assigns.
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.0.0 # the base IP of your network
broadcast 192.168.0.255 # whatever your broadcast #address is
gateway 192.168.0.1 # gateway IP for your network
nameserver 8.8.8.8 # google nameserver
dns-nameserver 8.8.8.8 8.8.8.4 # google dns servers
***************************************
7. Hop back over to your windows computer and go into “change adapter settings” in the networks and sharing center.
8. Click on properties on Pi Zero ethernet adapter, and then click on ipv4 properties, set the IP address acquisition to manual and enter the static IP address you want assigned to the Pi Zero, along with the broadcast address, leave the gateway blank.
9. Save these settings, and then highlight your Wi-Fi / Ethernet device and also your Pi Zero eth adapter and then click on “add to bridge” – this will bridge these two adapters and allow internet access to be shared.
10. Restart your Pi Zero with the changes you made in step 6.
11. Restart your computer also if necessary.
12. When your computer starts up head over to putty log in to your Pi and type ifconfig in the terminal, you should see the ip address you assigned appear as the IP address of the device.
13. Double check connections by pinging the IP address of the host device and then ping http://www.google.com , if this does not work try pinging 8.8.8.8 which is a google nameserver, if it can get a response your DNS configuration may be an issue. Please check your route table and ensure that it has added the route to your host computer and to the router.
14. If you can ping google you are in good shape, type in “sudo apt-get install xrdp” , then reboot
15. Windows should already have installed remote desktop connection, type in the IP address you have assigned to the Pi Zero and you should be able to set up a remote connections, complete with visual control over the single USB cable!
16. If you have any issues, post and I may be able to help.
The road to insanity is paved with static ip addresses
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
its my home network so no biggy but thanks for the info.
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
I am having problems connecting the Raspberry Pi to Windows 10 over USB, I had the Bonjour service installed on my computer even before I started this, I followed the instructions on modifying config.txt, cmdline.txt and added ssh in the boot directory on Raspbian. I used nano to edit the files on a larger Raspberry Pi (using a card reader in a USB port, not switching out the main OS card!).
The problem I have is that the system does not recognise the USB device. In device manager it says "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)".
The only information I have found on this all point to the same driver from a French web site that no longer exists, namely "RPI Driver OTG.zip".
Will that driver fix the issue or is it a deeper problem? If it will fix it, does anyone have a copy that can be posted seeing as the original site is gone?
Thank you in advance
The problem I have is that the system does not recognise the USB device. In device manager it says "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)".
The only information I have found on this all point to the same driver from a French web site that no longer exists, namely "RPI Driver OTG.zip".
Will that driver fix the issue or is it a deeper problem? If it will fix it, does anyone have a copy that can be posted seeing as the original site is gone?
Thank you in advance

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Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
You need to install RNDIS Driver. It happens on windows 10 mostly. Here is the link for the tutorial & driver link u needed - https://www.factoryforward.com/pi-zero- ... -resolved/
- HawaiianPi
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- Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 4:53 am
- Location: Aloha, Oregon USA
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
You could try the Raspbian Lite image I have pre-configured for USB Gadget mode.
2018-10-09-raspbian-stretch-lite-Pi0USB.zip
SHA-256: f17b68a8aa645176cfac97641569fdaac0a296748ef7dfc8c39c7b36ec81f3fd
It's the default Raspbian Stretch Lite image with Pi0(W) USB Ethernet Gadget mode pre-configured (config/cmdline .txt files modified and "ssh" file added with no other changes). Just write it you your SD card with Etcher and DO NOT modify anything.
If it doesn't work, check Device Manager to see what driver (if any) was installed.
If you don't see this USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget driver,

then something is wrong with your Windows system (it's installing the wrong driver), and you can try this driver (all the details match the driver installed in my Win10 system). Other hardware - Acer USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget
If you DO see that driver but it has a problem, right click on it and uninstall it, then click on scan for hardware changes in the Action menu. If that doesn't fix it you can try the driver linked above.
If the driver appears to be working, but you can't SSH into [email protected] then Zeroconf/mDNS is not working on your system.
This image was tested and confirmed working on my Windows 10 notebook with my Pi0W.
2018-10-09-raspbian-stretch-lite-Pi0USB.zip
SHA-256: f17b68a8aa645176cfac97641569fdaac0a296748ef7dfc8c39c7b36ec81f3fd
It's the default Raspbian Stretch Lite image with Pi0(W) USB Ethernet Gadget mode pre-configured (config/cmdline .txt files modified and "ssh" file added with no other changes). Just write it you your SD card with Etcher and DO NOT modify anything.
- Put the card in your Pi0 or Pi0W
- Connect a normal micro USB data cable to the USB data port of the Pi0 (the one closest to the center)
- Do not connect anything to the power port (the one closest to the outer edge)
- Connect the other end of the micro USB cable to your main PC and the Pi0 should start to boot
- Note that the first boot can take awhile, so give it a couple of minutes before you try to SSH in
If it doesn't work, check Device Manager to see what driver (if any) was installed.
If you don't see this USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget driver,
then something is wrong with your Windows system (it's installing the wrong driver), and you can try this driver (all the details match the driver installed in my Win10 system). Other hardware - Acer USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget
If you DO see that driver but it has a problem, right click on it and uninstall it, then click on scan for hardware changes in the Action menu. If that doesn't fix it you can try the driver linked above.
If the driver appears to be working, but you can't SSH into [email protected] then Zeroconf/mDNS is not working on your system.
This image was tested and confirmed working on my Windows 10 notebook with my Pi0W.
My mind is like a browser. 27 tabs are open, 9 aren't responding,
lots of pop-ups, and where is that annoying music coming from?
lots of pop-ups, and where is that annoying music coming from?
Re: Raspberry pi zero connect via USB
This continues to be an issue all these years later so I was surprised that I had to search quite a bit to find a guide that did a good job of explaining things. As of 1/30/2021, this guide had all the needed steps and links for working drivers for RNDIS under Windows 10.
https://www.factoryforward.com/pi-zero- ... -resolved/
https://www.factoryforward.com/pi-zero- ... -resolved/