In our previous blog and video tutorial, we walked through flashing the RAK2245 Pi-HAT OS on a Raspberry Pi 3B/4 to set up a LoRaWAN gateway. Now, as a continuation, we will take the next step — enabling a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on the Raspberry Pi to manage ChirpStack more conveniently.
This blog corresponds to the video: Enabling ChirpStack GUI on RAK2245.
Step 1: Accessing the Raspberry Pi
We start by connecting to the RAK Pi gateway using SSH. Open PuTTY (or your preferred SSH client) and enter:
pi@rak-gateway.local
Default login credentials:
- Username:
pi - Password:
raspberry
Step 2: Update the System
Before installing packages, update the Raspberry Pi OS:
sudo apt-get update
Step 3: Install the Raspberry Pi GUI Components
To enable a lightweight desktop environment on the Pi:
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends raspberrypi-ui-mods lxsession
LXSession is the default session manager for the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE).
Next, install the login display manager:
sudo apt-get install lightdm
And then add a terminal for GUI usage:
sudo apt-get install lxterminal
Step 4: Enable VNC Access
Open the Raspberry Pi configuration tool:
sudo raspi-config
- Navigate to Interfacing Options → VNC → Enable.
- Under Display Options, set resolution to 1024×768 for a better view.
- Reboot the Raspberry Pi.
Now, using VNC Viewer on your computer (connected to the same Wi-Fi), type:
rak-gateway.local
Login again with:
- Username:
pi - Password:
raspberry
Step 5: Install Chromium Web Browser
From the Pi’s GUI terminal, install Chromium:
sudo apt-get install chromium-browser -y
Once installed, find the Chromium icon under Internet in the start menu.
Step 6: Access the ChirpStack Dashboard
Open Chromium and type:
127.0.0.1:8080
Login with the default ChirpStack credentials:
- Username:
admin - Password:
admin
Now you have access to the ChirpStack Dashboard directly on your Raspberry Pi GUI. Here, you can:
- Add LoRaWAN devices
- View frames from nodes
- Monitor gateway activity
What’s Next?
With the ChirpStack GUI now accessible, you are ready to design and register a new LoRaWAN node to communicate with the network. We will cover this in the next tutorial — stay tuned!
📺 Related Content
- Video: How to Flash RAK2245 Pi-HAT OS on Raspberry Pi 3B/4
- Blog: Step-by-Step LoRaWAN Gateway Setup
- Video: Enabling ChirpStack GUI on RAK2245
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📄 Meta Description
Learn how to enable the ChirpStack GUI on RAK2245 Raspberry Pi and access the ChirpStack Dashboard using VNC and Chromium browser. Step-by-step guide to install GUI components, configure VNC, set screen resolution, and log into ChirpStack for managing LoRaWAN devices and gateways.