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PiKVM V4 Mini & Plus quick start	Getting started with PiKVM V4 Mini & Plus

PiKVM V4 Mini & Plus quick start

PiKVM is a feature-rich, production grade, open-source, Raspberry Pi based KVM over IP device. It allows you to turn on/off or restart your computer, configure the UEFI/BIOS, and even reinstall the OS using the Virtual CD-ROM or Flash Drive.

You can use your remote keyboard and mouse or PiKVM can simulate a keyboard, mouse, and a monitor, which are then presented in a web browser as if you were working on a remote system directly.

Datasheets:

PiKVM V4 Mini{ .md-button } PiKVM V4 Plus{ .md-button }

What's in the box

PiKVM V4 Mini or Plus device
Micro SD card with pre-imaged PiKVM software
ATX control board
ATX connection cables
ATX installation brackets
1 x Ethernet cable
1 x ATX cable
1 x USB C to USB A cable
12V 2A Power Supply (international adapters)

Interface

=== "Front view"

![MISSING FRONT VIEW IMAGE](v4-front-view-numbered.svg){ height="250" }

1. Activity LED (Red) 
2. Power Input 5.1V 3A
3. Power LED (Green) 
4. Micro SD card slot
5. USB 2.0 Serial console port
6. Serial console active LED / Beacon LED (Green)
7. RJ45 1Gb Ethernet port
8. RJ45 Serial console port **(V4 Plus only)**
9. USB 3.0 port 1 **(V4 Plus only)**
10. Power Input 12V 2A **(V4 Plus only)**

=== "Rear view"

![MISSING REAR VIEW IMAGE](v4-rear-view-numbered.svg){ height="250" }

1. Beacon LED
2. USB 2.0 OTG connector
3. Mount holes for WiFi SMA antenna connector **(only one in V4 Mini)**
3. RJ45 ATX control port
4. USB 3.0 port 2 **(V4 Plus only)**
5. HDMI video output port 1 **(V4 Plus only)**
6. HDMI video output port 2 **(V4 Plus only)**
7. Optional antenna’s mounting holes
8. Video source ready status LED
9. HDMI video input port
10. Video capture ready status LED
11. Ventilation holes

=== "Right view"

![MISSING SIDE VIEW IMAGE](v4-right-view-numbered.svg){ height="250" }

1. Service switches
2. Kensington Security Slot

=== "Top view"

![MISSING TOP VIEW IMAGE](v4-top-view-numbered.svg){ height="250" }

1. Display

Wiring

Let's connect all the wires before you power up the device.

Network

Connect Ethernet (bottom right on the front side) to the network using the cable from the kit. The kit includes two Ethernet cables of different colors: one for the network, the second for ATX. Use whichever one you like best.

HDMI and USB-C

HDMI input (the bottom right on the rear side) and OTG port (USB emulation) should be connected to the computer.

Optionally, the ATX port can be connected to control the power. There should be no USB hub between PiKVM and the computer, as some UEFI/BIOS cannot detect them at the boot stage.

Power up

V4 Mini and V4 Plus have different power supplies:

The Mini comes with USB-C 5V power supply
The Plus comes with with Barrel 12V

The Plus can also work from 5V. In that case, avoid creating a significant power load on USB (external flash sticks, cameras, and so on).

Attach the appropriate connector on the front side. Do not block the ventilation holes on the sides of the device.

After turning on the power, PiKVM OS generates unique SSH keys and certificates and performs all necessary operations on the memory card. It takes a few minutes. Do not turn off the device until it's fully booted for the first time. Once it's done, the PiKVM will show a greeting on the built-in display.

Connect and set up

Configure the display

The operating system on your remote computer will treat PiKVM as an additional display and use it in the Extend mode by default. That's why you will see an empty desktop when you first connect.

To avoid that, go to the display settings in your remote computer's operating system and enable the mirror mode for the external screen that you operating system identifies as PiKVM. Refer to your operating system's documentation on that.

Access PiKVM

By default, PiKVM receives a dynamic IP address via DHCP and shows it in the top row of the OLED display:

192.168.0.26
(|) iface: eth0
cpu: 1% mem: 13%

Let's assume that PiKVM has received the address 192.168.0.26 and has also been assigned a hostname pikvm.

Type the URL in the browser's address bar and press Enter: https://192.168.0.26/ or https://pikvm/.

Submit the default credentials and click Login:

Username: admin
Password: admin
2FA Code: disabled by default, skip this field

You will see the initial dashboard screen of the PiKVM where you can access the remote desktop, connect to the PiKVM over SSH, or log out:

Change the default passwords

For security's sake, it's best to change the default passwords immediately after running PiKVM for the first time. To do that:

On the initial dashboard screen, click the Terminal button to open the web terminal. You will see this command line interface:
Gain superuser privileges:
```
$ su -
```
When prompted for password, use root.
Run rw to change the access to the SD card to the write mode:
```
[root@pikvm ~]# rw
```
Change the password for the superuser:
```
[root@pikvm ~]# passwd root
```
Submit the new password, retype it the second time to confirm, press Enter, and you should see this:
```
passwd: password updated successfully
```
Change the password for web access:
```
[root@pikvm ~]# kvmd-htpasswd set admin
```
Submit the new password, retype it the second time to confirm, and press Enter.
Run ro to change the access to the SD card back to the read-only mode:
```
[root@pikvm ~]# ro
```
Press Ctrl+D or type "exit" and press Enter to drop the root privileges.
Go back one page in the browser. You should be back to the initial dashboard screen.

Access the remote system

On the initial dashboard screen, click the KVM button to access the remote desktop.
You should now see the host system's display and interact with it remotely using a keyboard and a mouse.

Further steps

Get to know PiKVM OS: read this help section to better understand all the possibilities of the web user interface.
Update and customize the system:
- Update the PiKVM operating system.
- Harden the remote access by enabling 2FA and setting session expiration time.
- Configure access to PiKVM from the Internet using port forwarding or Tailscale VPN.
- Enable a microphone for two-way audio.
- Enable HDMI pass-through.
- Learn how configuration files are structured.
Configure hardware:
- Set up ATX connection.
- Install and set up Wi-Fi antenna.
- Install and set up LTE/5G modem (only for PiKVM V4 Plus).
- Set up internal USB 3.0 port if you need (only for PiKVM V4 Plus).
- Learn about DIP switches.
- {!_fahrenheit.md!}

Known issues and limitations

There may be compatibility issues with some motherboards, such as HP or DELL. If there is no image from the BIOS, you can fine-tune the HDMI settings, but it is possible that the mass storage devices will not be available in the BIOS. In the latter case, USB dynamic configuration will solve the problem.
While there is a Mini-PCIe slot in the V4 Plus, it was only designed for LTE modems. An NVME card will not work.

Basic troubleshooting

Ensure that you are using the right OS image for your platform by running the following command: pacman -Q | grep kvmd-platform.
If you are not getting a display, run the two following commands:
- dmesg | egrep 'tc35|1-1.4|uvc'
- systemctl status kvmd-tc358743
Note that this is not a hotplug device, and you must first turn off the power.

Getting user support

If something doesn't work, check out our FAQ. Otherwise, head straight to our Discord chat.

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