Connecting to the AIY Vision Kit via VNC Viewer

sunshinebunny,

Hi there! In case you don’t know what an AIY Vision Kit is: https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/vision/ 🙂 In https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/vision/#connect, you will find two options on how to connect to the Vision Kit from your PC (and maybe mobile phone). Thing is, according to the website, you may have to buy some things like a Micro USB Hub and Mini HDMI in order to see not just the command line of the Pi, but also it’s GUI.

If you’re okay with just controlling the Pi from the command line, then that’s great! You’re good to go. Same thing if you already have things like a Mini HDMI and Micro USB Hub.

But today, I’m going to talk about an efficient way to connect…and see the Graphical User Interface of the Pi from your PC without having to buy too many things.

Follow the instructions on the AIY Vision website until you reach the two Connect to Your Kit options. This post is about a third option that you can use to connect to your kit.

Are you ready? Then…

Let’s Get Started!

Step 1: Getting Your Pi’s IP Address

First, you need to get the IP Address of your Pi.

Materials Needed:

  • An Android smartphone
  • A computer/laptop to view the Pi’s GUI from.

1. To begin with, connect your PC and mobile phone to the same WiFi Network. Example:

Connect your phone and PC to the same WiFi Network.

2. Download the AIY Projects App on your phone using Google Play.

The Google AIY Projects App

3. Follow the instructions on the AIY Projects App. You’ll eventually get the IP Address of your Raspberry PI.

Congratulations! You got your Pi’s IP Address.

Hold on to that IP Address! You’ll need it later.

Now that you got your Pi’s IP Address, let’s move to the next step!

Step 2: Downloading and Enabling VNC Viewer on Your Devices

You now have to download and enable VNC Viewer on you Pi and your PC.

Materials Needed:

  • Your Smart Camera
  • A computer/laptop to view the Pi’s GUI from.

1. Download VNC Viewer on your PC.

Go to https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/ to install VNC Viewer on your laptop/computer.

Installing VNC Viewer on your PC to help you view what’s going on on your Pi

2. Download the Secure Shell Extension on your PC. You’ll need it to install and enable VNC Viewer on your Raspberry Pi.

Downloading the Secure Shell Extension on the Chrome Web Store

3. Open your Secure Shell Extension when it’s done installing. Select Connection Dialog.

Fill in your Pi’s username (default is pi) and IP Address (the one you got earlier) in their respective fields. In the top field, type the username, the @ symbol, and finally your Pi’s IP Address (example: pi@192.168.0.0).

Open the Secure Shell Extension
Fill in the blanks and click “Connect”.

3. Use the Secure Shell Extension to install and enable VNC Viewer on your Pi. Type in the following commands:

To update your Pi:

sudo apt-get update

Then, once the Pi finishes updating:

To download VNC Viewer and Server:

sudo apt-get install realvnc-vnc-server realvnc-vnc-viewer

When that’s done:

Enable VNC Viewer and Server:

sudo raspi-config

Navigate through your Pi’s settings using your arrow keys and ENTER button until you reach Interfacing Options. Click ENTER to check out the Interfacing Options and navigate again until you reach VNC. Click “Yes”.

Congrats! You’ve now successfully installed and enabled VNC Viewer. All that’s left now is to connect your PC to the Pi using all we have done so far.

Step 3: Where it All Comes Together

Materials Needed:

  • Your PC.
  • Your Raspberry Pi

Open the newly-installed VNC Viewer app on your PC. You can now sign in to your RealVNC account by clicking the “Sign In” button (green circle in the picture below). You can make one by clicking on the link, or you can click “Cancel” if you don’t want to make an account.

You’ll see a box that says “Enter a VNC Server Address or search”. Click on it and type in your Pi’s IP Address. See the purple circle in the picture below to help you find the box:

When you’re done typing in the IP Address, click ENTER.

You will now see a prompt telling you to sign in to your Raspberry Pi. Enter your username (default is pi) and password (default is raspberry).

And…you’re done! CONGRATULATIONS!

Now you can use VNC Viewer to connect to your Raspberry Pi and your Vision Kit anytime!

Step 4: Connecting Again

Now that you’ve finished installing everything and connecting for the first time, you can easily connect again…any time you want!

  1. Turn on your Pi.
  2. Get your Pi’s IP Address using the AIY Projects App.
  3. Open VNC Viewer.
  4. Enter your Pi’s IP Address in the search bar.
  5. Log in to your Pi.
  6. And you’re done!

Sources

  1. https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/vision/
  2. https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/remote-access/vnc/
  3. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/secure-shell-extension/iodihamcpbpeioajjeobimgagajmlibd
  4. https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/
  5. https://www.realvnc.com/en/raspberrypi/#sign-up
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