How to Set Up OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi & Make Your Prusa Wi-Fi Enabled

Before we start, gather the following:

• Raspberry Pi 3B+ or 4 (2 GB RAM minimum recommended)
• Micro SD card (16 GB or larger, Class 10)
• USB-A to USB-B cable (the square printer-style connector)
• 5V power supply for the Raspberry Pi
• Prusa i3 MK3S/MK3S+ (or any Marlin-based printer)
• A computer with an SD card reader
• Wi-Fi network credentials

OctoPi is a pre-configured Raspberry Pi image that bundles OctoPrint with everything you need.

1. Download the latest OctoPi image from octoprint.org. 2. Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com. 3. Insert your SD card and open Raspberry Pi Imager. 4. Click Choose OS → Use custom and select the OctoPi .img file. 5. Click Choose Storage and select your SD card. 6. Before writing, click the gear icon (⚙️) and configure: - Set hostname: octopi - Enable SSH (use password authentication) - Set username and password - Configure wireless LAN — enter your Wi-Fi SSID and password - Set locale settings to your timezone 7. Click Write and wait for the process to complete.

1. Remove the SD card from your computer and insert it into the Raspberry Pi.
2. Plug in the 5V power supply — the Pi will boot and automatically connect to your Wi-Fi.
3. Wait about 2–3 minutes for the first boot to finish.
4. On your computer, open a browser and navigate to http://octopi.local. If that doesn't resolve, find the Pi's IP address from your router's admin page and go to http://.

You should see the OctoPrint Setup Wizard.

Walk through the wizard:

1. Access Control — Create an admin username and password. Don't skip this. 2. Anonymous Usage Tracking — Your choice. 3. Connectivity Check — Leave defaults. 4. Plugin Blacklist — Enable it for security. 5. Default Printer Profile — Set up your Prusa: - Name: Prusa i3 MK3S+ - Model: Prusa i3 MK3S+ - Build Volume: 250 × 210 × 210 mm - Heated Bed: Yes - Heated Chamber: No - Origin: Lower Left - Form Factor: Rectangular

Click Finish and you'll land on the OctoPrint dashboard.

1. Power on your Prusa printer. 2. Connect the USB-B end to the printer and the USB-A end to the Raspberry Pi. 3. In OctoPrint, go to the Connection panel on the left sidebar. 4. Select: - Serial Port: /dev/ttyACM0 (usually auto-detected) - Baudrate: 115200 5. Click Connect.

The status should change to "Operational". You can now see your printer's temperature readings in real time.

The Prusa's Einsy board supplies 5V power through its USB port, which can conflict with the Pi's own power supply and cause random reboots.

Fix this by putting tape over the 5V pin on the USB cable, or by disabling it in firmware:

1. On the printer LCD, go to Settings → RPi Port.
2. Set it to Off.

This ensures the Pi is powered solely by its own PSU.

You're set! Here's how to print:

1. Slice your model in PrusaSlicer as usual.
2. Instead of saving to SD, export the G-code file.
3. In OctoPrint, click the Upload button and select your .gcode file.
4. Once uploaded, click the Print icon next to the file.
5. Monitor temperature, progress, and even watch a live camera feed (if you add a Pi camera later).

You can access OctoPrint from any device on your network — phone, tablet, or laptop.

Head to Settings → Plugin Manager → Get More and install these:

• OctoPrint-PrusaSlicerThumbnails — Shows model thumbnails from PrusaSlicer.
• OctoLapse — Creates smooth timelapse videos of your prints.
• Bed Level Visualizer — Visualize your mesh bed leveling data.
• Print Time Genius — More accurate time estimates.
• Themeify — Dark mode for OctoPrint.

These make the experience much more polished.

• Can't reach octopi.local? Use the IP address directly. Install Angry IP Scanner to find it.
• Connection drops randomly? Check the 5V power conflict fix in Step 5. Also try a shorter USB cable.
• Slow interface? A Raspberry Pi 3B can be sluggish — Pi 4 with 2 GB+ RAM is the sweet spot.
• Serial port not showing up? Try a different USB cable — some are charge-only and don't carry data.