FPP 5.0 looks different – here’s how to install and begin setup on your first FPP device!
If you have a raspberry pie or beagle bone type computer and you are wondering how to install FPP on it we are here to help!
First Steps
The first thing you will want to do is to grab an FPP device and an SD card. A great option is an SD card that is made for security cameras. These types of SD cards are designed for a lot of writing and re-writing and data access. They tend to have a longer life for this type of use which is fantastic because this is what FPP uses.
Another neat little “something extra” is that these will usually have a clock on them to keep the time in case your power goes out for any reason.
SD Card Setup
Once you get your SD card plugged in you can google FPP download. This will take you directly to the “releases” page where you can download it.
The page with the latest download version will pop up with some basic instructions to follow depending on what device you have chosen to use. Just make sure that you follow the instructions for your specific computer type.
Downloading Balena
While your SD card download is processing you will then begin to download another app called Balena Etcher.
When everything finishes downloading you will not need to unzip it or anything. You will instead actually write it to the SD card using the Etcher program.
Once downloaded launch your Balena Etcher. The first thing you will do within this program is to choose your SD card. Usually it will choose the appropriate one by default but just double check it to be safe. You will then hit “flash from file” and choose the file that downloaded then hit “flash”. Again, no need to unzip your file!
Typically the program will then go through its process to run through and install it to your selected card. Depending on the speed of your card reader this could take a little while, so do your best to be patient so that it can fully complete all that it needs to.
It is worth noting that occasionally there are some issues with the SD card and so you may need to reformat the card to get it working properly. For minor issues like this there is an app called SD Card Formatter at sdcard.org which can be incredibly helpful in getting your SD card properly formatted and working with your Etcher program.
Inserting SD Card
Once the SD card is ready to go you will then insert it into your raspberry pie or beagle bone. Most pies have a spring loaded SD card slot.
When you are looking at the bottom of your micro computer typically the writing faces down (towards you) and then the card is inserted upwards. It will only go in one way.
You are then ready to take it and plug it in!
Plugging In
Once your SD card is inserted you can then plug it in to your computer and network. It’s easiest getting started to plug it into your home network. Don’t forget to also plug it into the power source.
If you have a wireless pie with a wireless adapter you can check out the process of setting up Kulp controllers to make your life a bit easier.
Once on your network you should then be able to go to http://fpp.local to find your FPP.
FPP Setup
When you first launch FPP 5.0 and newer you will get brought to a setup screen. This is where you will do your initial setup.
It will walk you through the steps to customize your setup how you like it. Just follow the prompts and directions on the launch page accordingly to suit your computer.
Closing
Once everything is set up and rebooted fully your FPP is ready to go!