Getting to Wifi during NOOBS install

[robertsirwin]

Hi folks. Not sure if this is the right forum...first time here.

I recently taught a class at a local Junior College where they have very strict security. We could only connect via wifi and even then after connecting to an "open" wifi network you have to go in with a web browser and log in with a userid and password. That login from the browser took place at this link: login.nomadix.com:1111 -- once the student logged in successfully from the userid/pw prompt on this page they were then granted full access to the internet. I don't know enough about networking to understand how all that works....but I am wondering if there is any way to initiate that login sequence from any kind of setup screen or file for the NOOBS os install.

The NOOBS SD card comes with Raspbian on the card...so we were able to install Raspbian on all the Pis for the kids...and use a browser to log in....but because we did not have a network connection during the NOOBS boot we could not install any other OSes....which was very limiting. I really wanted to show the kids some different versions of OSes like RISC, OpenELEC or OSMC, etc.

I ended up setting up a card at home with several OSes on it and giving them a demo of different OSes on a projector in the classroom...but I'm sure you agree that it's just not the same as them doing it themselves.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

ER

[Joe Schmoe]

First, NOOBS doesn't support WiFi - only wired - so even if you could get past the login screen, it wouldn't work. Now, as it turns out, I have a little device sitting around here somewhere that "converts" wireless into wired. I've often thought that that might be the answer to this often-asked-question - which boils down to "How do I do NOOBS when all I have is a wireless connection?" But I'm not sure how well it would work when there is this extra layer of annoyingware, er, I mean, security, inserted.

Second, it really sounds like you need to get hold of a "real" NOOBS card - the true NOOBS Heavy - which I don't know if they are still making available on the download site. Someone else can comment on that aspect...

[kusti8]

The NOOBS Heavy as Joe puts it can be possible by manually putting on all of the OS and then you can make a copy of that. It should be possible.

[Joe Schmoe]

The NOOBS Heavy as Joe puts it can be possible by manually putting on all of the OS and then you can make a copy of that. It should be possible.

Is it as simple as just copying a bunch of files to the card? Isn't there a config file (some json file or something like that) that needs to be updated as well?

And, note, BTW, that "just copying a bunch of files to the card" is not going to be all that easy/trivial for the new user...

[kusti8]

Yeah, you have to update the .json config file and some others, all documented on the Github page.

[Joe Schmoe]

Yeah, you have to update the .json config file and some others, all documented on the Github page.

Thanks.

BTW, I never understood the move to the "middleweight" version of NOOBS. It seems silly to have done it just so that the unzipped files would fit on a 4Gb card - who has cards that small nowadays? And it seems pointless in general, since if you want a quick download and a network based install, then use NOOBS Lite and if you want heavy, then go heavy. The in-between makes no sense to me.

[robertsirwin]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I have been thinking about the "heavy" option... I think the cards that come with the kits are 8 gig...I will have to see what OSes I can get on that card without pushing the limit too much.

I will pursue the "heavy" option. I assume if I can't sort out getting one card set up and cloning it to the other cards ... worst case scenario I should be able to manually install multi-OSes onto the card from home where i will have a wired connection??

Thanks again,

ER