Portable RPi

[Pi-n-Mash]

I've got my Debian image set up with ssh and vnc, so I don't need to attach a screen or keyboard any more and I was thinking about how to show off my RPi to others using my laptop (running Windows 7).

I came up with the following solution using Windows Internet Connection Sharing.

Assumptions

1. The laptop has a wireless and an ethernet connection.

2. The RPi is set up with ssh and vncserver.

Step 1

Set up internet connection sharing on the laptop. For Windows 7, the following will do it:
Control Panel -> Network and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings.
Right click on "Wireless Network Connection" and select Properties
Click on the Sharing tab
Select "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" and under Home networking connection select "Local Area Connection"
Click OK and accept the warning about the laptop ethernet connection being reconfigured.

Step 2

Connect the RPi to the laptop's ethernet connection instead of your router and power it up.

Step 3

Connect to the RPi using ssh and/or vnc and impress your friends!

Step 4

When you get home, if you want to connect to your router using ethernet, turn off Internet Connection Sharing on the wireless connection. If you normally connect wirelessly, you don't even need to do that.

I'm off to try it!

[Pi-n-Mash]

Well it worked! My colleague was very impressed and showed me how to program in Scratch (well a little bit).
The sound didn't work of course - I don't think VNC will bring sound to the client computer, and I'm not sure sound works on the Debian image anyway.
But all in all, a great success - just needs the Rpi, a short ethernet cable and a mobile phone power supply. I've bodged a small carrying case so I'm all set to impress/bore silly other friends