Personal Tech
Remote access software could bring mixed fleets under one roof, assuming enough people ask for it
Administrators who want a Windows version of Raspberry Pi Connect need to register their interest, or else the Pi team might ditch the concept.
Raspberry Pi Connect is a tool that
lets admins remotely access a Raspberry Pi device from a web browser.
It launched in 2024 as a free service for individuals and was later joined by Raspberry Pi Connect for Organizations,
aimed at commercial customers with fleets of devices, costing $0.50 per
device per month.
$0.50 per device per month is cheap for a commercial remote access solution on Windows. In response to queries on the subject, the
Raspberry Pi team made a Windows version of the service available, albeit as a highly experimental demo not intended for production, at the end of April.
Gordon Hollingworth, CTO of Software at
Raspberry Pi, told The Register: “The Raspberry Pi Connect daemon
implementation is currently closed source, but we intend to open source it
eventually so it can be added to other architectures.”
Hollingworth noted that the Windows version
was working in early beta form, saying: “We think it may be useful for
our customers to control all their devices from one place. But we are still investigating the concept and may remove this capability if there’s insufficient interest.”
For admins managing mixed fleets of
devices, it’s an interesting option, though the company would face
stiff competition in the Windows market if it decides to proceed. Raspberry Pi
has quietly added more enterprise-friendly features over time. Tags can now be applied to devices (for example, to show their
location or purpose), and it is possible to require two-factor authentication
for members of Connect for Organizations.
The company’s computers have long been a low-cost
option for businesses considering thin clients, and its most recent crop of hardware
releases, such as the computer-in-a-keyboard Pi 500 and Pi 500+ devices, could replace existing desktops.
Should the Windows version of Raspberry Pi
Connect attract enough interest to progress beyond its early beta
state, it will represent another inroad into the enterprise computing space. ®
