USB Dongle Expansion Board for Raspberry Pi Zero/Zero W

Really pleased with this, works well with the Pi Zero 1.3. Sadly it won't work with the 1.2 version, as the pogo pins don't line up. There are setup instructions in the box, additionally you'll need to do something so that the Pi zero allocates itself an IP address (for an ethernet gadget). Not all of the guides on the internet seem to work successfully. I did this (Linux, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) :- Add this line: dtoverlay=dwc2 to the bottom of /boot/config.txt Open /boot/cmdline.txt and after rootwait (the last word on the first line) add a space and then :- modules-load=dwc2,g_ether So it looks like this:- dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=serial0,115200 console=tty1 root=PARTUUID=a8790229-02 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline fsck.repair=yes rootwait modules-load=dwc2,g_ether quiet init=/usr/lib/raspi-config/init_resize.sh (You may then need to boot the SD card for the first timeon a Pi, to get the root filesystem to uncompress.) Then add the following to /etc/dhcpcd.conf:- interface usb0 static ip_address=10.0.0.2/24 static routers=10.0.0.1 static domain_name_servers=10.0.0.1, 8.8.8.8 Don't make any changes to /etc/interfaces (I have been advised). This should give the Pi Zero a static IP address of 10.0.0.2. Plug the dongle into your computer, wait til boot completes. Then on your big PC, do:- sudo ifconfig usb0 10.0.0.1 netmask 255.0.0.0 Now both ends of the "network" have IP addresses, the Pi is 10.0.0.2, the PC is 10.0.0.1. You can now ssh [email protected] from the big PC and it should work. Note that this worked for me, it may not be the best way, and may need additional configuration. Other guides will help to set up IP forwarding, so that the Pi zero can access the internet through the PC. That is why the nameserver list has 8.8.8.8 in it, one of Google's DNS servers.

Followed the instructions for initial set up and worked flawlessly first time. I've tried this with an old Zero and a newer Zero-W and both worked as expected. I am not sure why some reviews mention difficulties, I certainly have not experienced any and carry this in my kit bag now as a matter of course. It's quite easy to tweak the config, and I've tried various distros including Kali. I've not tried it but can't see any reason a remote desktop wouldn't work just as well as SSH.

This is a fab little item. No soldering required, fits together in minutes to your pi zero. If you have a USB battery module, simply plugs into your module. This a great little item that I thoroughly recommend.

Unfortunately this product did not work for me. I had set it up correctly (pins aligned well) but when plugged into a USB port only the LEDs worked the Pi was not powered. It is also probably more cumbersome than a regular case and micro-USB.

Pogo pins do not align with pads on early raspberry pi zeros without the camera port (v1.2) which makes it completely useless for these devices. No indication of this in the description.

Couldn’t mount the device on the raspberry pi. Pretty useless.

Really interesting idea of powering your Zero from your pc's usb port. Works well.

Quick delivery, good quality, didn't test functionality but might work good.