44Net Connect Quick Start: Raspberry Pi

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Revision as of 21:24, 29 May 2026 by KN6DWI (talk | contribs) (Added instruction to set chmod 600 permissions for WireGuard config file)


What you need

  • A 44Net Portal account
  • A verified amateur radio callsign
  • A Raspberry Pi with a working Raspberry Pi OS installation
  • Some sort of Internet access

If you haven't set up your Portal account or verified your callsign yet, see 44Net: Get Started for instructions.

Install Dependencies

Step 1: Ensure your OS is up to date

Open a terminal and run sudo apt-get update, then sudo apt-get upgrade.

Step 2: Install wireguard and systemd-resolved

Run sudo apt-get install wireguard systemd-resolved, then restart your Raspberry Pi. Restarting is required for systemd-resolved to function.

Step 3: Verify that systemd-resolved is enabled

Run systemctl status systemd-resolved. If the unit is running without issues, there will be a green asterisk or circle at the top left. The second line, beginning with "Loaded," should indicate that the unit is enabled. If it's not, run systemctl enable systemd-resolved to enable the unit. This will ensure that the unit starts automatically when your Raspberry Pi boots from now on.

The third line, beginning with "Active," should indicate that the unit is active (running). If it's not, run systemctl start systemd-resolved to start the unit. This will ensure that the unit is currently running.


Create your Connect tunnel

Step 1: Sign in to 44Net Connect


Step 2: Create your first tunnel

  • On the dashboard page, click the “Create Tunnel” button.

Step 3: Choose region and node

  • In the list of regions, click the region closest to you.
  • Nodes available in that region will appear.
  • Click a node to select it as your endpoint.

You can change endpoints later if needed.

Step 4: Name your tunnel

  • Enter a name for your tunnel (e.g. “Home Laptop” or “Raspberry Pi”)

Step 5: Save your new tunnel

  • Check or uncheck the option to receive tunnel details via email.
  • Click the “Create Tunnel” button.
  • Review the confirmation dialog and click “Save Changes” to proceed.

Configure your WireGuard client

  • On your Raspberry Pi, create a new file for your WireGuard configuration in /etc/wireguard/, for example /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf.
  • You can name this file however you want, but this file name will become the name of your WireGuard interface.
  • Paste the configuration text in from 44Net Connect, or if you prefer to use the file that was emailed to you, upload that one.

The first time you create your tunnel, the private key will be present in the config for you to copy. Every subsequent time you view the config in the portal, the private key will not be shown. Saving a backup of the private key in a secure place is recommended.

After creating your config file, set its permissions so that only the owner has read or write permissions. This can be done with the command sudo chmod 600 /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf. (Replace wg0 with the name of your file.)


Activate and connect

Activate your tunnel

  • Run the command wg-quick up wg0 (replace wg0 with the name of your configuration file if different).
  • If at this step WireGuard reports the error Failed to activate service 'org.freedesktop.resolve1': timed out, you may have forgotten to restart your Pi after installing systemd-resolved.

Confirm Connection in the Connect dashboard

  • Your tunnel status should show as "Active" with a green indicator.

  • The Endpoint field should show the IP address your device is connecting from, as well as the port it's using. This is not the 44Net IP from which your device is publicly accessible.
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