Off the Grid

I am lucky enough to have access to my extended family's remote cabin. It's beautiful and remote (Figure 1), but there is no grid – no electricity or Internet, not even by cell service. I set up a solar-powered WiFi access point that hosts exactly one website: a place to share files. This lets the different people who visit the cabin exchange info with the next group who is staying. It's kind of fun, too: The shared data includes practical things like the new phone number of the fellow who delivers propane and playful things like photos of people swimming.

Getting Started

It might sound easy, but it took me about two weeks to figure this all out. I started with the goal of running Nextcloud on a device that uses the smallest amount of power possible, as power is in short supply. I knew that the "W" in Raspberry Pi Zero W meant built-in WiFi and the "Zero" indicated a small, low-power form factor. My first attempts with a Pi Zero W model (released in 2017) showed that it was too slow, so I ordered a Pi Zero 2 W (released in 2021). It has four cores, and its speed is adequate.

I also bought two different cases to try. Some have more openings than others, and I wanted black to be low-key. Since this project only requires WiFi and no HAT or buttons, I preferred the case with fewer openings. You can attach a WiFi antenna, but in my testing it wasn't necessary to cover the cabin. If you're just starting with the Pi Zero, I would recommend buying a kit: Mine came with an HDMI adapter, a USB power cord with an on/off switch, and an SD card, among other handy things. The Zero has two USB ports: for power and, well, non-power uses. I bought a USB hub so I could plug a keyboard and mouse into the non-power USB port. I already had a mouse, keyboard and HDMI monitor. With all this set up, I was able to use it like a regular, albeit slightly slow desktop computer (Figure 2). I read that the typical power consumption of a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is 350mA, making it one of the most energy-efficient options of Raspberry Pi models [1].

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