Pi-Star: login, default password and dashboard access

Pi-Star is the most popular firmware for DMR hotspots built on the Raspberry Pi. But the first boot often leaves people stumped: where do you type the address, what login and password do you use, and what do you do if the page simply won't open? In this article we walk through everything in order — from powering up the Pi to changing the password and fixing the typical access errors.

How to open the Pi-Star dashboard

After its first start, Pi-Star brings up a built-in web server. You can reach the interface in three ways.

• By hostname (mDNS). In your browser's address bar type http://pi-star.local/ — this works on Windows 10/11, macOS and Linux as long as the computer is on the same local network and supports mDNS (Bonjour/Avahi). This is the most convenient option for most users.
• By IP address. If mDNS doesn't work, open your router's web interface or run a network scanner (for example, Advanced IP Scanner or nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24). Find the device named "pi-star" and connect to its IP: http://192.168.x.x/.
• Via the captive portal. If Wi-Fi isn't set up yet, Pi-Star brings up its own access point with the SSID Pi-Star-Setup (default password — raspberry). Once connected to it, go to http://pi-star.local/ or http://172.24.1.1/ and enter your home network details.

Default login and password

The dashboard is protected by HTTP authentication. The standard credentials are:

• Login: pi-star
• Password: raspberry

These credentials apply to both classic Pi-Star and its successor WPSD (W0CHP-PiStar-Dash) — in the WPSD image the default user and password are the same. That said, always check the documentation for the exact image version you wrote to the card: in some builds the default password may differ.

Interface sections: Dashboard, Configuration, Expert

After logging in you land on the dashboard's main page. It shows the hotspot's status, active connections and signal level. Two other sections are needed for configuration:

• Configuration — the main setup screen: operating mode (DMR, D-Star, YSF…), master server, frequency, Color Code, operator DMR ID. This is exactly where you change the web interface password (the "Pi-Star Admin Password" field).
• Expert → MMDVMHost — fine-tuning of the parameters in the MMDVM.ini file: TX power, delay, RSSI. Beginners don't need to touch this section.
• Expert → SSH Access — a button to enable SSH access straight from the browser, without editing the SD card.

For more on all configuration parameters, read the article Initial Pi-Star setup.

SSH access

The command line is needed for diagnostics, manual file edits and updates. Pi-Star runs SSH on the non-standard port 2222 (not 22). To connect:

• PuTTY: host pi-star.local, port 2222, user pi-star.
• Linux/macOS terminal: ssh -p 2222 pi-star@pi-star.local
• Browser option: http://pi-star.local:2222 opens the web console (if enabled via Expert → SSH Access).

SSH access is disabled by default in some versions — enable it through Expert → SSH Access in the web interface. The password is the same: raspberry (until you change it). Note: SSH doesn't accept passwords with the special characters # and *, so if you use them you won't be able to log in over SSH.

Mandatory password change

There are two ways to change the password:

• Via the web interface: Configuration → the "Change Password" section (or a similar block depending on the version), enter the new password and save. The page will reload and ask for the new credentials.
• Via SSH: run the command pistar-passwd and follow the prompts, or use htpasswd /var/www/.htpasswd pi-star.

After changing the password through the web interface, the password for the pi-star SSH user is also updated automatically.

Configuring Wi-Fi before the first boot

If you don't have an Ethernet cable and the captive portal is inconvenient, you can set up Wi-Fi right on the SD card before inserting it into the Pi:

• Insert the card into your computer — the boot partition (FAT32) will appear.
• Create a file named wpa_supplicant.conf in the root of the boot partition. Contents:

country=RU
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1

network={
    ssid="YourNetwork"
    psk="YourPassword"
    key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}

On the first boot Pi-Star finds this file, applies the settings and deletes it from the boot partition. Alternatively, use the online generator on the Pi-Star website (WiFi Builder) — it produces a correctly formatted file with no formatting errors.

Common access problems and their fixes

The page won't open at pi-star.local

mDNS is sometimes blocked by corporate antivirus software or the Windows firewall. Try:

• Open your router's interface and find the hotspot's IP in the list of connected devices.
• Temporarily disable the VPN or firewall on your computer.
• Make sure Pi-Star has connected to the network (does the green LED on the Raspberry Pi blink after boot).
• Wait 2–3 minutes after powering on — Pi-Star boots more slowly than ordinary Linux.

If the hotspot sits behind a double NAT (the ISP's router plus yours), access from outside may be closed off. Details are in the article A hotspot behind NAT: caveats and solutions.

Forgot the password — how to reset it

If you've lost the password and can't log in to either the web interface or SSH, there are two options:

• Editing the SD card on Linux/macOS. Remove the card, mount the ext4 partition (the second partition), open the file /var/www/.htpasswd and replace the hash with the command htpasswd /path/to/.htpasswd pi-star — enter the new password. Put the card back.
• Re-flashing the image. The most reliable way is to download a fresh Pi-Star or WPSD image and write it again. You'll have to enter the settings from scratch, but the system will be clean and up to date.

The browser keeps asking for the login over and over

Some browsers (especially in incognito mode) don't save HTTP authentication. Try adding the credentials directly into the URL: http://pi-star:raspberry@pi-star.local/ — for diagnostics only, not for permanent use.

An "Incorrect password" error with the correct credentials

Make sure Caps Lock is off. Pi-Star is case-sensitive. If you changed the password through Expert → SSH and used special characters, try without them — the SSH authenticator rejects them.

Pi-Star or WPSD — which image to choose

Classic Pi-Star has barely been developed since 2022. Its active successor is WPSD (W0CHP-PiStar-Dash): the same interface, the same default login/password (pi-star / raspberry), but with support for current hardware, recent MMDVMHost versions and regular updates. If you're building a hotspot from scratch — look toward WPSD.

For a full overview of the differences, read the article Pi-Star and RadioStar: what's the difference.

An alternative: RadioStar removes all this fuss

The steps described above are the norm for "vanilla" Pi-Star: remember the login, change the password, write the Wi-Fi config correctly, don't get lost in the Expert sections. It's a one-time job, but it takes time and easily goes wrong.

The RadioStar image is a fork of Pi-Star tailored to the DMRhub network. After you write it to the card and connect to Wi-Fi, the hotspot pulls your DMR ID, frequency, Color Code and server secret from the portal by itself. There's no need to dig into Configuration and fill in dozens of fields — everything arrives automatically via OTA provisioning straight from your account. The only thing you need to do manually is change the web interface password, just as on regular Pi-Star.

If you're not registered with DMRhub yet, start by getting a DMR ID — it's free and takes a minute.