Most users don’t need to read this section. But if your WiFi access point has no WPS button, or if you want to set a static IP address, or enable SSH access, this section is for you.
Reminder: Always remove and insert the SD card only when the base station is unplugged from the power outlet!
Configuration Using the Windows Application
The simplest way to configure the base station is to insert the SD card into your computer's card reader (running Windows), and launch the WinRtkBaseConfigure.exe application. You can find the application on the SD card, or download it from our GitHub repository using the provided link.
The app includes five configuration sections, which are described below. Check the boxes for the settings you want to change, then enter your values. When finished, click Save. The app will automatically detect the SD card and write the configuration to it. Then, reinsert the SD card back into the base station.
WiFi Network Connection
To configure WiFi, check the WiFi box and enter your SSID and password (key) in the Key field. If you're connecting to a hidden network, check the Hidden SSID box.
Adding a User
To add a user, check the user box and enter:
- LOGIN – the username
- PWD – the password (optional)
- SSH – the user's public SSH key (optional)
To load a public SSH key, click “Load SSH public key”, select your key file, and click Open. The app will suggest using your own public key (typically created in the “.ssh” directory when installing an SSH client), but you can select any key file.
Static IP for Ethernet
This section is for advanced/professional users only. Most home users can skip it.
To set a static IP for the Ethernet interface:
- Check the Ethernet IP box
- Set the mode to Static
- Enter the following:
- IP address of the base station
- Subnet prefix (typically 24 or 16)
- Gateway address (for internet access)
- DNS server address
If your network doesn’t have internet access, leave the DNS blank. If your setup involves a direct connection from the base station to a laptop (no router/gateway), leave the gateway blank.
Static IP for WiFi
This section is also for advanced users. Most home users do not need it. Setting a static IP for WiFi works exactly the same as for Ethernet. Follow the steps described above in the "Static IP for Ethernet”.
Configuration via Text File
If you don't have access to Windows computer, or if you prefer to understand the configuration process in more detail, you can configure the base station using a plain text editor.
To configure the system, insert the SD card into a card reader and create a file named system.txt in the root directory of the first partition on the card (this is usually the only visible partition in Windows).
This file should contain parameter-value pairs, each on its own line, using the format: parameter_name=value
If the value contains spaces, the entire value must be enclosed in double quotes. You can use any type of line ending — both Windows-style (\r\n) and Linux-style (\n) are supported.
The system.txt file is processed at startup by the Base Station, and deleted from the disk after it is applied. You can check whether the configuration was applied successfully (or if there were any errors) by visiting the Diagnostic page of the web interface. Scroll down to the section related to the RtkbaseSystemConfigure service. See the section “” for details on how to open the Diagnostic page.
WiFi Standard
Different countries allow different frequencies for WiFi operation, so the standard is set by choosing the country according to the ISO 3166-1 two-letter code. For example, the string country=LV means Latvia. For the USA, you should write COUNTRY=US.
Connecting to WiFi
The SSID (name) of the WiFi network is set in the SSID parameter, and the key (password) for access to the network is set in the KEY parameter (which can be omitted). For a network with a hidden SSID, add HIDDEN=Y.
For example:
SSID=$'A B C'
KEY=$'`\"$\'\\|/\x7F\u0409\u00B6'
HIDDEN=Y
The SSID and password, as well as the user password, can be defined using ANSI C string rules, allowing the use of characters in both HEX and UNICODE formats.
Adding Users
To add a user, you need to set their login (LOGIN), password (PWD), and/or SSH public key (SSH) for the user who will log in to the Raspberry Pi.
For example:
LOGIN=abc
PWD=”1 23”
SSH="ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2ENT8cu66peHViuOU5CQF abc@comp"
Quotes for SSH are mandatory. The username is specified in lowercase Latin letters and can include numbers, underscores, and hyphens. The password can include HEX and UNICODE characters and must also follow ANSI C string rules.
Static IP
To assign a static IP, you need to set the static address of the Raspberry Pi, the subnet prefix (usually 24 or 16), the gateway address for internet access, and the DNS server address. Fields starting with ETH are used for Ethernet, and those starting with WIFI are used for WiFi.
For example:
ETH_IP="192.168.1.2/24"
ETH_GATE="192.168.1.1"
ETH_DNS="1.1.1.1"
WIFI_IP="192.168.1.3/24"
WIFI_GATE="192.168.1.1"
WIFI_DNS="8.8.8.8"
If you are using the Base Station in a network without internet access, do not specify a DNS. If your network has no gateway (for example, a direct connection between the Base Station and a laptop), do not specify a gateway.
Reconfiguration While Running
This section is intended for advanced users and rare professional scenarios. Occasionally, a base station is installed in a remote location where physically accessing the SD card is not feasible. For example, you may need to add a new user for SSH access, but the station is located far away.
In such cases, you can perform a live reconfiguration by downloading the RtkBaseConfigure.sh file and editing it using a text editor that preserves line endings — for example, Notepad++ or Far Manager.
First, review the section titled “Configuration via Text File.” Then, uncomment and modify the necessary lines in the script according to your requirements.
Once edited, upload the modified file to the base station using the manual update feature. To do this:
- Go to the following URL: http://rtkbase.local/settings?update=manual
- Click on the “Check Update” button.
- In the form that opens, click “Choose file”, select the modified RtkBaseConfigure.sh file, and then click “Submit.”
The message will contain logs showing whether the configuration was successfully applied. After reading the message, click “Cancel” to close the window.
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