Raspberry Pi OS Adds Easier Networking, Open Source Camera Tools

The latest version of the Raspberry Pi OS adds menu search, a more popular network and VPN manager, and plenty of camera and machine learning capabilities thanks to a new open source camera package.

None of these add-ons will do you much good if you can’t find a Raspberry Pi for less than twice the price, but they will likely make the Pi much easier to set up when you can get it.

The Pi OS main menu is now text searchable and provides instant results as you type. It’s not a dedicated search box, but it appears if you press the Raspberry/Windows key or click the menu button and start typing.

The audio input and output icons on the taskbar have been separated so you don’t have to dig through your audio settings to set their separate levels. You will see a microphone icon if you connect something to the Pi that can record via USB or Bluetooth. Clicking this icon will give you a quick volume slider and a mute button.

The biggest change is support for NetworkManager, the most widely known Wi-Fi management tool on Linux distributions. Compared to the default dhcpcd tool, NetworkManager connects to hidden wireless networks and VPNs more easily and quickly turns your Raspberry Pi into a wireless hotspot. It won’t be set by default for either updates or freshly flashed images, but you can enable it with a few terminal commands detailed on the Raspberry Pi blog.

Another big change to the Raspberry Pi OS is tucked away and waiting to be discovered by anyone with a camera connected to their system. Picamera2 is a Python camera library, an open source alternative and enhancement to Broadcom’s proprietary and proprietary APIs. Picamera2 makes it easy to access and control cameras with scripts, embed camera tools in apps, and more.

However, the most interesting thing is the built-in support for NumPy, a scientific computing module that allows you to perform all sorts of learning experiments (for example, generate Ars headers). The Pi blog recently demonstrated how TensorFlow Lite works with Picamera2 to do things like tell apples from bananas.

You can get the latest Pi OS image from the Raspberry Pi download page, use the Raspberry Pi Imager, or upgrade an existing installation.