I don't normally use forums, but I'm completely stuck with this one... Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Equipement:
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
Raspberry Pi Imager v2.0.6
macOS Tahoe
Goal:
Setup the pi headlessly via ssh (because I don't have a keyboard or monitor I can plug into...)
Imager works fine, I created a user and password, enabled ssh, wrote to the sd card etc.
Initially I tried ssh over my network, but couldn't see the pi appear. I tried both my home network and phone hotspot; nothing.
The pi boots fine though, solid green after ~30 seconds.
Instead I tried enabling USB gadget mode which worked. I could see the pi and its ip in my mac's network settings.
I tried to ssh in with the ip and I got a password prompt, but the password was rejected.
Maybe it's a typo? I tried again, I tried reflashing with Imager to make sure the password and user was definitely correct. I tried a super simple password, double checked keyboard layout settings, everything.
Eventually I tried public key authentication instead, copied my mac's public key in, tried ssh again; still gave the password prompt...
It's been 4 hours... I've run out of ideas. I've tried searching for people with the same issue, but it's all people getting stuck on previous steps. I've tried adding an empty ssh file in the boot partition, but I know ssh is running because I get the password prompt... Have I missed something incredibly stupid? Probably... This is my first 'hardware' project, I was trying to start simple... XD
Please don't tell me I have to buy a monitor, keyboard, and cables/adapters just to set this thing setup ahaha!
Equipement:
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
Raspberry Pi Imager v2.0.6
macOS Tahoe
Goal:
Setup the pi headlessly via ssh (because I don't have a keyboard or monitor I can plug into...)
Imager works fine, I created a user and password, enabled ssh, wrote to the sd card etc.
Initially I tried ssh over my network, but couldn't see the pi appear. I tried both my home network and phone hotspot; nothing.
The pi boots fine though, solid green after ~30 seconds.
Instead I tried enabling USB gadget mode which worked. I could see the pi and its ip in my mac's network settings.
I tried to ssh in with the ip and I got a password prompt, but the password was rejected.
Maybe it's a typo? I tried again, I tried reflashing with Imager to make sure the password and user was definitely correct. I tried a super simple password, double checked keyboard layout settings, everything.
Eventually I tried public key authentication instead, copied my mac's public key in, tried ssh again; still gave the password prompt...
It's been 4 hours... I've run out of ideas. I've tried searching for people with the same issue, but it's all people getting stuck on previous steps. I've tried adding an empty ssh file in the boot partition, but I know ssh is running because I get the password prompt... Have I missed something incredibly stupid? Probably... This is my first 'hardware' project, I was trying to start simple... XD
Please don't tell me I have to buy a monitor, keyboard, and cables/adapters just to set this thing setup ahaha!
Statistics: Posted by djw0279 — Wed Feb 11, 2026 12:34 pm — Replies 3 — Views 100