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. After that, safely eject the SD card by clicking “Eject” in the SD card’s context menu in the system tray. 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.
Network Manager
Starting with version 1.9.9, the web interface includes a Network Manager. It allows you to configure WiFi through the browser: connect the station to an existing network, or turn the station into a WiFi access point of its own.
Open the Settings page and find the Network row in the System settings section. Click the Manage network button. The Network manager window opens:
The window contains, from top to bottom:
• Address table — the station's network interfaces and the addresses assigned to them. eth0 is the wired interface, wlan0 is the WiFi client, ap0 is the access point.
• WiFi region — the country the station is located in.
• WiFi switch and Refresh button — enable the radio and rescan for networks.
• Network list — Connected: the network the station is currently joined to. Saved networks: networks whose passwords the station remembers. Available networks: everything currently on the air.
• Access Point mode — the station broadcasts its own WiFi. The header shows an Online/Offline lamp with the actual band and channel, and an Auto-start switch.
Set the region first
WiFi frequencies and channels are regulated differently in each country. Select the country the station is installed in:
Until a region is set, the station uses a minimal, globally permitted channel set. Some networks — 5 GHz networks in particular — stay invisible, and the access point cannot be configured at all.
The region is applied immediately and survives reboots — no further action is needed.
Sometimes the station picks up a country on its own: WiFi networks broadcast their country code, and when the station joins one, that code becomes active temporarily. The Network manager then shows the detected country with a Keep button next to it:
Click Keep to make the detected country the station's permanent region, or pick a different one from the list. A temporary country is not recorded and disappears on reboot.
Connecting to a network
Find your network under Available networks. Each entry shows:
• Signal strength — the bars on the left; more green bars mean better reception.
• A padlock — the network is password-protected.
• Band and channel — 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, with the channel number the access point operates on.
• MAC address — the access point's hardware identifier.
A network may appear in the list twice. This is a single access point broadcasting on both bands — either entry works; the 5 GHz one is usually faster at short range, the 2.4 GHz one reaches further.
Click your network to open the connection dialog:
Enter the network password and click Connect. No other settings are required — Remember this network is selected by default, so the station will rejoin on its own.
A few seconds later the network moves to the Connected section, along with the address the station has received:
Disconnect leaves the network but does not erase the password: the entry simply moves to Saved networks.
Joining a network does not require turning the access point off: the station has a single radio, so while both are active the access point simply moves to the channel of the connected network. This is normal and is reported in the access point card (see below).
Saved networks
Each saved network has a three-dot menu on the right:
• Connect — join this network.
• Auto-connect — whether the station rejoins this network on its own.
• Change password — update the stored password, for example after changing it on the router.
• IP settings — select automatic (DHCP) or static addressing. Intended for advanced deployments; most installations should keep DHCP.
• Forget — remove the network and delete its stored password.
Several profiles of the same network name may be listed at once — for example a normal one and a hidden one. The hidden mark in the entry tells them apart.
Hidden network
A hidden network does not broadcast its name and therefore does not appear in the list. Click Add hidden network, enter its name, security type and password:
Access Point mode
Instead of joining an existing network, the station can broadcast one of its own, much like a portable router.
The card header holds the whole state at a glance:
• Access Point mode switch — turns the point on and off. Turning it off applies immediately.
• Online/Offline lamp — whether the point is actually broadcasting, and on which band and channel. This is the live state of the radio, not the stored settings.
• Auto-start switch — the station raises the point by itself when it is left with no network at all (no WiFi connection, no cable) for a few minutes, and stops it once the station is back online. A point raised this way carries an auto-started badge.
To configure the point, set the region first — the access point cannot be started without one. Then turn on the Access Point mode switch; the settings unfold below:
• SSID — the network name the station broadcasts. The station's own name by default.
• Security — the security type. WPA2 + WPA3 is recommended where offered: it is supported by both older and newer devices.
• Password — at least 8 characters. A factory default is pre‑filled; the eye button shows the current value. Change it and record it somewhere safe.
• Hidden network — suppresses broadcasting of the SSID. Rarely necessary.
• Band, Channel (frequency) — the frequencies used for broadcasting. If you are unsure, leave the defaults (Auto): the station picks a legal channel itself.
• AP IP address, Subnet mask — the station's address in its own network, 192.168.1.1 by default.
Two buttons finish the job:
• Save — records the settings without touching the air. Use it to prepare or update the point — change its password, say — while it stays off.
• Save & Start — records the settings and starts the point.
While the point is broadcasting, the button reads Save & Restart: applying new settings to a live point restarts it, and its clients reconnect.
One radio, one channel. The access point and a WiFi connection work at the same time by sharing the channel: while a network is connected, the point stands on that network's channel, whatever is selected in the form. The card says so in plain text, and the Band/Channel selectors are locked until nothing is connected. Your selection is not lost — the point returns to it as soon as the connection is gone.
Scanning note. On some channels (5 GHz 52–64) the radio cannot scan for other networks while the point is broadcasting on them — the network list then explains this instead of showing networks. Connections to already saved networks are not affected, and the list returns as soon as the point is off, on 2.4 GHz, or has moved to the channel of a connected network.
Access point settings persist across reboots: if the station is powered off while the access point is active, it comes back up broadcasting.
Copying WiFi settings to another station
The Export and Import buttons at the bottom of the window save the complete WiFi configuration — region, saved networks with passwords, access point settings — to a file, and load it onto another station.
