Linux Installation

Table of Contents

• Automatic Installation (New)
• Automated Install (Deprecated - 32 bit only)
• Manual Install (Deprecated - 32 bit only)
  • Build using SPIDEV (Deprecated - 32 bit only)

Generic Linux devices are supported via SPIDEV, PiGPIO, MRAA, RPi native via BCM2835, or using LittleWire.

Note

The SPIDEV option should work with most Linux systems supporting spi userspace device.

Automatic Installation (New)

Using CMake: (See the instructions using CMake for more information and options)

1. Download the install.sh file from https://github.com/nRF24/.github/blob/main/installer/install.sh

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nRF24/.github/main/installer/install.sh

2. Make it executable

   chmod +x install.sh

3. Run it and choose your options

   ./install.sh

   Warning

   SPIDEV is now always selected as the default driver because all other Linux drivers are being removed in the future. See RF24 issue #971 for rationale.

   It will also ask to install a python package named pyRF24. This is not the same as the traditionally provided python wrappers as the pyRF24 package can be used independent of the C++ installed libraries. For more information on this newer python package, please check out the pyRF24 documentation.

4. Try an example from one of the libraries

   cd ~/rf24libs/RF24/examples_linux

   Edit the gettingstarted example, to set your pin configuration

   nano gettingstarted.cpp

   Build the examples. Remember to set the RF24_DRIVER option according to the one that was selected during the scripted install.

   mkdir build && cd build
   cmake .. -D RF24_DRIVER=SPIDEV
   make

   Run the example

   sudo ./gettingstarted

See the instructions using CMake for more information and options

Automated Install (Deprecated - 32 bit only)

Designed & Tested on RPi - Defaults to SPIDEV on devices supporting it

1. Install prerequisites if there are any (pigpio, MRAA, LittleWire libraries, setup SPI device etc)
2. Download the install.sh file from http://tmrh20.github.io/RF24Installer/RPi/install.sh

   wget http://tmrh20.github.io/RF24Installer/RPi/install.sh

3. Make it executable

   chmod +x install.sh

4. Run it and choose your options

   ./install.sh

   Warning

   SPIDEV is now always selected as the default driver because all other Linux drivers are being removed in the future. See RF24 issue #971 for rationale.

5. Run an example from one of the libraries

   cd rf24libs/RF24/examples_linux

   Edit the gettingstarted example, to set your pin configuration

   nano gettingstarted.cpp
   make
   sudo ./gettingstarted

Manual Install (Deprecated - 32 bit only)

1. Install prerequisites if there are any (pigpio, MRAA, LittleWire libraries, setup SPI device etc)

   Note

   See the MRAA documentation for more info on installing MRAA

2. Make a directory to contain the RF24 and possibly RF24Network lib and enter it

   mkdir ~/rf24libs
   cd ~/rf24libs

3. Clone the RF24 repo

   git clone https://github.com/tmrh20/RF24.git RF24

4. Change to the new RF24 directory

   cd RF24

5. Configure build environment using the command:

   ./configure

   It automatically detects device and build environment.

   Warning

   SPIDEV is now always selected as the default driver because all other Linux drivers are being removed in the future. See RF24 issue #971 for rationale.

   For overriding automatic detections, use command-line arguments, see

   ./configure --help

   for description.

6. Build the library, and run an example file

   make
   sudo make install

   cd examples_linux

   Edit the gettingstarted example, to set your pin configuration

   ano gettingstarted.cpp
   make
   sudo ./gettingstarted

Build using SPIDEV (Deprecated - 32 bit only)

1. Make sure that spi device support is enabled and /dev/spidev<a>.<b> is present
2. Manual Install using SPIDEV:

   ./configure --driver=SPIDEV
   make
   sudo make install

3. See the gettingstarted example for an example of pin configuration