Basic Box Supplies

A basic Butter Box setup is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with a microSD card running the Butter software, a USB stick, powered by a USB source like a power cord, power bank or solar panel.

In most setups like this, a Butter Box can comfortably handle 4–10 connected devices at once without slowing down. It’s possible to have more, but performance may drop if everyone is downloading large files or videos at the same time.

The reach for it is about 5–10 meters indoors, depending on the Raspberry Pi model and depending on walls and interference. Outdoors, in open space, it can sometimes reach farther. Think of it like the range of a home Wi-Fi router — enough to cover a classroom, a coffee shop, meeting space, or small outdoor gathering.

Supplies

• Raspberry Pi Zero 2W (64 Bit) https://www.adafruit.com/product/5291; Or you can buy a kit here: https://www.canakit.com/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w.html

• Power Cord that accompanies the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W or an alternative power supply

• Micro SD Card: Images with the Butter software are usually under 16 GB (we suggest 256 GB). Media that people upload to the chat ends up on the card; it never gets cleared.

• USB drive (min 32 GB)

• Adapters (as needed)

  • Micro USB/Male to USB A/Female

  • A dongle to connect the micro SD card to your laptop (if needed)

Once you have your supplies, continue in the Install Butter section.

Install Butter