NanoKVM DIY: Build Your Own Control for ANY Device - Complete Setup and Required Walkthrough
129Saturday June 21, 2025 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET
Let's build our own remote PC control - ALL STEPS AND REQUIRED PARTS BELOW!
COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH:
My suspicion about DD write mode missing from Rufus was spot on!
The proper process is to download the latest IMG file (if IMG is not in the filename, it is NOT an IMG file)
So, I go to this site:
https://github.com/sipeed/NanoKVM/releases/tag/v1.4.0
and download the latest image file, which as of today is called:
20250217_NanoKVM_Rev1_4_0.img.xz
Then I use this Rufus alternative called Etcher, also free, from here:
https://etcher.download/download-etcher/
There is no need to decompress the img file. Linux community mis-uses proper defined terms such as FLASH or BURN when the rest of the industry uses the word WRITE. FLASHING is a long established term used for writing fireware on eeprom chips, BURNING is a term used for writing data to optical media. WRITING is the term used for recording data on ALL OTHER MEDIA TYPES.
So, to translate Linux to proper computer terminology, you want to do a BLOCK-by-BLOCK write (Linux calls this DD, which means DATA DEFINITION from the old IBM days that the Linux community have also mis-used and redefined as well), to a flash media card (this is NOT flashing!) using Etcher because Rufus no longer offers DD write mode.
You will need a Windows computer with a memory card reader. If you do not have a memory card reader, there are hundreds of USB memory card readers to choose from at Amazon starting around $6. I like this one:
https://amzn.to/3I1Hvd4
How to use 'balena Etcher' is shown, step-by-step, here:
https://wiki.sipeed.com/hardware/en/kvm/NanoKVM/system/flashing.html
When done, insert the memory card into the NanoKVM Lite and boot to it.
Use ARP -A at command prompt to see all your local IP addresses.
Plug in the NanoKVM Lite to the USB and HDMI ports to the PC you want to control (while the PC is OFF). Plug an ethernet cable into the NanoKVM and turn on the PC on. Give it about a minute, and go back to the command prompt and type ARP -A and look for an IP address that was not in the previous list. That is the IP address of your NanoKVM Lite!
Open a browser tab, type in that new IP address and login with username admin, password admin.
Then you will be required to enter a new user name and a new password.
Then click the gear/settings icon on the page that opens, and select to CHECK FOR UPDATES and install the latest update. After that, go back to SETTINGS (gear icon) and select ABOUT and look for HOSTNAME. Click the blue clipboard to edit the hostname (mDNS) you may want to change the mDNS name to something simple, such as Nanokvm, so you can simply type that in the browser (nanokvm.local) when you want to use remote access on your local network without having to find the IP address each time.
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PARTS LIST:
NanoKVM DIY Development Board
https://amzn.to/44mZZxw
32GB Micro SD Card (sometimes called Trans Flash or TF Card)
https://amzn.to/4kYwNTe
Short, thin HDMI cable:
https://amzn.to/4e7Nh94
Short, thin USB C to USB A data sync cable (not a cheap charging-only cable!):
https://amzn.to/4jUVdfa
USB Memory card reader (optional, if needed to create boot image):
https://amzn.to/3I1Hvd4
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