Speedify Setup Guide for Raspberry Pi

This article covers everything you need to know to get Speedify running on a Raspberry Pi - from installation to tips that'll save you time and frustration along the way.

Requirements

  • Raspberry Pi, preferably a Raspberry Pi 4 or Newer 
  • Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) installed
  • At least one active internet connection (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or tethered phone)

Let's Get Started

Step 1: Install Speedify

Installing Speedify on the Raspberry Pi follows the standard Linux process. Head over to How to Install Speedify on Linux and follow the instructions there.

Once installed, the Speedify background service will start automatically and run every time your device boots. Note that Speedify won't automatically connect to the VPN by default - see the Automatic Start section below if you'd like to change that.

Step 2: Enable Predictable Network Interface Names

By default, Raspbian names network adapters in the order they're detected at boot. If you have multiple adapters of the same type, their names can swap after a reboot, which can cause Speedify to lose track of your connection settings. To lock in consistent names, run the following command:

sudo raspi-config

Then navigate through the menus: Advanced Options > Network interface names. When prompted, select <Yes> to enable predictable network names, then exit the utility.

Reboot your Raspberry Pi for the change to take effect. After rebooting, external adapters will have longer auto-generated names, but they'll always be the same names on every boot.

Step 3: Identify Your Network Adapters

When setting up connection sharing over Wi-Fi or over Ethernet, you'll need to know your adapter names. The built-in adapters on the RPI use these predictable names:

  • eth0 - The built-in Ethernet port
  • wlan0 - The built-in Wi-Fi
  • usb0 - Appears if you've configured the RPI as a USB Ethernet gadget; this is the interface used to communicate with the connected computer
  • connectify0 - The bonded virtual interface Speedify creates to connect to the Speed Server

Additional Tips & Configuration

Adding iPhone Tethering Support

Raspberry Pi OS supports Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and tethered Android phones out of the box, but doesn't include iPhone tethering support by default. You can add it with a single command:

sudo apt install usbmuxd

This installs the software Speedify needs to use a tethered iPhone as an internet source. See How to Add a Tethered iPhone Connection in Linux for the full setup steps.

Note: Since iOS 15, USB tethering on Linux devices is inconsistent, and there isn't a reliable workaround available yet.

Setting Up Automatic Connection at Boot

If you want Speedify to automatically connect to the VPN every time your device boots, run:

/usr/share/speedify/speedify_cli startupconnect on

If you'd rather stop the Speedify service from running at boot entirely, run:

sudo systemctl disable speedify

Auto-Starting the Speedify UI

If you've installed the Speedify UI, you can find it in the Applications menu under Internet.

Speedify in the Raspberry Pi Applications menu under Internet

To have the UI launch automatically on boot, copy its autostart file to your autostart config folder:

cp /usr/share/speedifyui/speedifyui-autostart.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

The UI won't appear on screen directly, but it will be running in the system tray.

Enabling Desktop Notifications

Raspberry Pi OS doesn't support desktop notifications out of the box. To enable them, run:

sudo apt install mate-notification-daemon

USB-C Gadget Mode

You can configure the Raspberry Pi to act as a USB Ethernet device when plugged into any USB-C computer — essentially turning your RPI into a "Speedify dongle" that brings a bonded internet connection to whatever computer it's plugged into. See Turning a Raspberry Pi into a Speedify USB Gadget for full setup instructions.

Encryption  

The Raspberry Pi doesn't include hardware AES encryption instructions, so Speedify falls back to ChaCha encryption in software. This is fully secure, but it does cap throughput at a few hundred megabits per second when encryption is enabled.

OpenWrt Support

As of Speedify 14.9.1, Speedify officially supports OpenWrt routers — and you can try running it on a Raspberry Pi in that configuration as well. Check out the Getting Started with OpenWrt guide for details.

Did you know — Speedify can combine multiple internet connections at once, not just switch between them? That means you can bond your RPI4's built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and a tethered phone simultaneously for faster, more reliable internet. Learn how to get started with Speedify on Linux.