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Merge pull request #2811 from annietllnd/linux-nxp-board
Technical review of NXP board LP
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‎content/learning-paths/embedded-and-microcontrollers/linux-nxp-board/1-overview.md‎

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---
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title: Overview
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title: Set up the board
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weight: 2
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### FIXED, DO NOT MODIFY
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layout: learningpathall
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---
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## Hardware Overview - NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 Board
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In this section, you’ll learn what makes the NXP FRDM i.MX 93 board a useful ML development platform, then you’ll boot the board and log in.
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Selecting the best hardware for machine learning (ML) models depends on effective tools. You can visualize ML performance early in the development cycle by using NXP's [FRDM i.MX 93](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/frdm-i-mx-93-development-board:FRDM-IMX93) board.
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## Why this board is useful for ML on Arm
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<center>
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<iframe src='//players.brightcove.net/4089003392001/Sk5u9ln3l_default/index.html?videoId=6366294691112' allowfullscreen frameborder=0 width="800" height="400"></iframe>
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The NXP [FRDM i.MX 93](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/frdm-i-mx-93-development-board:FRDM-IMX93) board is a practical way to validate ML workloads on real Arm hardware early in your workflow.
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*Unboxing NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 board*
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</center>
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It combines:
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- An Arm Cortex-A55 application processor for Linux-based development
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- An Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller for real-time tasks
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- An Arm Ethos-U65 NPU (neural processing unit) for on-device inference acceleration
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The following image highlights the i.MX 93 SoC and the NPU location on the board:
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![NXP FRDM i.MX 93 Board SoC Highlighted alt-text#center](./nxp-frdm-imx93-board-soc-highlighted.png "Arm Ethos-U65 NPU location")
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### NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 Processor Decoded
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If you connect the board to a display, you can see ML demos and application output directly on the device. This is useful when you want quick visual confirmation that your model runs on the target hardware.
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## Unbox and power the board
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To set up the hardware, follow NXP’s getting started guide: [Getting Started with FRDM-IMX93](https://www.nxp.com/document/guide/getting-started-with-frdm-imx93:GS-FRDM-IMX93).
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Stop when you complete section "1.6 Connect Power Supply".
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## Connect to the serial console and log in
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To log in, you connect to the board over a USB-to-UART serial console using `picocom`. Use a package manager to install it.
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{{< tabpane code=true >}}
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{{< tab header="MacOS" language="shell">}}
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brew install picocom
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="Ubuntu" language="shell">}}
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sudo apt update
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sudo apt install -y picocom
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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{{% notice macOS %}}
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On macOS, you might need an extra USB-to-UART driver depending on which USB serial bridge the board exposes. You can get the drivers from Silicon Labs [Downloads page](https://www.silabs.com/developer-tools/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers?tab=downloads).
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{{% /notice %}}
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The next step is to establish a USB-to-UART (serial) connection. Connect the board’s debug (**DBG**) USB-C connector to your computer.
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Find the board’s serial device:
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If you see more than one candidate device, use this quick method to identify the right one:
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1. Run the command once with the board disconnected.
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2. Connect the **DBG** USB-C cable.
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3. Run the command again and use the *new* device that appeared.
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{{< tabpane code=true >}}
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{{< tab header="MacOS" language="shell">}}
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ls /dev/tty.*
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="Ubuntu" language="shell">}}
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ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM* 2>/dev/null
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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Connect to the board using the `picocom` command by updating the serial device identifier.
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```bash
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sudo picocom -b 115200 /dev/tty*
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```
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You will see the below output on a successful connection.
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```output
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picocom v3.1
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...
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Terminal ready
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```
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Now you're ready to log in to Linux on the board. Connect the board’s **POWER** USB-C connector to your laptop and toggle the **OFF/ON** switch if it's set to off. You should see one red and one white light on the board. In the `picocom` terminal window, the board will print boot logs. The last line should end with a login prompt.
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```bash
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...
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[ OK ] Reached target Graphical Interface.
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Starting Record Runlevel Change in UTMP...
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[ OK ] Finished Record Runlevel Change in UTMP.
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NXP i.MX Release Distro 6.6-scarthgap imx93frdm ttyLP0
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imx93frdm login:
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```
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![i.MX 93 Processor SoC alt-text#center](./imx93-application-processor-soc.png "NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 processor")
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Type `root` to log in as root (no password is needed).
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**NXP's Processor Labeling Convention:**
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|Line|Meaning|
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|----|-------|
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|MIMX9352|• MI – Microcontroller IC<br>• MX93 – i.MX 93 family<br>• 52 – Variant:<br>• Dual-core Arm Cortex-A55<br> • Single Cortex-M33<br>• Includes **Ethos-U65 NPU**|
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|CVVXMAB|• C - Commercial temperature grade (0°C to 95°C)<br>• VVX - Indicates package type and pinout (BGA, pitch, etc.)<br>• MAB - Specific configuration (e.g., NPU present, security level, memory interfaces)
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|
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|1P87F|• Silicon mask set identifier|
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|SBBM2410E|• NXP traceability code|
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## (Optional) Run the built-in NXP demos
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## Benefits and applications
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- Connect the board to a monitor via HDMI.
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- Connect a mouse to the board’s USB-A port.
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NPUs, like Arm's [Ethos-U65](https://www.arm.com/products/silicon-ip-cpu/ethos/ethos-u65) NPU are available on physical devices specifically made for developers. Development boards like NXP's [FRDM i.MX 93](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/frdm-i-mx-93-development-board:FRDM-IMX93) also connect to displays via a HDMI cable. Additionally the board accepts video inputs. This is useful for for ML performance visualization due to:
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- visual confirmation that your ML model is running on the physical device,
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- image and video inputs for computer vision models running on the device,
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- clearly indicated instruction counts,
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- confirmation of total execution time and
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- visually appealing output for prototypes and demos.
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![NXP board built-in ML demos alt-text#center](./nxp-board-built-in-ml-demos.png "NXP board built-in ML demos")

‎content/learning-paths/embedded-and-microcontrollers/linux-nxp-board/2-boot-nxp.md‎

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‎content/learning-paths/embedded-and-microcontrollers/linux-nxp-board/3-create-super-user.md‎

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# User change
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title: "Create a Linux Super User"
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title: "Set up a Linux user and connect to WiFi"
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weight: 3
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# Do not modify these elements
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On the NXP board, create a non-root super user (if you do not already have one):
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You’re logged in as `root`, which is convenient for bring-up but not a great default for day-to-day development. In this section you’ll create a non-root user with admin privileges, then connect the board to WiFi so you can install packages and move files over the network.
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1. While [logged in as root]( {{< relref "2-boot-nxp.md" >}} ):
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## Create a non-root user with sudo access
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* Enable super user privileges:
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```bash
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sudo visudo
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```
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* In the vi editor that opens up, uncomment the below line:
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```bash { output_lines = "1" }
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%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL # uncomment this line
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```
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Start by allowing members of the `wheel` group to use `sudo`.
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2. Add a super user:
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```bash
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sudo adduser testuser
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sudo usermod -aG wheel testuser
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```
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```bash
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sudo visudo
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```
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3. While still logged in as root, confirm successful super user creation:
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```bash
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su - testuser
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sudo whoami # should return "root"
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```
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In the editor that opens, find the line below and uncomment it:
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4. Log out of the NXP board and log back in to Linux as the super user
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```bash { output_lines = "1" }
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%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL # uncomment this line
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```
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Now create a user and add it to `wheel`:
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```bash
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sudo adduser testuser
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sudo usermod -aG wheel testuser
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```
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Switch to the new user and confirm `sudo` works:
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```bash
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su - testuser
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sudo whoami
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```
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The expected output is `root`.
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Log out, then log back in as your new user.
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## Connect the board to WiFi
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The WiFi driver isn’t brought up automatically on this Linux image. You load the module, then use `connmanctl` to connect.
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{{% notice Note %}}
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In this Linux image, ConnMan typically remembers the WiFi network you connected to.
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After a reboot, you might still need to load the WiFi driver module again. Once the module is loaded, ConnMan usually reconnects automatically.
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{{% /notice %}}
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Load the WiFi driver and open `connmanctl`:
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```bash
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sudo /usr/sbin/modprobe moal mod_para=nxp/wifi_mod_para.conf
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sudo connmanctl
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```
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At the `connmanctl>` prompt, enable and scan WiFi, then list services:
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```bash
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enable wifi
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scan wifi
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services
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```
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You’ll see services in a form similar to:
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```bash { output_lines = "1-3" }
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<SSID> wifi_0123456789ab_cdef0123456789_managed_psk
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<SSID> wifi_abcdef012345_6789abcdef0123_managed_psk
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<SSID> wifi_fedcba987654_3210fedcba9876_managed_psk
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```
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{{% notice Note %}}
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Duplicate SSIDs can appear, so you might need to try more than one `wifi_..._managed_psk` entry.
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{{% /notice %}}
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Connect to the right `wifi_..._managed_psk` entry and enter your passphrase when prompted.
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In `connmanctl`, the passphrase is your WiFi network password (the WPA2/WPA-PSK key). Don’t add quotes around it.
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```bash
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agent on
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connect wifi_0123456789ab_cdef0123456789_managed_psk
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```
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After you connect, exit `connmanctl`:
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```bash
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quit
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```
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Verify that your WiFi network has internet access:
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```bash
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curl -I http://www.example.com
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```
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The output is similar to:
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```bash { output_lines = "1-2" }
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HTTP/1.1 200 OK
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...
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```
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If you don’t have internet access on that network, you can still confirm the board has an IP address:
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```bash
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ifconfig | grep RUNNING -A 1
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```

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