2.3.2 Connect via SSH

SSH connection is suitable for scenarios where the board is already connected to a local network (via Ethernet or Wi-Fi). This is a universal connection method supported by all RDK boards.

Step 1: Obtain the Board's IP Address

The method for obtaining the board’s IP address depends on your network environment:

Your Network Environment	Method to Obtain IP
Board directly connected to PC via Ethernet cable (no router)	Default board IP: 192.168.127.10 (factory configuration in official RDK images)
Board connected to a router and assigned an IP via DHCP	Check the ARP table in your router’s admin interface; or use a network scanning tool (e.g., nmap)
Board connected to Wi-Fi	Same as above

If you don’t want to scan manually, you can ask AI Dock: "Scan the local network for any RDK boards." The Agent will invoke a network scanning tool and list IPs of devices that appear to be RDK boards on your local network.

Scanning with nmap

Run the following command on your PC (replace with your actual subnet):

nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24

Try connecting one by one using ssh root@<IP>, or observe which newly appearing host shows up in the nmap output when powering on the board. The most reliable approach is to let AI Dock do it for you: say “Scan the local network for any RDK boards,” and the Agent will automatically filter out hosts likely to be RDK boards.

If you prefer not to install nmap, you can use a simple loop to ping each address:

for i in {1..254}; do ping -c 1 -W 1 192.168.1.$i &>/dev/null && echo 192.168.1.$i; done

Step 2: Add the Device in Studio

Open the desktop client and click Add Device at the top. In the pop-up window, select SSH Network Connection and fill in the following fields:

Field	Default Value	Description
IP / Host	(IP obtained in Step 1)	Supports IPv4, IPv6, and domain names
Port	22	Standard SSH port
Username	root	Default in official RDK images
Authentication Method	Password	See comparison below

In some cases, the board’s SSH port might not be 22 (e.g., due to public network tunneling or running SSH inside a Docker container). Enter the actual port number if different.

Step 3: Choose Authentication Method

Authentication Method	Use Case	Instructions
Password	First-time connection; simplest method	Enter the password (default in RDK factory images: root)
SSH Key	Long-term production or team environments	Select a local private key such as ~/.ssh/id_rsa; first-time setup requires running ssh-copy-id on the board

Setting Up SSH Key Authentication

More secure and eliminates the need to enter a password every time:

# First time (run on your PC)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519                    # Generate a key if you don't have one
ssh-copy-id root@<Board_IP>              # Push your public key to the board

Afterwards, when adding the device in Studio, choose SSH Key Authentication and select your local private key.

Step 4: Connect

Click Connect. Studio will perform the following steps in order:

1. Ping the board to confirm network reachability
2. Establish an SSH session
3. Automatically detect board model, image version, CPU/RAM, disk, network interfaces, etc.
4. Add the board to the device list and activate it as the current target device

Quick Reference for Common IPs

Connection Scenario	Default IP
Direct Ethernet connection (board to PC via single cable)	192.168.127.10
Type-C Flash Connection	192.168.128.10 (see 2.3.1)
Wi-Fi / DHCP	Assigned by router; must be looked up manually

Common Causes of Connection Failure

Symptom	Solution
Connection timed out	Confirm network reachability with ping <IP>
Permission denied	Incorrect username or password; or password authentication disabled on the board
Host key verification failed	Board’s OS was reflashed, changing its SSH host key. Run ssh-keygen -R <IP> on your PC to remove the old key
Connection refused	SSH daemon (sshd) not running on the board. Access the board via serial console and run systemctl start ssh

For complete troubleshooting guidance, see 5.2 SSH Connection Failure.

Next Steps

After successfully connecting via SSH, we recommend configuring Wi-Fi on the board (2.4 Configure Network), so you can access it wirelessly even after disconnecting the Ethernet cable.