Your music.
Your hardware.
Your way.

After purchase you'll receive an email containing:

• Your license key (format: SUPP-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX)
• Your 4-digit PIN (needed to move your license to a new Pi)
• A link to download the Väinö Pi disk image (.img.gz)

Keep your license key and PIN safe. You'll need the PIN if you ever move Väinö to a new Raspberry Pi.

1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software (free).
2. Insert a 16GB+ microSD card into your computer.
3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager → click Choose OS → scroll to Use custom → select the .img.gz file from your email.
4. Click Choose Storage → select your microSD card.
5. Click Next. When asked "Would you like to apply OS customisation settings?" click No, use defaults.
6. Click Write and wait for it to complete (~5 minutes).

Configure Wi-Fi (optional)

If connecting via Wi-Fi rather than Ethernet, the flashed SD card includes a setup helper on its boot partition. Use the method for your operating system:

Windows

1. Open File Explorer. The SD card boot partition will appear as a drive (e.g. D:\).
2. Double-click Setup-WiFi.bat and follow the prompts — it will ask for your network name (SSID), password, and whether this is a master or satellite Pi.
3. Once complete, safely eject the SD card.

Mac / Linux

1. The boot partition mounts automatically (labelled bootfs or similar).
2. Open vaino-wifi.txt in any text editor and fill in your details:

SSID=YourNetworkName
PASSWORD=YourPassword
MASTER=true

Set MASTER=false if this Pi is a satellite display, not the main music server.

3. Save the file, then eject the SD card.

If you're using Ethernet, skip this step entirely — Väinö connects automatically.

1. Insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi and power it on.
2. Wait 90 seconds for first boot to complete.
3. On any device on the same network, open a browser and go to http://vaino-server.local:5000.
4. You'll see a 7-day trial message. Click Enter License Key.
5. Paste your license key from the confirmation email and click Activate.
6. Väinö will verify with the license server and activate within a few seconds.

Tip: If vaino-server.local doesn't resolve, find your Pi's IP address in your router's device list and use that instead (e.g. http://192.168.1.50:5000).

From a NAS (Samba/SMB)

1. In the Väinö web UI or mobile app, go to Settings → Music Sources → +.
2. Select type NAS (SMB).
3. Enter your NAS hostname or IP, share name, and credentials (leave blank for guest access).
4. Tap Save. Väinö mounts the share and begins scanning.

From a USB Drive

1. Plug a USB drive (FAT32, exFAT, or ext4) into any USB port on the Pi.
2. Go to Settings → Music Sources → + → type USB.
3. Leave the path blank to auto-detect, or enter the drive path. Tap Save.

Library Scanning

Initial scan time depends on library size — allow 1–5 minutes for 10,000+ tracks. You can use Väinö while it scans. Artist images and album art are fetched in the background automatically.

Download the Väinö app from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or Google Play (Android). It's free — no in-app purchases.

QR Code (easiest)

1. In the web UI, click the QR code icon in the top right.
2. Open the Väinö app → Settings → Scan QR Code to Connect.
3. Point your camera at the QR code. Connection is instant.

Manual

1. In the app, go to Settings.
2. Enter vaino-server.local:5000 (or your Pi's IP address with port, e.g. 192.168.1.50:5000) in the Server field.
3. Tap Save & Connect.

Manual EQ

Go to Settings → Equalizer. Drag the 10 band sliders to adjust the frequency response. Tap Save Preset to name and save your settings.

Room Scan (Acoustic Correction)

The Room Scan feature plays test tones through your speakers and uses your phone's microphone to measure the room's acoustic response, then suggests an EQ correction.

1. Place your phone at your main listening position — near ear height.
2. Go to Settings → Room Scan.
3. Tap Start Scan and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Stay quiet while tones play. The scan takes about 2 minutes.
5. Review the suggested curve and tap Apply to save it as a preset.

Note: The iOS/Android apps require microphone permission for the room scan. This permission is only used during scanning — never at any other time.

Väinö updates itself over the air — no SSH or terminal needed.

1. In the app or web UI, go to Settings → Software Updates.
2. Tap Check for Updates.
3. If an update is available, tap Download, then Apply.
4. The Pi reboots and applies the update (~2 minutes). The app reconnects automatically.

All minor updates are free. You only need to purchase again when upgrading to a new major version.

Your license is hardware-locked to your Pi on first activation. If you get a new Pi or replace your SD card, you'll need to transfer the license.

1. Go to supponexus.com/products/vaino/transfer.
2. Enter your first name, last name, email address, and the 4-digit PIN from your purchase email.
3. Click Transfer License. Your license is unlocked immediately.
4. Flash Väinö onto your new Pi, boot it, and activate with your same license key.

You can transfer up to 3 times per year and 5 times lifetime using the self-service tool. Need more? Contact support — we'll sort it.