Headless Raspberry Pi Homelab – Part 2: Network Setup & Device Verification w/ Xfinity & Netgear

Source: Dev.to

Overview

This section documents the process of integrating a headless Raspberry Pi into a home network using an Xfinity router and a Netgear switch. The objective is to verify:

• Physical connectivity (Layer 1 – OSI)
• Switch‑level visibility (Layer 2 – OSI)
• DHCP assignment & network reachability (Layer 3 – OSI)

Each step reinforces foundational networking concepts aligned with the OSI model.

Hardware Used

• Raspberry Pi 4 Kit – Amazon link
• Netgear 5‑Port Smart Managed Switch – Amazon link

Step 1 – Connect an Ethernet cable to the router

Step 2 – Set up the Netgear switch

1. Connect the switch to its power supply.
2. Plug the Ethernet cable from the router into any port on the switch.
3. Verify that the switch powers on and that the port LED is illuminated, confirming an up status.

Step 3 – Verify the switch is recognized on the Xfinity network

1. Open the Xfinity Admin Tool in your browser and log in.
2. Select Connected Devices from the left‑hand menu.

The router should list the switch, showing an automatically assigned IP address (via DHCP) and its MAC address (via ARP).

Step 4 – Install the Netgear Discovery Tool

Download and install the tool for your operating system:

Official Netgear Discovery Tool

Step 5 – Start Searching

Homepage

(Continue with the remaining screenshots and instructions as needed.)

Searching Process

Switch Discovered

Step 6 – Log in to the Netgear Admin Page

Step 7 – Verify Switch Port Status

Once logged in, select Port Status located on the left.

The Ethernet cable connected from the router to the switch port in step 2 is identified by the Netgear admin page, confirming that the port status is up.

Step 8 – Integrate the Raspberry Pi into the Switch

1. Connect the power source to the Raspberry Pi.
2. Connect an Ethernet cable to one of the switch ports.
3. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the Raspberry Pi.

Step 9 – Verify the Raspberry Pi on the Xfinity Network

Repeat Step 3 (checking the Xfinity router’s Connected Devices list) and confirm that the Raspberry Pi’s hostname appears.

Step 10 – Verify the Raspberry Pi on the Netgear Switch

Repeat Step 7 and ensure the Ethernet cable between the Raspberry Pi and the switch shows an up status.

Step 11 – Ping the Raspberry Pi

Use the ping command from any device on the LAN to confirm the Pi is reachable. The Pi should reply with ICMP echo‑reply packets.

Result: The Raspberry Pi responds to ping, confirming full physical connectivity and network visibility.

Next Steps (Part 3)

• Demonstrate how to SSH into the Raspberry Pi’s Linux operating system.
• Update and upgrade the Linux packages.
• Install and provision MySQL.