Pi-based Astro Control

The "put a tiny computer at the mount and operate it from inside the warm car or the kitchen" tier. The 2026 reality is that a Pi 4 / Pi 5 with a USB hub and 12 V power can do everything an ASIAIR or PrimaLuceLab Eagle does, for $50 of hardware — if you're willing to install Linux, INDI, and KStars/Ekos. For the polished commercial experience, StellarMate charges $50 for a working flashed image; ASIAIR locks you into ZWO hardware in exchange for slick mobile UI. All three are valid; pick by how much DIY you want.

For the underlying SBC see Pi Models, AI / NPU SBCs, Alternative SBCs; for Pi general projects see Classic Pi Projects; for the mount control software running on the Pi see Mount & Session Control; for autoguiding see Autoguiding; for the OSS mount firmware on the other end of the cable see OnStep & DIY Mount Firmware; for self-hosted photo archives that match see Self-Hosted Photos & Media.

All-in-one Pi distributions

• ★ ★ StellarMate OS (Ikarus Technologies / Jasem Mutlaq, the KStars/Ekos lead) — paid (~$50 OS image, optionally ~$300 for the StellarMate Plus / Pro hardware bundle). Polished Pi distribution of KStars + Ekos + INDI with a web UI, mobile app, automatic updates, pre-flashed and ready. The "I want ASIAIR-quality polish but on open hardware/software" answer. Pi 4, Pi 5, Pi 400 supported.
  • https://stellarmate.com
• ★ ★ Astroberry (Radek Kaczorek) — free, GPL. Debian-based image with INDI, KStars/Ekos, Ain Imager, PHD2, GIMP, web VNC; same idea as StellarMate but free and DIY. Slightly less polished web UI; same engine. The fully OSS pick.
  • https://www.astroberry.io
• Raspberry Pi OS + INDI repo — roll your own; apt install indi-full kstars phd2. The "I read the docs" path; cheapest, most flexible, smallest install. Use this if you want to run Pi-hole + Home Assistant + INDI on the same Pi.

Closed proprietary alternatives

• ★ ZWO ASIAIR Plus / Pro / Mini — closed, ~$300. Proprietary Pi-derived box (it is in fact a Pi 4 inside the older models) that runs ZWO's own astro stack and pairs with the ASIAIR mobile app over Wi-Fi. Hugely popular for ease-of-use; only works in the ZWO ecosystem (ZWO cameras, EAF focuser, EFW filter wheel) plus a whitelist of supported third-party mounts. ZWO removed support for several non-ZWO devices in 2023 — the closedness is a feature for ZWO and a risk for users who own QHY / Player One gear. Free with ZWO purchase or ~$300 standalone.
• PrimaLuceLab Eagle (4 / 5) — paid (~€1500). Pi/x86-based commercial controller running a closed stack. The "expensive, polished, professional" pick.
• Pegasus Astro INDIGO Sky / Pegasus PowerBox Advance — paid; integrated power-distribution + Pi.

Hardware to combine

• ★ Pi 4 8 GB or Pi 5 8/16 GB — both fine; Pi 5 makes plate-solving and UI noticeably snappier.
• Powered USB 3 hub — non-negotiable; cooled cameras pull >1 A and Pi USB ports won't deliver. Anker / Sabrent 4-port.
• Boot from SSD — see Pi Imaging Tools; SD cards die under heavy capture loads. NVMe HAT for Pi 5 ideal.
• 12 V power and a buck converter — single 12 V battery / power-supply feeding everything; buck to 5 V for Pi.
• Real-time clock — for offline / no-internet use; Pi has no RTC by default. DS3231 over I2C is $3.
• Mini-fan / passive cooling case — see Pi Cooling & Power; Pi 5 will throttle under sustained load otherwise.
• Ethernet to the house + Wi-Fi at the mount — one Pi, two networks, lower latency than VNC over phone hotspot.

Connecting clients

• VNC to the Pi desktop — works; laggy.
• Web Manager — INDI Web Manager (free) at port 8624 lets a remote KStars instance start/stop INDI servers on the Pi. The standard answer.
• KStars on your laptop, INDI on the Pi — best UX; mount drivers run on the Pi (low USB latency), planning UI on your laptop.
• Stellarium / SkySafari over LX200 TCP — a Pi running INDI can expose a virtual LX200 server; SkySafari on iPad will then drive the mount over Wi-Fi.
• ★ Touch'N'Stars / N.I.N.A web UI — for Windows-on-mini-PC-at-mount setups, mobile web interface to the running session; not Pi-specific but worth noting alongside.

Battery / portable

• ★ 12 V LiFePO4 (50–100 Ah) — cleanest power for a portable rig. Bioenno BLF-1240 / Talentcell; ~$200–400.
• AC inverter / "Jackery"-class power station — works but inefficient (DC→AC→DC). Useful for laptops too.
• Pi-side power: the Pi at the mount is small load (~5 W); the cooled camera (12 W) and dew heaters (5–20 W) dominate.

What's changing in 2024–2026

• StellarMate Pi 5 image — sub-second plate solves, KStars/Ekos UI is finally fast on hardware-at-mount.
• ASIAIR ecosystem closedness pushback — OSS share growing; Astroberry installs grew sharply post-2023.
• N.I.N.A on a mini-PC at the mount — Beelink-class miniPC + N.I.N.A is a strong Windows alternative if you don't want Pi/Linux.
• Touch'N'Stars + Hocus Focus — N.I.N.A plugins make mini-PC setups remote-friendly.
• Pi 5 NVMe — keeps a year of FITS at the scope without writing-out to a network share.

License / pricing summary

• Free / OSS: Astroberry, KStars/Ekos/INDI on plain Pi OS, Touch'N'Stars.
• Paid OS only (~$50): StellarMate.
• Paid hardware bundles (~$300): ZWO ASIAIR (closed), StellarMate Plus.
• Paid premium (~€1500): PrimaLuceLab Eagle.

Pick this if…

• Free, OSS, DIY-friendly: Astroberry on a Pi 4/5.
• OSS quality with polished UI, paid OS: StellarMate.
• All-ZWO ecosystem, easy mode, closed: ASIAIR.
• Already on Windows, not Linux: Beelink mini-PC + N.I.N.A.
• Money-no-object commercial: PrimaLuceLab Eagle.
• Mixed gear (ZWO + QHY + Player One + DSLR): Astroberry / StellarMate (INDI supports them all).