Configuring XBMC on the Raspberry Pi

Once XBMC has installed itself on your Raspberry Pi you should see the following screen:

The first thing you need to do is tell XBMC where you are in the world and set the time zone. To do this go to "System", and then choose "Settings":

Then Click on "Appearance"...

...and then select "International" and enter your Language, Region, Timezone country and Timezone.

When you've done that click on the little house icon on the bottom right corner of the screen to go back to the main menu.

For me, the next task was to connect my Raspberry Pi to my WiFi network, (but of course you may be happy to stick with the wired ethernet connection). To connect to your WiFi network, the first thing you need to do is power down power down your Raspberry Pi by clicking on the "switch" icon on the bottom left of the screen...

and then select "Power off System" so safely power down your Raspberry Pi.

Your Raspberry Pi has two USB ports, which currently have a keyboard and mouse attached to them. You will (at least temporarily) need a to provide more USB ports by using a USB Hub. Cut Price Cables sells a simple unpowered hub which is ideal for this purpose - see this blog post for details.Connect the hub one of the USB ports on your Raspberry Pi and then connect your keyboard and mouse to the hub. Then, connect a USB WiFi adapter to the spare USB port on your Raspberry Pi. Again, Cut Price Cables sells a suitable USB WiFi adapter on their web site.

Now power up your Raspberry Pi and when it's up and running go to "Programs" and select "Raspbmc Settings":

Then choose "Network Configuration" and change "Network Mode" to "Wireless (WIFI) Network".

Then scroll down and enter the details for your wireless network. You'll need to know your WiFi SSID, and details of the type of security you use and the key to permit access to your WiFi network.

Click on "OK" and then power down your Raspberry Pi. Remove the wired Ethernet cable and power your Raspberry Pi back up again. You should now have WiFi access, which means that you can use your Raspberry Pi on any display screen or TV where you have a WiFi signal simply by connecting it using an HDMI cable, and also connecting to a power source.

In my next post I'll show you how you can get rid of the keyboard and mouse and control your Raspberry Pi  media center remotely using your smart phone.