How can we help?

Get The New ShakeNet Mobile App

How can we help?

Get The New ShakeNet Mobile App

Frequently Asked Questions

Easily visualize earthquakes of all sizes and intensities on our ShakeNet mobile and web apps.
  • If a search or an empty web page appears instead of the Shake configuration screen, remember to add a forward slash to the local address, like this: rs.local/
  • There is a possibility that your Shake is still completing the initial update process. The time varies depending on the internet connection speed, so try again in a little bit.
  • You can try to find the IP address of your Shake from your WiFi router admin panel, or with an app like Fing. Enter the IP into your browser, which will open the same rs.local/ config page.

Usually, your new Shake will appear on ShakeNet mobile and web apps within 24 hours, usually much faster.

Talk with your IT administrator to add your Shake’s MAC and/or IP address to their system. We can always support you on the forum!

Click on the Settings (gear) icon in rs.local/ and then select the DATA tab. Once there, please check the “Forward Data” box as shown in the image, and then click on the “Save and Restart” button at the bottom of the page.

No! For privacy, we publicly obscure your Shake’s location on our mobile and web maps.

The best location for your Shake is the “quietest” place possible. In some cases, this could be on a concrete slab of the lowest floor of your building, near a foundation wall, and away from washing machines, air conditioners, and similar “noisy” things. Also, a shed out in your yard or a corner in your garage would be good places. The best ones are naturally quiet locations far away from people and traffic and with an internet connection. Some users want to optimize their Shake’s location as best as possible and choose to build their own DIY seismic vault. Regardless of where you set it up, your Shake will capture every vibration around you!

Nope, your Shake does not need a dedicated computer – it already is one!

Your Shake does not utilize the HDMI output for data visualization or configuration. The Shake can be accessed via the rs.local/ webpage and the data can be visualized remotely through the ShakeNet mobile and web apps.

We recommend that you check the output of your power supply, the Shake requires 2.5 Amps and between 5 and 5.2 volts. Note that your typical cell phone power supplies generally do not supply sufficient Amps.

Yes, it has! Raspberry Shakes are built on a volcano in a region with daily earthquakes. Furthermore, there are now over 1500 users that show their earthquake recordings every day.

Yes! With a single Raspberry Shake you can estimate the distance to an earthquake and its magnitude. Using data from several Shakes, you can actually pinpoint the location of the earthquake. Using the data forwarded to our Raspberry Shake Data Center, from Shakes like yours, our earthquake detection system will use the details to accurately pinpoint the location of earthquakes. You can also use our EQ Locator service to try it for yourself!

Earthquake prediction is not possible. There are too many influencing factors and because of this earthquake prediction has never been done successfully. Imagine taking a pencil in your hands and bending it until it breaks. You can never be sure exactly when it is going to snap, because as the pencil goes from bending to snapping, the process is never the same. It depends on too many things like the kind of wood, the orientation of the wood grains, the relative humidity, the diameter of the lead, the thickness of the paint, etc.

The stronger the earthquake, the farther away you will be able to detect it. Many users report detecting large events that occurred on the opposite side of the planet. The Raspberry Shake can register any shaking you can feel and many more earthquakes which you do not.

Not at all! Sharing your Shakes data with our Data Center uses very little internet bandwidth (much less than streaming music for example). Furthermore, it is happening in the background, so it is unlikely you’ll even notice it.

Yes, it will work with any Raspberry Pi that has internet connectivity (Model B, Model B+, 2 Model B, 3 Model B, 4 Model B, Zero, Zero W).

Yes, as long as it is a 4.5 Hz geophone with a coil resistance of 380 ohms. Contact us on the forum if you have any questions or want to double check that your geophone is compatible.

Yes! Raspberry Shakes are portable so you can take them with you wherever you go. You can even run them on a local network if you don’t have an internet connection.

The majority of Raspberry Shake models do not need to be “anchored” or fixed to the floor. The only exception to this is our RS4D model which is specifically designed for strong motion detection and includes a spring-loaded screw that will allow it to be anchored to the floor. In this way, the RS4D will remain fixed in place even during the strongest earthquakes and continue to record accurate ground motion.

After extensive testing we have found that if the Shake is positioned with the leveling bubble mostly within the center, this is sufficient for the device to perform optimally. If you would like more technical details on this, you can read them in our manual, here.

If you need to access your Raspberry Shake via IP address and not via the usual rs.local/ webpage, it is important to know that some routers or networks periodically change the IP address assignments of all the devices connected to them.

We made it easy to bypass this issue by setting up a Static IP address, explained here in our manual.

This is usually not something to be concerned about. This situation can only happen on certain networks (generally, those that use small or medium business hardware). If this does occur, please refer to the details in our manual, here.

The short answer: if it is below about 75°C, probably not.

The CPU temperature can be monitored on the web front end accessible through rs.local/. Depending on the case it is installed in, the ventilation, and the ambient air temperature and humidity, the CPU will probably run anywhere from about 45 to 65°C. Waterproof enclosures will be slightly hotter than the standard acrylic ones due to lack of air exchange.

If the CPU temperature goes above 80°C, the system will throttle the performance and you may notice data gaps and connection problems, possibly requiring a restart. It is a good idea to place the Shake in a relatively cool location without large temperature swings.

If you plan on mounting the Shake in a hot location, we recommend the addition of some sort of passive cooling. Generally, giving the Shake some breathing space and avoiding packing it in with insulation (unless it’s being installed in a very cold environment) is a good idea.

If you need to login to your Raspberry Shake via command line, you can use the credentials listed below:

Username: myshake

Default ssh password: shakeme

We advise you to further secure your Raspberry Shake by changing the ssh password. See how you can do it here.

Note: These are NOT the ShakeNet or Forum login credentials. For these, you need to register via our ShakeNet web or mobile apps.

No, as long as your Raspberry Shake is connected to the internet the Shake OS will be updated in the background automatically.

You can report them through our technical support forum here by opening a new topic/thread with the subject: “Bug Report/Suggestion: ”

If the Shake is not responding/starting anymore, the recommendation is to re-burn the Shake OS image on either the old or a new MicroSD Card.

Find details on which microSD cards to use (MLC is fine) here.

Process to prepare the microSD and burn the new Shake OS image on it:

  • Please take the microSD card you have and format it before burning the new Shake OS image.
  • Take care to format the SD card in a FAT32 File System (or exFAT if the SD card is 64GB or larger)
  • Make sure, when you format it, that the shown capacity is the maximum (i.e. if the SD card is 16GB, then the capacity should be near or equal to that value). This is to check that no partitions have been involuntarily and erroneously created.
  • Please download the new Shake OS image from here.
  • And follow the microSD burning instructions from here.
  • If everything has worked correctly, then the Shake will boot up again and you should be able to connect to your device by navigating to rs.local/ in your web browser.

No, all models of Raspberry Shake, including the RS1D, RS3D, RS4D, RBOOM, RS&BOOM and RJAM use the same software, available here.

We intentionally obscure publicly-reported station locations for user privacy reasons. This does not affect the earthquake data recorded on your Shake in any way.

This is a common question for people interested in using their Shake in the field or with data plan limitations. It will depend on which model you are using, for example, an RS1D will use around 2 to 3.5 GB per month. If you are interested in further details and the technical calculations, they are available here.

The guts inside this little cylinder we call a “geophone” allow your Raspberry Shake to sense earthquakes near and far- be that beneath your feet or on the other side of the planet. Be it the pitter-patter of your child racing around the house, a passing train, or a small earthquake, the geophone is always registering interesting activity, much of which cannot be perceived by our own senses. So, what is inside it and how does one work? Find out more here.

Quick Links

   ShakeNet Dashboard

Open your personal dashboard on the ShakeNet desktop platform, your “one-stop-shop” for everything Raspberry Shake. Here you will be able to browse through all the Shakes on the network, see real-time activity from your own Shake, connect with our community and use RS Web Apps e.g EQLocator: to triangulate the epicenters of earthquakes, StationView: a real-time interactive map showing Shakes and their seismic data from all over the globe, and more!

   RS Forum

Do you have a question or something to share with our community? Or do you want to browse through interesting topics? Our Forum is ready to welcome you!

    Quick Start Guide

If you need some extra guidance to walk you through the first steps of getting started with your Shake and connecting to the Raspberry Shake network, this page is what you are looking for!

   How to visualize the waveforms

Click to open a summary page with all the possible methods to visualize the data that your Shake is recording, from standard software to Python options.

   Change Log

If you are curious about all the hardware and software updates Raspberry Shakes have undergone over the years, this page gives you a closer look at the history and development of our products!

   RBOOM / RS&BOOM Instructions

A comprehensive guide to our infrasound monitors including everything from their technical specifications, to assembly and installation procedures.

   RJAM Instructions

Our RJAM universal digitizer boards are designed to work with most seismic sensors. Explore details and resources about these professional boards on this page.

   Technical Specifications

This page provides an extensive technical description and comparison between all our Shake models, comprehensive details of GPIO pin assignments and LED behaviour.

    Security and Raspberry Shake

We always recommend to further secure your Shake and, consequently, your network, from unwanted intrusions. On this page we explain step by step, how you can achieve this.

Getting Started

Check out our comprehensive online manual and video walkthroughs to get your Shake setup and running in no time.

Do It Yourself

Shakers! This is your space! In our ‘Do It Yourself’ section we share various useful resources to help you build things on your own and experiment with more advanced options.

Technical Support Forum

Do you still need help? No problem! Search for answers in our Technical Support Forum or ask a specific question by simply logging in with the same credentials you use to access  ShakeNet and opening a new topic/thread. Our Staff will be there to help you!

Do you need 1-to-1 expert support?

Our professional support staff are ready to find a solution to your Raspberry Shake technical issue(s). Please write to us on our contact us form and someone from our team will be in touch with a quote.

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