Get started with Plum Audio

Plum Audio turns Raspberry Pis into a synchronized multi-room audio system. This guide sets up one unit from the Pi itself. To deploy several units from a workstation, follow the fleet guide in the repository README.

Requirements

A Raspberry Pi 4 or newer with Raspberry Pi OS Lite, 64-bit, Debian 13.
Docker with host networking. Units find each other with mDNS, so they must be on the same subnet.
An audio output: the 3.5 mm jack, a HAT, or a USB DAC. A unit without one still works as a source and routing node.
Internet access for the first install, to get Docker and the image.

1. Prepare the Pi

Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite with Raspberry Pi Imager. In Imager:

Enable SSH and create a user.
Give each unit a unique hostname. The unit takes its identity from it, and two units with the same hostname break each other’s routing.
Set up WiFi if the unit has no ethernet.

Give the unit a static address or a DHCP reservation.

2. Run the installer

On the Pi:

curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AnotherMike-exe/Plum-Audio/main/scripts/plum-init.sh
chmod +x plum-init.sh
sudo ./plum-init.sh "Kitchen"

Replace Kitchen with the name of the room. Allow about 10 minutes on a fresh card. Add --check to see a report of the host without changing anything.

3. Keep the fleet secret

The first unit prints a fleet pairing secret. Every other unit needs the same value, or the units cannot pair with each other’s speakers:

sudo ./plum-init.sh "Living Room" --fleet-psk <the secret the first unit printed>

If you lose it, copy it from any running unit:

sudo ./plum-init.sh "Bedroom" --fleet-psk-from 192.0.2.10

4. Open the unit

Go to http://<unit-ip>/. Add your sources under Settings → Integrations. The audio output is chosen for you; change it under Settings → Audio.

A new unit offers AirPlay only. Spotify Connect and Bluetooth stay off until you set them up.

Audio HATs need two extra steps with a reboot between them. See the repository README.
Source code and issues on GitHub