6 Raspberry Pi Projects That Went Viral (Try Them Yourself!)

It’s remarkable how one clever project can put an entire device on the map. No one expected a credit-card-sized computer to gain the popularity that the Raspberry Pi did. But once creations like RetroPie and the Magic Mirror started making waves, people saw its true potential. These viral projects kicked off a maker revolution. Let me show you the builds that made it famous.

Several Raspberry Pi projects have gained widespread popularity and gone viral over the years. Notable examples include the Smart Mirror, RetroPie for retro gaming, Pi-hole for network-wide ad blocking, Astro Pi, the Raspberry Pi–powered security camera, and a DIY smart home control panel.

These projects became popular because they’re fun, useful, and not too hard to build. You don’t need to be an expert to try them out. Let’s take a look at what each one does and how you can make something similar at home.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next Raspberry Pi project, I’ve put together a list of 75+ ideas with full descriptions, difficulty ratings, and links to tutorials. Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, there’s something here for you. Grab the list for free here!

Magic Mirror – Smart Mirror

A customizable mirror that displays the time, weather, and more.

The Magic Mirror, popularly known as a Smart Mirror, is a common project in the Raspberry Pi community. And the logic is pretty simple.

Take a see-through mirror or a two-way glass mirror and place it in front of a monitor or TV screen. The monitor is then connected to a Raspberry Pi, which displays information such as current time, weather, etc.

Now, since these mirrors allow light to pass through them, when you look at the mirror, you’ll see as if this information is printed on the mirror.

The founder of this project is Michael Teeuw. He conceived this idea while shopping with his girlfriend in New York in 2014. They saw a mirror with an illuminated sign, and he thought about how he could make it even more visually stunning.

Michael Teeuw made the first MagicMirror project in 2014 and even had a GitHub repository for it. Two years later, in 2016, he had this to say: “When I built my MagicMirror 2 years ago, I could have never predicted the popularity of the project.“

Back then, his blog had over 2.5 million page views, and the MagicMirror GitHub repository had over 1250 stars and almost 500 forks. The list of MagicMirror builders was also getting big.

Since many community members were working on expanding the MagicMirror project, he conceived MagicMirror², an improvement of the former.

Currently, the MagicMirror² GitHub repository has over 21K stars and 4.3K forks. It’s also the 7th most popular Raspberry Pi project on GitHub. The list of MagicMirror builders has also gotten longer, and more tech blogs are featuring it as one of their top Raspberry Pi projects.

One thing I love about this project is that it’s something that you can build yourself. It was the first handy Raspberry Pi project I did while starting with Raspberry Pi. I cannot say what I built was the best, but at least I had my version of the MagicMirror.

To try it yourself, we have a comprehensive post on how to install a MagicMirror. We’ve included everything you need to know to get started, including video tutorials and links to items you can get on Amazon, like this See-Through Two-Way Mirror.

RetroPie – Retro Gaming Console

Play classic games from consoles like NES and PS1.

RetroPie is the OG of retro gaming on the Raspberry Pi. It launched the same year (2012) that the first Raspberry Pi was released and has been part of the ride ever since. Let me provide some explanation on Retro gaming in case you haven’t worked on such a project before.

Today, we’ve got powerful gaming consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation 5. But what if we want to relive the classic games from the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s that originally ran on systems like the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, PlayStation 1, Game Boy, or old-school arcade machines?

That’s where RetroPie comes in. RetroPie enables us to install and launch various emulators for specific games on the Raspberry Pi. Whether it’s an SNES adventure or a PlayStation 1 favorite, we can load up the right emulator and start playing.

Now, thanks to its early start, RetroPie has built the biggest community by far. The community is so large that most people don’t even realize there are other options.

Whenever I search for how to use a Raspberry Pi for gaming on Google, I notice that most results mention RetroPie, although there are other platforms. You can learn about other options like Recalbox, Batocera, or Lakka in our article on the best Retro-Gaming OS.

But the popularity of RetroPie doesn’t stop there. It has been featured on other popular blogs, including The Guardian, which even named it as the go-to choice for DIY retro gaming. On Reddit, the RetroPie subreddit has over 159k members and is rated in the top 2% by size.

If you’d like to get started with retro gaming, I highly recommend RetroPie. It’s the perfect starting point for any gamer before exploring other platforms like Lakka or Recalbox. Feel free to check out our step-by-step beginner’s guide to setting up RetroPie on the Raspberry Pi.

Pi-hole – Free Ad Blocker

Block ads on every device in your home network.

We all know that ads are one of the ways digital platforms make money. You might even have come across some ads while reading this article. Unfortunately, sometimes intrusive ads even cover the main content. In this situation, we might need to use an ad blocker.

Pi-hole is a free, open-source ad blocker that can be installed on a Raspberry Pi. Unlike ad-blockers that run as browser extensions, Pi-hole works at the network level. That means once I have it running on my Raspberry Pi, any device connected to my network has an ad-free experience. I won’t need to do any additional configurations on the browser or device.

Although there are other alternatives like AdGuard, Pi-hole remains one of the most popular due to a couple of reasons. One, the setup process is pretty easy. It took me less than 15 minutes to have everything up and running, and you don’t need to be a Linux pro.

Another thing you’ll realize is that Pi-hole is a household name in tech circles. It has been featured on well-known tech sites like Lifehacker, MakeUseOf, and Tom’s Hardware since 2015. It’s not only available for Raspberry Pi but can also be installed on servers and virtual machines.

It’s also a hot topic in communities like r/selfhosted and r/raspberry_pi on Reddit, where users regularly share setups, tips, and troubleshooting help. When we check the official Pi-hole GitHub, it boasts over 52,000 stars and more than 130 releases, all maintained by an active team.

To get started with Pi-hole, all you need is a Raspberry Pi board and an internet connection. Once you have those two, you can follow the step-by-step guide listed in our article on installing Pi-Hole on Raspberry Pi. 

Want even more ideas? I put together a free resource with over 75 Raspberry Pi project ideas, each with a quick description, tutorial link, and hardware requirements. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for something to do this weekend, this list will keep you busy for a while. Just click here to get instant access.

Astro Pi – Coding on the International Space Station

Write code that runs on the ISS.

One of the coolest Raspberry Pi projects I’ve come across is Astro Pi. A program that sends student-written code to the International Space Station (ISS). I first learned about this project while reading my colleague’s post on Surprising Uses for Raspberry Pi That Will Blow Your Mind.

The Astro Pi program allows students to conduct experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) with the Raspberry Pi. It was started by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). They equipped the ISS with two specially modified Raspberry Pi computers named Ed and Izzy, each packed with sensors (like temperature, humidity, gyroscope, camera, etc.).

You might have one question: since Ed and Izzy are already on the space station, how do we get involved? How do we write the programs for Raspberry Pi boards 250 miles away from Earth?

Well, let me explain. Each year, the Astro Pi Challenge opens two missions for students – Mission Zero (beginner-friendly) and Mission Space Lab (Advanced).

Through Mission Zero, we can write a simple program that shows a message or reads data from sensors, and it will be executed on the ISS for 30 seconds. For this setup, we won’t need any special hardware.

If we’re looking to work on more advanced projects that use onboard sensors and cameras, we choose Mission Space Lab. If selected, our code runs in space for several hours, and we get the real data to study.

Astro Pi has played a major role in the Raspberry Pi’s rise to fame, not just because it’s cool, but because of its educational impact. In the 2023/24 cycle alone, over 26,000 young people from 28 countries took part in the challenge, with an impressive 43% female participation.

The project has been featured in ESA press releases, covered by the BBC, and regularly highlighted on the Raspberry Pi Foundation blog, keeping it in the public eye. It’s even been cited in UK Parliament and European education policy as a successful example of STEM outreach.

If you wish to participate and write a program that runs in space, you can check out the official Astro-pi website, where you can select your mission of choice. Each mission provides a detailed guide on how to take part and the requirements needed for your project.

Security Camera – Raspberry Pi – Powered

Build a smart camera with motion alerts and remote view.

When I first learned how to install a camera on a Raspberry Pi, my ideas of what to do with it were limitless. I started with a basic IP camera, but I soon became bored with it, since all I kept seeing were pics of my cat sleeping on my desk. I tried other options, but I finally settled on a security camera.

At its core, this project turns your Raspberry Pi into a smart surveillance device. I connected a Pi Camera Module (or a USB webcam) and installed motion detection software like MotionEyeOS or Frigate, which allowed me to stream live video, capture motion-triggered footage, and even access everything remotely from my phone or PC.

In your case, you can be even more creative and try adding night vision, cloud backups, or face detection using AI.

What made this project so popular is that it’s practical, beginner-friendly, and flexible. Whether we want to keep an eye on our front door, pets, or baby’s room, we can build exactly what we need with a Raspberry Pi.

The best part is that we don’t need a huge budget or advanced tech skills to do it. Installing MotionEye makes it mostly plug-and-play, and we have a fully functional IP security camera in no time. It is also an affordable alternative to products like Google Nest Cam and Arlo.

This project has been featured in countless YouTube tutorials, which have racked up millions of views, blogs, and maker sites, because it’s the kind of project that solves a real problem and teaches you useful skills along the way.

Smart Home Control Panel

Control all your smart devices from one screen.

One of the most exciting Raspberry Pi projects I’ve worked on is building a smart home control panel. A home control panel is a custom dashboard that allows you to control things like lights, thermostats, security cameras, and other smart devices, all from one interface.

Come to think of it, when I buy a smart fridge, smart security cameras, and other devices, each one usually comes with its app. Now, if I have around 10 smart devices, how many different apps will I need to install on my phone or PC to manage them all?

That was one challenge I noticed before I decided to build a DIY smart home control panel. I used a Raspberry Pi with a touchscreen, which gave me a sleek, wall-mounted panel that feels like something straight out of a futuristic home.

Most people with smart home setups eventually look for a way to bring everything together, and a DIY smart home control panel gives you full control without relying on expensive third-party systems. The Raspberry Pi is perfect for this because it’s affordable, has built-in networking, and the GPIO pins make it easy to connect sensors or relays.

To set up a smart home control panel, there are many platforms you can use, including Home Assistant, OpenHAB, and Node-RED.

To build mine, I used Home Assistant, a powerful open-source home automation platform that integrates with thousands of smart devices. It’s also one of the most popular Raspberry Pi projects on GitHub, with over 65,000 stars, and consistently ranks in the top one percent of Pi-tagged repositories.

If you’re looking forward to setting up a smart home control panel, I believe we have enough resources for you on our site. First, check out our article on Top Tools for Building a Raspberry Pi Smart Home.

If you prefer to use a popular solution like Home Assistant, we have a comprehensive article that provides a step-by-step guide on setting up Home Assistant on the Raspberry Pi.

These viral projects show just how much you can do with a Raspberry Pi. In this post, I’ve listed only six projects, but there are some even more hilarious, like the Zombie Apocalypse. Feel free to pick one that excites you, and give it a shot.

Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:

Test Your Raspberry Pi Level (Free): Not sure why everything takes so long on your Raspberry Pi? Take this free 3-minute assessment and see what’s causing the problems.

The RaspberryTips Community: Need help or want to discuss your Raspberry Pi projects with others who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct help.

Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.

Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.