Installing 3CX SBC on Raspberry Pi 5

Introduction

This guide is intended to cover the installation of the 3CX SBC on Raspberry Pi 5.

The 3CX SBC supports Debian-12 (Bookworm) and Debian-13 (Trixie) based Raspberry Pi OS.

Important: 3CX recommends Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit (arm64) for all Raspberry Pi 5 installations. The 32-bit version (armhf) may still work, but is no longer routinely tested or validated by 3CX.

Step 1: Get the correct Raspberry Pi

  • A Raspberry Pi 5 - 4GB/8GB
  • A reputable, preferably endurance-rated, microSD card.
  • The minimum card size is 32Gb; if you wish to handle larger log files for troubleshooting purposes, you should consider a larger size.
  • Ensure the device has a good casing that allows for maximum cooling.
  • An actively cooled case or Raspberry Pi Active Cooler.
  • A high-quality 5V, 5A USB-C power supply.
  • Ideally the official Raspberry Pi 5 power supply.

Step 2: Prepare an SD card with Raspberry Pi OS

  • Download the Raspberry Pi Imager and install it.The full Imager documentation can be found on the linked page.
  • Run the imager, select Raspberry Pi 5 and click NEXT

  • On the OS card, scroll down and choose Raspberry Pi OS (other) and click on it.

  • Choose the correct Debian Bookworm or Trixie Raspberry Pi OS Lite for your Raspberry and click NEXT
  • 64-bit (arm64) - Recommended. Use this option for all new Raspberry Pi5 installations. This is the architecture tested and validated by 3CX.
  • 32-bit (armhf) - Legacy compatibility only. The 32-bit version may continue to work, but it is no longer tested or validated by 3CX. Future compatibility is not guaranteed.

  • Choose the SD card you want to to prepare
  • Keep Exclude system drives checked to avoid accidental risk to your system drives
  • Confirm your choice
  • It is advisable to perform the Customisation steps now; if you skip them, a wizard with the same options will run on the Pi on first boot

  • Enter a hostname
  • Set your time zone and keyboard
  • Create your default User Account and set a strong password that you will remember
  • The SBC must use wired ethernet, WiFi is not supported.
  • Decide how you will be connecting to your Raspberry after installation:
  • SSH with either password or public key authentication
  • Raspberry Pi connect

  • Check that the relevant info in the Summary are as expected, and write the image to your SD card.
  • The Imager will download the latest available version from Raspberry's repository before writing begins.

Step 3: Boot your Raspberry Pi

  • Insert the SD card that was just prepared into the Pi
  • Boot the Pi
  • Connect to it via Console, SSH or Pi Connect

Step 4: Set a Static IP

  • Run the nmtui command:

sudo nmtui

  • Choose Edit a connection.
  • Select your network connection.
  • Set IPv4 to Manual and click on <Show>.
  • Set the Address, Gateway and DNS server based on your LAN Settings, press <OK>.
  • Click Back and Quit to exit the Wizard
  • Reboot the Pi:

sudo reboot

  • When the Pi finishes rebooting, login with the user you created and verify the "eth0" IP address:

ip a

Note: LAN installs are supported on properly configured RFC 1918 private networks:

  • 10.0.0.0/8
  • 172.16.0.0/12
  • 192.168.0.0/16

Step 5: Add the SBC to your 3CX PBX

  • Log in to the 3CX Admin Console and navigate to Voice & Chat.
  • Click on + Add SBC, select Raspberry Pi and click Continue.
  • The SBC connection has now been created on the PBX side, and is waiting for the actual SBC to connect.

Step 6: Install the 3CX SBC to your Raspberry Pi

  • Log in to the Raspberry Pi with the primary user account, via the CLI or SSH.
  • Run the 3CX install script:

sudo bash -c "$(wget -qO- https://downloads-global.3cx.com/downloads/sbc/3cxsbc.zip)"

  • Select OK to verify the "3CX Pre-requisites" and accept the "End-user License Agreement" to continue.
  • Enter the "Provisioning URL" for your 3CX (e.g. https://example-pbx.3cx.com), and select OK.
  • Enter the "Authentication KEY ID" and select OK.
  • Select OK and proceed to install and restart.

Step 7: Provision your IP Phones

Once your SBC is installed, you can provision your IP Phones via this SBC, by choosing it during the IP Phone setup as the connection option.

See Also

Last Updated

This document was last updated on 23 July 2026

https://www.3cx.com/docs/installing-pbx-raspberry-pi/ 

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