Merge pull request #463 from AccelerationConsortium/copilot/fix-4e34572b-8462-4eca-bf36-1e315d9075af

Add initial device access options to Tailscale setup documentation

Author: sgbaird

docs/tailscale-setup.md

@@ -6,7 +6,29 @@ The following covers [tailscale setup](#general-setup-instructions) for general-
 
 ## General Setup Instructions
 
-Follow the [Bookworm tailscale installation instructions](https://tailscale.com/kb/1174/install-debian-bookworm) (or follow the appropriate device instructions at https://tailscale.com/kb/1347/installation if not using bookworm). It's convenient to SSH into the device over the same WiFi network to make copy-pasting commands into the terminal easier (rather than trying to type them out).
+Follow the [Bookworm tailscale installation instructions](https://tailscale.com/kb/1174/install-debian-bookworm) (or follow the appropriate device instructions at https://tailscale.com/kb/1347/installation if not using bookworm).
+
+### Initial Device Access Options
+
+For running commands on your device during setup, you have several options:
+
+1. **Direct SSH (Same Network)**: If both your computer and the device are on the same WiFi network, you can SSH directly to the device using its local IP address. This is convenient for copy-pasting commands instead of typing them out. Find the device's IP address using:
+   ```bash
+   # Using mDNS/Bonjour hostname (if supported):
+   ssh pi@<hostname>.local
+   # Example: ssh [email protected]
+   
+   # Or using the device's local IP address:
+   ssh [email protected]
+   # Replace 192.168.1.100 with your device's actual IP address
+   ```
+
+2. **Physical Access**: Connect a keyboard and mouse directly to the device. This is especially useful when:
+   - You don't have SSH enabled yet
+   - You're troubleshooting network connectivity issues
+   - You need to perform initial WiFi setup on the device (and couldn't when flashing using the Raspberry Pi Imager tool)
+
+3. **Headless Setup**: For devices without displays, consider using SSH over the same network or setting up WiFi credentials via the Raspberry Pi Imager tool before first boot.
 
 You can see which RPi OS version you have (assuming you're using RPi OS) [by running](https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-command-print-raspberry-pi-os-version-on-raspberry-pi/) `hostnamectl` or using `cat /etc/os-release`. However, if you're using Ubuntu OS on your RPi, you'll [need to run](https://www.google.com/search?q=check+ubuntu+version) `lsb_release -a`.