In a bid to achieve full rate dual Gigabit, the FriendlyElec’s team is currently working on its latest open-source IoT application artifact which is an upgraded version of the NanoPi R1S SBC & Gateway, called the NanoPi R2S.
In contrast to the NanoPi R1S which came with 512MB RAM, an Allwinner H3 / H5 processor and a USB 2.0 to Ethernet Controller to mention a few, the new NanoPI R2S is based on the Rockchip RK3328 processor and is expected to come with more system memory including a 1GB DDR4 RAM, along with support for the 4G LTE via Huawei 8372H-155 USB dongle and two Gigabit Ethernet ports (with one deployed for WAN and the other for LAN) each capable of attaining close to 1Gbps.
While most of the features feel like an upgrade, the NanoPi R2S will not be spotting an On-board wiFi due to unclear reasons and it certainly makes things feel like a downgrade on that end. However, instead of the On-board WiFi, friendlyELEC recommends the use of the RTL8821CU USB dongles which will be supported out-of-the-box by the default firmware.
Asides dropping the WiFi and possible memory increases, most of the other features of the new board seem quite similar to the earlier one, although there is a 10-pin I / O in the R2S which cannot be found in the NanoPi R1S board.
Some of the highlight features and specifications of the new R2S include:
- Rockchip RK3328 quad-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz
- 1 Gigabit Ethernet (WAN) @ 941 Mbps, 1 Gigabit Ethernet (LAN) @ 941 Mbps
- MicroSD slot and SPI flash footprint for storage
- 1GB DDR4 RAM system memory
- 1 x Ethernet port using the GMAC from the chip, 1 x Ethernet port relying on a USB 3.0 to Ethernet controller
- 1 micro USB port (power + slave)
- 1 USB Type-A host port
- Debug Serial Port: 3.3V TTL level and 3Pin 2.54mm pitch pin header
- 5V DC / 2A power supply via Micro USB por
- tTemperature range of 0℃ to 80℃
- Supports Ubuntu – Core, U-boot, OpenWrt as software/operating systems
- completely open-source for secondary development of personal NAS and enterprise IoT
While the NanoPi R2S board is not yet available with no release date specified, it is certain the board will come at a price more expensive than the NanoPi R1S due to the increased memory and the USB 3.0 to Ethernet controller.
Read more: MEET THE NANOPI R2S FROM FRIENDLYELEC
