The Dual Gigabit Carrier Board powered by Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 is equipped with dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and dual USB 3.0 ports, making it suitable for soft router applications, while keeping the hardware to a minimum. We have pre-installed a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC to enable fast boot-up times and a smooth overall experience. You can also replace the installed CM4 with any other CM4 of your choice!
Out of the two Gigabit Ethernet Ports (RJ45), one Ethernet Port is connected to the Gigabit Ethernet PHY of the CM4 module which is based on Broadcom BCM54210PE. On the other hand, the other Gigabit Ethernet Port is connected to Microchip's LAN7800 which is a USB 3.0 to GbE (Gigabit Ethernet Bridge). The USB 3.0 interface here is extended from the PCIe interface of the CM4 Module. Also, both ports can support speeds up to 1Gbps.
It features a variety of I/O peripherals such as MIPI CSI, MIPI DSI, micro-HDMI to connect displays/ cameras, a standard 9-pin USB 3.0 header for more USB expansion, a micro-SD card slot, and an FPC connector while maintaining a compact form factor! This board is ideal for HTPC makers, Linux developers, software router enthusiasts, and the majority of regular Raspberry Pi users.
Also, this comes included with a PC/ABS case with an Aluminum alloy on top which has a large sink in order to cool down the CM4 at extreme loads. It provides better protection as well and is suitable be used in industrial applications.
OpenWrt Pre-Installed
The Compute Module 4 comes with OpenWrt firmware pre-installed out-of-the-box. This means you just need to unbox the package, take out the board, connect to your existing home network and have your own mini router!
OpenWrt is an open-source Linux operating system that runs on embedded devices/ routers. It offers more features, performance, and security than a traditional router. It has a filesystem that’s fully writable and includes a package management system. You can make use of these packages to suit your applications in various ways. Once you connect this board to your home network and access the router from a web browser, you will be presented with a beautiful and interactive dashboard as follows.
You can navigate in this dashboard, and you will have access to a bunch of features such as:
- Increase overall network performance when multiple devices are connected
- Share files between devices via an external storage drive connected directly to the router
- Increase network security
- Run a BitTorrent client from the router
- Connect a printer directly to the router to create a networked printer
- Limit bandwidth usage of a particular device in the network
- Active queue management
- Real-time network monitoring
- Create Dynamic DNS
- Set Up a VPN client or server
- Block ads on the network
By utilizing the above features, you will have unlimited possibilities with this mini router!