WRTnode2P, WRTnode2R and WRTnodeHi OpenWRT Boards to Feature M.2 & mini PCIe Edge Connectors, H.265 Camera Support, and More

WRTnode is a small and low cost development board powered by Mediatek MT7620N and running OpenWRT. The developers have been working on three new OpenWRT boards based on Mediatek or Hisilicon processor and featuring either an M.2 connector, a mini PCIe connector, or support for H.265 camera.

WRTnode2P
WRTnode2P

The first board is WRTnode2P with the following specifications:

  • SoC – Mediatek MT7628an MIPS 24KEc processor @ 575 MHz
  • System Memory – 256 MB RAM
  • Storage – 32MB Flash
  • Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi @ 300 Mbps (2T2R)
  • I/Os via NGFF M.2 connector:
    • PCIe X1, USB 2.0 host, SD-XC
    • 5x 100M Ethernet switch
    • I2S up to 192K/24-bit
    • 2x UART, SPI, I2C
    • 20x GPIO
  • Dimensions – 42 x 22mm
WRTnode2R
WRTnode2R

The second board, WRTNode2R, features a processor and a micro-controller, and can be connected to a mini PCIe port:

  • SoC – Mediatek MT7688an MIPS24K Processor @ 580 MHz
  • System Memory – 256 MB DDR2
  • Storage – 32MB NOR Flash
  • MCU – STMicro STM32F103 Cortex M3 micro-controller
  • Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi @ 300 Mbps (2T2R)
  • I/Os via mPCIe connector (preliminary, exact details are TBC):
    • Mediatek processor
      • PCIe X1, USB 2.0 host, SD-XC
      • 5x 100M Ethernet
      • I2S up to 192K/24-bit
      • 2x UART, SPI, I2C
      • 4x PWM
      • 20x GPIO
    • STM32 MCU:
      • 5x 12 A/D
      • 26x GPIO
      • 10x PWM @ 36 MHz
      • CAN, 3x timer
  • Dimensions – N/A

The Mediatek processor runs OpenWRT, while the ST Micro MCU will run Liteos, but not LiteOS “open source, UNIX-like operating system designed for wireless sensor networks”, but rather Liteos developed by Huawei, which can also run on OpenWRT. More information about Liteos can be found on the community page. (Chinese only).

WRTnode Hi
WRTnode Hi

The third and last board, WRTnode Hi, is a little different because it’s a WiFi camera board powered by Hisilicon Hi3516A:

  • SoC- HiSilicon Hi3516A ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 600MHz with NEON and FPU
  • System Memory – 512B DDR3
  • Storage – 32MB SPI Flash
  • Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
  • Camera Support
    • Up to 5MP sensor
    • H.264 / H.265 multi-stream real-time encoding
    • H.265 up to 2560×1920 @ 30 fps at 4 Mbps
  • I/Os via mPCIe edge connector
    • 2x SAR-ADC
    • 4x UART interfaces
    • IR, I2C, SPI master,  I2, GPIO 
    • 8x PWM interface (four independent, four multiplexed with other pins)
    • 2x SDIO 3.0 interface with support for SDXC
    • 1x USB 2.0 HOST / Device interface
    • 100/1000Mbps Ethernet
  • Dimensions – N/A

The board also runs OpenWRT, and an SDK will be provided to handle the camera.

Both three boards appears to target the Chinese market, at least for now, as most information is only in Chinese, including product pages for WRTnode2 boards and WRTNode Hi board. Retail pricing has not been announced, but I understand that 50 pieces of WRTNode2R are currently offered for 148 RMB ($23) to beta testers in China, who can apply via Elecfans forums. If I have not lost too much in translation, these beta boards will ship at the end of September.

Thanks to Freire for the tip.

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14 Comments
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WRTnode team
WRTnode team
8 years ago

Thank you, CNXSoft. The new boards will available for the oversea customers and clients later in this years.

Fan
8 years ago

why use pci-e or NGFF interface? Then we have to buy another base board?

And for WRTNode1, I just found little support on it.

ade
ade
8 years ago

I see there are CAN and other interesting features for industrial applications. I just wonder 2 things
– is there any commitment about manufacturing lifetime / support / software upgrades duration from either WRTNode or Mediatek ?
– what is the operating temperature range ? (many industrial applications need up to 70°C or more)

WRTnode team
WRTnode team
8 years ago

@Fan

the retail package of 2R or 2P or Hi will include a bassBoard for free.

sorry for the lack of support for oversea customers, we will build a better community in English after these months.

WRTnode team
WRTnode team
8 years ago

@ade

For our mass purchase or customized clients, we WRTnode team will provide the life-cycle support including hardware and software.

actually, the boards are for consumer electronics and the temperature range is -20 – 55 oC

Ian Tester
8 years ago

@Fan
They may not actually me using the M.2 or mPCIe interfaces, just using the connectors. That sort of thing has been done for a long time in the embedded field. You get a connector with lots of pins ans is available everywhere for very cheap. You just have to make it clear to people, so they don’t mistakenly plug the device into a real M.2/mPCIe/DIMM/etc socket.

Tired_
Tired_
8 years ago

Too bad it isn’t a real M.2, would be nice to run a secondary computer inside my micro desktop instead of the Wifi card that sits in the M.2 slot and doesn’t get used.

Nobody of Import
Nobody of Import
8 years ago

@WRTnode team
Cool. Thanks for the information there.

Nobody of Import
Nobody of Import
8 years ago

@WRTnode team
Oh, any plans for an Industrial ranged version set? IoT isn’t just for residential stuff, after all.

Sander
Sander
8 years ago

I associate OpenWRT with routers. And wikipedia confirms that: “OpenWrt is an operating system (in particular, an embedded operating system) based on the Linux kernel, primarily used on embedded devices to route network traffic.”

As the devices presented here have one interface (Wifi), why is OpenWrt choosen and useful?

xxiao
xxiao
8 years ago

@Sander
openwrt was indeed for routers but nowadays it’s used for many IoT devices due to its flexibility, open source and small size.

WRTnode team
WRTnode team
8 years ago

@Nobody of Import

Yeah, the following module named WRTnode2Q, using a Qualcomm Atheros soc, that will be in the industrial range.

David Fernandez
David Fernandez
6 years ago

WRTnode Team is it possible to put the WRTNode2p into the WRTNode2r shield?

Khadas VIM4 SBC