Mcuzone’s CM5 5G Router expansion board is a carrier board for the Raspberry Pi CM5, designed to offer a complete router/gateway solution with WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, five gigabit Ethernet ports, an M.2 socket for a 5G module, support for up to four 4G LTE modems, and SMA connectors for four external antennas.
The board also features HDMI 2.0 video output, a MIPI DSI/CSI display or camera connector, a microSD card slot, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB-C ports, and a 40-pin GPIO header. An optional metal enclosure can also be provided if needed.
Mcuzone CM5 5G Router expansion board specifications:
- Supported SoM – Raspberry Pi CM5 with SoC Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 SoC, up to 16GB RAM, up to 64GB eMMC flash, optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 module; other CM5 compatible CPU modules might also work.
- Storage – MicroSD card slot; note: Version R1.2 does not support booting the OS from a microSD card slot, or in other words, Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite is not supported
- Video Output and Input
- HDMI 2.0 port up to 4Kp60
- 22-pin MIPI DSI/CSI for external LCD or camera
- Networking
- Native Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port
- 4x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports via RTL8111 controllers and unnamed switch chip
- M.2 B-Key (USB 3.0) 3052 socket interface for 5G module (also compatible with 4G LTE modules) + NanoSIM card slot
- Up to 3x 4G LTE modem boards connected through 4-pin USB connectors
- 4x SMA antenna connectors
- USB
- 1x USB 3.0 Type-A host ports
- 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
- 3x USB 2.0 interfaces via 4-pin connectors (one multiplexed with a USB 2.0 Type-A port)
- 1x USB-C OTG port to flash the OS to the eMMC flash
- Expansion
- 40-pin GPIO header fully compatible with Raspberry Pi 5 GPIO header
- M.2 Key-B socket with USB 3.0; used for 5G module
- Misc
- Power button
- Reset button for 4-port Gigabit Ethernet switch
- 4x LED for (board) power, CM5 power, Act, and 5G network registration
- 2-pin RTC battery connector
- Boot jumper to flash the eMMC on the CM5 module
- USB OTG jumper
- Power Supply
- Via USB-C port with USB PD and QC support; handshakes at 12V
- 5V/3A via USB-C OTG port
- Dimenions – SBC: 135 x 111mm; aluminum enclosure: 138 x 128 x 31mm or 155 x 128 x 31 mm with mounting bracket
Mcuzone provides a getting started guide that shows how to use, configure, and test all features with Raspberry Pi OS, including the 5G module (RM520N-GL), 4G LTE Cat 4 boards, Ethernet ports, RTC battery, MIPI DSI/CSI display/camera interface, PWM fan, and more. The wiki also lists some instructions for OpenWrt and iStoreOS.
Mcuzone’s CM5 5G router expansion board can be purchased for as low as $69.99 on AliExpress. That price is for the bare board only, and they offer kits with four antennas, a power supply, heatsinks, and/or the metal case. You’ll need to source the Raspberry Pi CM5, 5G module, and 4G LTE board separately, or get a sample on Alibaba, where they have options for RM520N-GL or RM530N-GL 5G modules, or others for the Chinese market (marked CN). The 4G LTE MINI module (purple) found in the Wiki and photos above appears to be from Mcuzone.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
