Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite is a mid-range 2.5GbE router board based on MediaTek Filogic 850 (MT7987AV) quad-core Cortex-A53 network processor, coupled with 2GB DDR4 and 8GB eMMC flash, and equipped with four gigabit Ethernet ports, a 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN port, and a 2.5GbE SFP cage.
It’s a cost-down version of the Banana Pi BPI-R4 router board powered by a Filogic 880 quad-core Cortex-A73 SoC with 10GbE support. It still supports WiFi 7 through the BPI-R4-NIC-BE14 dual mini PCIe WiFi 7 module and 4G LTE and 5G connectivity through an M.2 Key-B socket and three NanoSIM card slots.
Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite specifications:
- SoC – MediaTek MT7987AV (Filogic 850) quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 2.0 GHz with Network Processing Unit (NPU) capable of up to 7.5Gbps packet processing
- System Memory – 2GB DDR4 (SoC supports up to 4GB)
- Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, microSD card
- Networking
- 2.5GbE WAN port
- 2.5GbE SFP cage
- 4x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 (LAN) ports using MediaTek MT7531AE switch
- Optional WiFi 6 or WiFi 7 via dual mini PCIe module
- Optional 4G LTE or 5G via M.2 module; Tested modules: 4G LTE: EC25 EM05; 5G: Quectel RM500U-CN/RM520N-GL
- USB – USB 3.0 port
- Expansion
- M.2 Key-B slot with USB 3.0 interface for 5G or 4G LTE connectivity plus three nanoSIM slots
- 1x mini PCIe slot with 2-lane PCIe 3.0 for Wi-Fi 7 NIC (Network Interface Card)
- 1x mini PCIe slot with USB 2.0 interface
- 16-pin MikroBus GPIO header with UART, I2C, SPI, PWM… for Mikroe Click modules
- Debugging – USB-C debug console port
- Misc
- Reset and WPS buttons
- Bootstrap switch
- RTC battery holder (CR1220)
- 4-pin connector for 12V PWM fan
- 3-pin connector for 5V fan
- Power Supply
- 12V DC input via power barrel or 2-pin connector
- Up to 20V via USB Type-C PD port
- Optional PoE module (RT5400)
- Dimensions – 148 x 100.5 mm (Same dimensions as Banana Pi BPI-R64, Banana Pi BPI-R2, and BPI-R4)
Banana Pi provides a wiki with instructions to get started, DXF files, PDF schematics, MT7987A datasheet, and OpenWrt images (from a fork) with Linux 5.4, either configured as PCIe x2 or two PCIe x1. There’s also some non-sensical information like the OpenWrt images being based on Ubuntu 22.04, following Banana Pi’s long-held tradition of always providing incorrect information.
The source code is not provided, or I missed it. Target applications include Internet service routers, WiFi 7 routers, 4G/5G routers, repeaters, and Smart Home gateways. The Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite Filogic 850 router board can be purchased for $73.69 on AliExpress (or an alternative shop at the same price). If you need WiFi 7, you’ll need to add another $73.69 for the dual mini PCIe module.
Thanks to TLS for the tip.
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.
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