Banana Pi BPI-R2 Open Source smart router with MTK 7623N design

I get one on AliExpress (awaiting for packing). But I love to embed FreeBSD into such board, so free sample may help. One for home use, second for development, if you interesting. As you know there two very cool project running FreeBSD, which may perfectly extend interest to board. This is FreeNAS for home/office storage and pfSense for home/office/company firewall.

Iā€™ve been watching the R2 development and discussion with great interest.

With a free sample (preferably including case) i offer to build and document a headless / lite version (no GUI), from the existing image (ubuntu mate). I would try to make it both in the form of an image as well as a script.

Iā€™ve been running self-configured headless rpi, even before that was officially available for download.

Let me know if thereā€™s interest.

i have found most drivers available on mainline kernel, you could start to port those drivers you have interest such as ethernet and switch mt7530 driver

I would interested in a sample as well. I work for my ISP as an equipment technician. I test equipment constantly. I would like to take the sample and use it to configure and test other routers. My current test system for this uses 4 raspberry piā€™s(My bosses boss thought they had gigabit ports) which doesnā€™t quite push the limits of our current routers. I added some usb gigabit adapters to get more from it but still not stress testing by any means. We are beginning deployment of a new router. While I have relaxed period on testing the routers, I am looking to find a new testing system.

How I plan to utilize the sample to test: I would setup DHCP through the wan port and create network namespaces on each the lan interfaces. Run ssh scripts for configuration and iperf tests across the wan interface to the wan interface of our new router. The iperf traffic will continue through the router being tested to the sample lan interfaces. Ideally I will get my hands on a mPCIe wireless 802.11ac card to also be able to test the wireless.

Another possible use is to test our cable modems. My company has started exploring gigabit cable modems. We also have fiber and telephone services. The telephone services may be a possible chance to set it up with bpx(probably use on of the raspberry piā€™s for this and control it using this board) and/or possibly automate phone tests(really tired of calling myselfā€¦ seriously I call myself like a hundred times a day) and ethernet port tests of our MTAs and ONTs. Although we also do television as well, I donā€™t think this quite fits the bill for testing that sort of thing.

As I am asking for the sample for myself, if I prove its value after setting it up, my company would end up buying at least one(obviously I would keep this sample for myself[mine mine mine]). I would also being interested in any other samples you might interested giving of course but I am not sure how I might make us on them until they were offered. Obviously I will find ways to at least make use of it/kill it with stress }:). Thank you for taking the time read my sample request.

Did you forget something went wrong with this sample?

Best regards

we have send out sample , please contact [email protected] ,ask she.:slight_smile:

OpenWrt/LEDE image : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6wnb6XNnEQVMXRJV1ZLZkVqYl9td3FlTWR0bERJeEtoRFlZ

Please take a look at ā€œBanana pi BPI-R2 LEDE OpenWrt development in progressā€

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Thank you for your help :slight_smile: I donā€™t care about image, I wanna know the kernel and scrypt of .dts

please refer to BPI-R2 OpenWRT image?

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I want to thank you, R2 is waiting for me at the post Office

:sunglasses:

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This device doesnā€™t boot the OS from EMMC (at least based on provided install instructions), and the HDMI signal is scrambled. Any clues?

Hi! Watch this issue https://github.com/BPI-SINOVOIP/BPI-R2-bsp/issues/9

Thank you for your reply - will do!

Hi!

Realy nice hardware, but one more feature would be really useful. Now, GPON is more and more popular, also ONT are available as SFP module. Maybe R2 could be eqipped with SFP cage?

To make this, one of RGMII interface should me moved from MT7530 switch to separate PHY, like AR8031, which support copper and fiber (by SGMII/SerDes).

Total BOM would be rised by AR8031 and SFP cage cost, no more than 5USD: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original-SFP-Connector-20PIN-surface-Mount-SMD-1367073-1-Original-SFP-Cage-Assembly-Solder-Tail/32483799124.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/AR8031-AL1A-QFN-48-100-New-and-original-KeXunDa-Electronic-In-stock/2024742553.html

R2 with SFP connector and SFP GPON ONT would be really good hardware for modern router. How do You like it?

Best regards,

Karol

Thanks for your useful suggestion, firstly we can use usb-to-SFP module to support SFP interface, below link for you reference:

And we will discuss this requirement with our team internally, thanks again.

I was considering also miniPCIe card (own project) of network interface to SFP based on Intel i210-IS/AS, but it seems that there would be mechanical conflict with SATA etc connectors - they would be in way of SFP module.

And also as in USB converter I suppose that HNAT would be unusable in those scenario.

Have You discussed SFP connector already? :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Hi Karol

This should be big change for us if we support SFP on R2, so our team donā€™t have plan to do this on standard R2 board, sorry for this. As we said before, we can use an usb-to-SFP mode

received my sample today, thank you very much.

Waiting now for my power supply and wifi-antennas :wink: then i can start to test

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as use RTC for BPI-R2?

Hardware NAT is available based on lede.

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