A key feature of the BPI-R4 is its MediaTek Filogic 880 chipset, a premier network processor that enhances both wired and wireless networking. It supports advanced Wi-Fi 7 tri-band connectivity, offering features like 320-MHz bandwidth, 4096-QAM, and various advanced technologies such as Multi-Link Operation, Multi-Resource Unit, and Adaptive Frequency Coordination.

• MT7988A (Filogic 880) – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 (up to 1.8GHz)

BPI-R4 Block Diagram
(click image to enlarge)

The board also includes MediaTek’s Tunnel Offload Processor System (TOPS), which optimizes the processing of tunneling protocols, significantly boosting network offloading efficiency.

Banana Pi BPI-R4 Wi-Fi7 Module
(click image to enlarge)

In terms of networking capabilities, the BPI-R4 is equipped with four Gigabit Ethernet ports and two 10Gbe SFP slots, the latter of which can be optionally configured as 1x 10Gbe SFP and 1x SoC embedded 2.5Gbe PHY, albeit necessitating hardware modifications.

The board is compatible with both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 standards, positioning it at the forefront of wireless networking technology.

Banana Pi BPI-R4 Top view
(click image to enlarge)

Additionally, two MiniPCIe slots with a PCIe3.0 2-lane interface are provided for Wi-Fi 7 NIC (Network Interface Card) applications. Both of these slots are located on the bottom side of the board as shown below.

Banana Pi BPI-R4 Router Board
(click image to enlarge)

For technical documentation, Banana Pi provides a Getting Started Wiki page and the BPI-R4 Wiki page which also contains a few compatible OpenWRT images. The company lists a GitHub repository as well, but it seems to be a work in progress.

Specifications listed for the Banana Pi BPI-R4 include:

• Memory/Storage:
  • 2x 4 GB DDR4 
  • 8 GB eMMC onboard
  • 1x MicroSD card slot
• Connectivity:
  • Wi-Fi6/Wi-Fi7
  • 2x 10G SFP or 1x 10G SFP
  • 1x 2.5GbE
  • 4x 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet ports
• Expansion:
  • 2x MiniPCIe slots
  • 1x M.2 Key-B slot
  • 1x M.2 Key-M slot
  • 3x Nano SIM slots
• I/O Interfaces:
  • 26-Pin GPIOs
  • 1x XH-4-pin connector
  • 1x PH-3-pin connector
  • 1x VH-2-pin connector
• USB:
  • 1x USB 3.2 slot
  • 1x USB Type-C
• Other Features:
  • 1x Reset key, 1x WPS key, 1x Boot switch
  • PoE module RT5400 (optional)
  • RTC Battery connector
  • Debug UART
  • 2x Status LEDs
• Power:
  • 12V/5.2A or 19V 3.2A DC
• Mechanical:
  • 100.5 x 148mm
  • 250g

Further information

The Banana Pi BPI-R4 can be obtained for $103.15 on the SinoVoip AliExpress website.