Exaviz Cruiser Brings 8-Port PoE+, 2.5GbE, and NVMe to Raspberry Pi CM5
Feb 25, 2026 — by Giorgio Mendoza 513 views
Exaviz, formerly Axzez, has introduced the Cruiser Carrier Board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, integrating an 8-port Gigabit PoE+ switch, 2.5GbE WAN, NVMe, dual HDMI, and ESP32-C6 wireless on a single board. The platform targets NVR, smart home, and edge deployments that would otherwise require multiple add-on components.
At the hardware level, networking is built around a Realtek RTL8367RB Gigabit switch providing four or eight ports depending on model, alongside a 2.5GbE WAN interface implemented through the Realtek RTL8156BG over USB 3.0. Exaviz reports multi-gigabit WAN performance in real-world testing.
— ADVERTISEMENT —
Wireless connectivity is handled by an onboard ESP32-C6 module supporting WiFi 6 (802.11ax, 2.4GHz), Bluetooth LE 5.3, and Zigbee coordination without requiring external USB adapters.
Cruiser Desktop Case
The board operates from a single 48–57V DC input on PoE models, eliminating the need for ATX-style supplies used in some earlier CM5-based builds. Power delivery is managed by a TI TPS23861 PoE controller with IEEE 802.3at support, providing up to 30W per port.
2.5GbE WAN performance (RTL8156BG over USB 3.0)
Storage options include an M.2 Key-M slot (PCIe Gen 2 x1) supporting NVMe SSDs or accelerators such as Hailo-8 or Coral TPU, along with two SATA III ports via a JMicron JMS561 controller. Hardware RAID modes (0, 1, Span, JBOD) are selectable via DIP switch.
JMS561 SATA controller performance
Additional I/O includes three USB 3.0 ports via a VL817 hub, four USB 2.0 ports, two Qwiic/STEMMA QT I2C connectors for peripheral expansion, and an RTC with battery backup. An onboard FFC connector enables expansion with the Interceptor PoE board, increasing support to up to 16 PoE-powered devices.
Cruiser supports Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit), Debian Trixie, and Ubuntu 25.10 or newer. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and earlier are not supported due to missing RP1 SDIO driver support.
SSD vs HDD storage performance comparison
According to Exaviz benchmarks, the 2.5GbE WAN interface reaches up to 2.35 Gbps upload and 1.93 Gbps download, with moderate CPU utilization during testing. Dual SATA drives connected via the JMS561 controller achieved roughly 300 MiB/s combined sequential throughput, with RAID 0 nearly doubling single-drive performance.
Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0
Software RAID demonstrated improved random write performance compared to the onboard hardware RAID implementation in testing.
Specifications listed for the Cruiser Carrier Board include:
- Networking:
- 1x 2.5GbE WAN (RTL8156BG)
- 4x or 8x 1GbE switch ports (RTL8367RB)
- IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (up to 30W per port, model dependent)
- TI TPS23861 PoE controller
- Storage:
- M.2 Key-M (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
- Supports 2230 / 2242 / 2260 / 2280 modules
- 2x SATA III (JMS561)
- MicroSD slot
- Hardware RAID 0 / 1 / Span / JBOD
- Expansion:
- 2x Qwiic/STEMMA QT connectors
- PoE expansion via FFC
- M.2 supports NVMe or AI accelerators
- Display:
- 2x HDMI 2.0 (4Kp60, independent outputs)
- HDCP 2.2
- Wireless (ESP32-C6):
- WiFi 6 (802.11ax, 2.4GHz)
- Bluetooth 5.3 LE
- Zigbee coordinator
- USB:
- 3x USB 3.0
- 4x USB 2.0
- Power:
- DC barrel jack (5.5/2.1mm)
- 48–57V (PoE models)
- 13–60V (Cruiser Keel)
- Up to 7A
- Mechanical:
- 170mm × 120mm
- Mini-ITX compatible
- Operating Temperature:
- 0°C to +70°C
Further Information
Cruiser is offered in three variants: the Cruiser model with eight Gigabit PoE+ ports, Cruiser Lite with four Gigabit PoE+ ports, and Cruiser Keel featuring a four-port Gigabit switch without PoE support. All variants include the 2.5GbE WAN interface, NVMe support, dual HDMI output, USB connectivity, and ESP32-C6 wireless.
Exaviz also offers a bent steel Cruiser Desktop Case designed to house the board with up to two 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives. The enclosure includes dual 40mm cooling fans, a Molex-to-SATA power splitter, a front-panel USB 3.0 port, a power button with LED indicator, and an external WiFi antenna. Front-panel connectors are pre-wired for direct connection to the Cruiser Carrier Board.
The Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0 starts at $89.00 (regularly $99.00), with pre-orders expected to ship in mid-April 2026. The matching desktop case is priced at $119.00 (regularly $129.00).
Please comment here...