FriendlyElec’s $22 “NanoPi R2S” router SBC run FriendlyWrt or Ubuntu Core on a quad -A53 RK3328 with 1GB DDR4, a pair each of USB and 941Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports, and an optional $3 case.

FriendlyElec has launched an update to its community-backed NanoPi R1S-H3, NanoPi R1S-H5, and earlier NanoPi R1 router boards that similarly targets basic routing and IoT duties. The NanoPi R2S switches from the quad-core Cortex-A7 Allwinner H3 on the R1S-H3 and the quad -A53 Allwinner H5 on the R1S-H5 to tap the quad -A53 Rockchip RK3328. The SoC is clocked here at 1.4GHz compared to 1.2GHz on the NanoPi R1S-H5’s Allwinner H5.

NanoPi R2S with (left) and without optional case
(click images to enlarge)

In addition to switching SoC platforms, the NanoPi R2S offers a faster speed on one of the two GbE ports. Like the earlier models, it has a native GbE port and a USB-converted port, but since the latter uses USB 3.0 instead of 2.0, you get the same 941Mbps bandwidth. The earlier USB-driven port was limited to 334Mbps (H3) and 340Mbps (H5).

The NanoPi R2S also upgrades the RAM from 512MB DDR3 on the NanoPi R1S-H3 and -H5 to 1GB DDR4. As noted by the CNXSoft story that alerted us to the R2S, FriendlyElec has also added a 10-pin GPIO header.

The RK3328 has not received quite the love from hacker board manufacturers as Rockchip’s almighty RK3399, but the SoC has shown up on boards including Pine64’s Rock64. It also appeared on the Firefly ROC-RK3328-CC, which was called the Renegade when first launched by Libre Computer. All these boards may be found in our January catalog of 136 open-spec SBCs.

As with the Allwinner-based models, the RK3328’s Mali-450 MP2 GPU goes to waste on this headless router board. FriendlyElec has posted benchmarks for the SoC’s built in AES hardware accelerator that show slightly faster encryption performance than the Allwinner H5.

The open-spec SBC supplies images for FriendlyElec’s FriendlyWrt variant of OpenWrt 19.07 plus Ubuntu Core 18.04. FriendlyElec touts FriendlyWrt for its Docker container support, which supports most ARM64 Docker Hub applications.

NanoPi R2S detail views with case
(click images to enlarge)

Although the second GbE port is based on USB 3.0, the USB host port is still USB 2.0. There’s also a micro-USB port for 5V/2A power input and client duties. Other features include a microSD slot, a debug port, LEDs, and a user/reset key.

The 60 x 60 x 29.5mm board is larger than the 55.6 x 52mm R1S models. FriendlyElec lists both 0 to 80℃ and-20 to 70℃ operating on the product page but only 0 to 80℃ in the wiki.

Specifications listed for the NanoPi R2S include:

• Processor — Rockchip RK3328 (4x Cortex-A53 cores @ up to 1.4GHz); Mali-450 MP2 GPU
• Memory/storage:
  • 1GB DDR4 RAM
  • MicroSD slot
• Networking – 2x GbE ports at 941Mbps (1x based on USB 3.0)
• Other I/O:
  • USB 2.0 host port
  • Micro-USB 2.0 power and device port
  • 10x GPIO header
  • Serial debug header
• Other features — 3x LEDs; user-programmable reset key; heatsink; optional plastic case
• Power — 5VDC @ 2A input via micro-USB
• Operating temperature — 0 to 80℃ (possible -20 to 70℃ model)
• Operating systems — FriendlyWrt 19.07; Ubuntu Core 18.04 (based on Linux 4.4 with U-boot)

 
Further information

The NanoPi R2S is available now for $22, or $25 with case. Shipments may be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, and FriendlyElec recommends DHL for timely delivery. More information may be found on its shopping and wiki pages.