CompuLab’s $201-and-up “IOT-GATE-RPi” gateway features the RPi CM4 plus GbE, 10/100, DVI-D, 3x USB 2.0, 40-pin, and optional 4G, WiFi/BT, COM, CAN, DIO, USB 3.0, NVMe, and PoE.

In 2017, CompuLab announced a compact IOT-GATE-RPi gateway equipped with a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3. The company has now followed up with a slightly larger gateway with the same name that advances to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (RPi CM4). The new IOT-GATE-RPi starts at $201, with volume discounts ranging down to $134 in 1K quantities.

IOT-GATE-RPi with CM4, front and back
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The fanless, 132 x 84 x 25mm IOT-GATE-RPi supports standard Raspberry Pi operating systems, with Raspberry Pi OS (Raspbian Linux) preloaded for $3. The aluminum-constructed, 550-gram system is designed for industrial control and monitoring applications. The mini-PC “supports popular IoT frameworks such as Microsoft Azure IoT and AWS Greengrass,” says CompuLab.

The 2021 update to the IOT-GATE-RPi is powered by an unregulated 8-36VDC input and is available in 0 to 60°C, -20 to 60°C, and -40 to 80°C models. The mini-PC offers unspecified shock, vibration, and dust resistance, as well as 10% to 90% relative humidity tolerance. There is also an option for a board-only SBC-IOT-RPI4 model.

SBC-IOT-RPI4
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This is the first Raspberry Pi CM4-based industrial mini-PC we have seen, although earlier this year, OnLogic teased an unnamed, CM4-powered mini-PC with dual GbE, 4x USB, micro-HDMI, serial, and M.2 for SATA. In addition, some of the third-party CM4 carrier boards offer enclosure options and BrainChip recently announced a CM4-driven Akida Development Kit — Raspberry Pi mini-PC for $5,000 that showcases its Akida NSoC neural networking chip.

This is also the first CompuLab product that has been announced on its website since the i.MX8M Mini based IOT-GATE-iMX8 mini-PC in June, 2020. Some products have been announced on other venues, such as the i.MX8M Plus powered UCM-iMX8M-Plus module revealed in March.

The CM4 version of the IOT-GATE-RPi has been downgraded in some areas. The ultra-mini RS232 port has been removed and you now get 10/100/1000Mbps and 10/100 LAN ports rather than dual GbE. There are now 3x USB 2.0 ports instead of four.

Yet, there are more, and more advanced, options including an NVMe drive and more serial ports, including a CAN port. The biggest advance is the CM4 module itself, which has 4x Cortex-A72 cores and a PCIe Gen2 interface, among other improvements.

The “$134” model, which costs $201 in single units, gives you a CM4 Lite (no eMMC) with 1GB LPDDR4, expandable to 8GB. As a default, the system adds16GB of soldered MLC eMMC, expandable to 128GB. In addition to supplying the standard features mentioned above, the base model ships with an up to 4Kp60 DVI-D port, micro-USB serial debug port, and 40-pin GPIO for mounting Raspberry Pi HATs. Other standard features include a watchdog, RTC with battery, SIM card socket, 2x LEDs, and 2x antenna mounts.

IOT-GATE-RPi a la carte shopping pages
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In addition to the soldered eMMC, there is an option for NVMe storage. The only option listed on the shopping configuration page is a $34 64GB NVMe package, although elsewhere CompuLab says you can purchase up to 256GB NVMe. Alternatively, you can resassign the PCIe link used for NVMe to power a dual USB 3.0 add-on board option.

A wireless option with 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0 costs $10 and LTE CAT4 in US or EU versions costs $49. Adding Power-over-Ethernet to a LAN port costs only $5.

There are 4x serial port housings with isolated, terminal-block connectors supporting optional modules including RS232, RS485, CAN-FD, and 4-in/4-out DIO. You can select various combinations of I/O up to four, including four of a kind of all the options except for DIO, which is limited to two. Additional options include TPM 2.0, a 12V power supply, adapters, cables, and DIN-rail or wall/VESA mounting kits.

 
Further information

The CM4 version of the IOT-GATE-RPi is available with a la carte pricing, starting at $201 in single quantities down to $134 for 1K. There is also a $595 IOT-GATE-RPI4 Evaluation Kit that adds a mix of options. An unpriced, board-only SBC-IOT-RPI4 model is available, and custom orders are possible for volume projects.

More information may be found in CompuLab’s announcement and product/shopping page.