Raspberry Pi CM4 Wireless 2G RAM Lite (No eMMC) with IoT Router Carrier Board and Acrylic Case

Note: This page offers a few options for the CM4 IoT Router Carrier Board kit with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 - built-in wireless: WiFi and Bluetooth, 4GB RAM, and no eMMC (Lite). Please choose the preferred option:

CM4 Wireless 2GB Lite+IoT Router Carrier Board+Case	CM4 Wireless 2GB Lite+IoT Router Carrier Board	IoT Router Carrier Board ONLY	Acrylic Case + Heatsink ONLY

Note: The Official Power Supply Unit (PSU) in the kit/s will be either in Black or White Color depending on availability.

Compute Module 4 is officially launched on 19th October 2020 with the same or better specs, and there are 32 variants of the module to choose from. This product page lists Compute Module 4 which comes WITH Wireless (WiFi and Bluetooth), 2GB RAM, and NO onboard eMMC (Lite).

Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini

Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini is an internet expansion board based on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. When connecting with a gigabit network card via PCle, it brings Raspberry Pi CM4 two full-speed gigabit network ports and offers better performance, lower CPU usage, and higher stability for a long time of work compared with a USB network card. Besides, with a mini size of 55 x 62mm, the board still retains the characteristic GPIO pin header of Raspberry Pi, which makes it applicable for connecting other actuators, sensors, and an intelligent cooling fan. Furthermore, there is also a USB 2.0 interface (USB-C) that can be connected to mobile hard drives, printers, WIFI modules, LTF modules, etc.

Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini now provides OpenWRT open-source router system. After setup, it can be used as a router. It is also compatible with Raspberry OS, Ubuntu Server, and other Raspberry Pi systems.

The powerful performance of BCM2711 4 core 1.5GHz Cortex-A72 and the rich software support in the Raspberry Pi community make this board a solid foundation for building high-performance gateways, smart routers, and home IoT platforms. It can also be connected to peripherals and used as a mini-NAS, wireless network bridge, or LTE Internet terminal.

Note: The board socket of CM4 is fragile, please align the direction and then press it down. It is recommended not to repeatedly plug and unplug the CM4 module.

Note: Make sure the CM4 installation direction is correct before powering up.

If you are interested in making a router with this mini-board, watch out for this great video from Jeff Geerling and his blog post.

The next video from Low Orbit Flux will be more details on the steps on how to make a router using an Ubuntu server:

Note: Both videos might use a different type of CM4 since many variations of the CM4 series exist.

The router mini-board could be overheated when operating for a long period. It could be nice if we can have a cooling mechanism to keep the router's temperature low. Therefore, DF Robot has introduced a case with a heatsink kit built specifically for the Raspberry Pi CM4 IoT Router Mini! The metal heat sink can quickly export the heat from the BCM2711, avoiding overheating and speed reduction during full-load operation.

Since the CM4 Lite does not come with onboard eMMC, it will need an external microSD card that has a compatible OS image to boot up. So 1st thing after you get the IoT Router Carrier board and a proper power supply, you will need a microSD card (at least 8GB) with a suitable OS image in it. We have included the Raspberry Pi Approved MakerDisk 32GB microSD card and a USB microSD card reader/writer. You can use it to write the OpenWRT image into the microSD card. The image and guides are here: Wiki page by DFrobot.

A tiny and useful USB MicroSD Card Reader/Writer is included

Please visit the Wiki page of the IoT Router Carrier Board by DFRobot:

Of course, you can also check out these accessories in case you do not have one:

• USB C Cable

• CM4 with Wireless, 2GB RAM, Lite (No eMMC):
  • Processor: Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz
  • H.265 (HEVC) (up to 4kp60 decode), H.264 (up to 1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
  • OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics
  • 2GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM
  •  Lite, no onboard eMMC, will require external microSD with a compatible Operating System to boot
  • built-in Fully certified radio module with :
    ◦ Dual-band WiFi: 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless
    ◦ Bluetooth 5.0, BLE
    ◦ Onboard electronic switch to select between external or PCB trace antenna
  • Gigabit Ethernet PHY supporting IEEE 1588
  • 1 x PCIe 1-lane Host, Gen 2 ( 5Gbps )
  • 1 x USB 2.0 port ( highspeed )
  • 28 x user GPIO supporting either 3.3V or 1.8V signaling and various interface options:
    • Up to 6 x UART
    • Up to 6 x I²C
    • Up to 5 x SPI
    • 1 x SDIO interface
    • 1 x DPI (Parallel RGB Display)
    • 1 x PCM
    • Up to 2 x PWM channels
    • Up to 3 x GPCLK outputs
  • 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports (up to 4kp60 supported)
  • MIPI DSI:
    • 1 x 2-lane MIPI DSI display port
    • 1 x 4-lane MIPI DSI display port
  • MIPI CSI-2:
    • 1 x 2-lane MIPI CSI camera port
    • 1 x 4-lane MIPI DSI camera port
  • 1 x SDIO 2.0 (CM4Lite only)
  • Single +5VDC Power Supply Unit input
  • Small Footprint 55mm x 40mm x 4.7mm with 4 x M2.5 mounting holes

• CM4 IoT Carrier Board:
  • Extension board compatible with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) series
  • Better performance, lower CPU usage, and higher stability for a long time of work compared with a USB network card.
  • Retains the characteristic GPIO pin header of Raspberry Pi, which makes it applicable for connecting other actuators, sensors, and a smart cooling fan.
  • Provides OpenWRT open-source router system.
  • Compatible with Raspberry OS, Ubuntu server, and other Raspberry Pi systems.
  • Connected to peripherals and used as a mini-NAS, wireless network bridge, or LTE Internet terminal.
  • Ethernet Ports:
    • ETH1: Compute Module 4 built-in
    • ETH2: PCI Express 1000BASE-T NIC
  • USB Ports:
    • 1 x USB Type C connector - for power supply ONLY
    • 1 x USB Type C connector - USB 2.0 High Speed
  • Memory card: Built-in microSD slot (only non-eMMC modules supported)
  • GPIO: 26-pin GPIO compatible with Raspberry Pi
  • Module power supply: USB type C 5 V / 3 A
  • Operating Temperature Range: 0°C to 80°C
  • Module Dimensions: 55mm x 62 mm

• Acrylic Case with Heatsink for CM4 IoT Router Carrier Board:
  • Shell Material: Acrylic
  • Heatsink Material: Aluminum
  • Compatibility: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini
  • Dimension: 78mm x 72mm x 35mm

• Raspberry Pi CM4 Wireless 4G RAM Lite (No eMMC) with IoT Router Carrier Board Mini and Acrylic & Heatsink Kit:
  • 1 x Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, Wireless, onboard 2GB RAM and no eMMC (Lite)
  • 1 x Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini
  • 1 x Acrylic Case with Heatsink for Raspberry Pi CM4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini
  • 1 x Official RPi 15W (5V/3A) PSU USB C UK Plug - Black or White (color depends on availability)
  • 1 x 2 meters Gigabit Ethernet CAT6 cable
  • 1 x MakerDisk 32GB microSD card with pre-loaded Raspberry Pi OS
  • FREE:
    • 1 x USB 2.0 MicroSD Card Reader/Writer

• Raspberry Pi CM4 Wireless 4G RAM Lite (No eMMC) with IoT Router Carrier Board Mini Kit:
  • 1 x Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, Wireless, onboard 2GB RAM and no eMMC (Lite)
  • 1 x Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini
  • 1 x Official RPi 15W (5V/3A) PSU USB C UK Plug - Black or White (color depends on availability)
  • 1 x 2 meters Gigabit Ethernet CAT6 cable
  • 1 x MakerDisk 32GB microSD card with pre-loaded Raspberry Pi OS
  • FREE:
    • 1 x USB 2.0 MicroSD Card Reader/Writer

• IoT Router Carrier Board Mini Board Only:
  • 1 x Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IoT Router Carrier Board Mini

• 1 x Acrylic Case with Heatsink ONLY:
  • 1 x Acrylic shell
  • 1 x Heat sink
  • 1 x Parts package

• CM4 IoT Router Carrier Board User's Guide, by DFrobot
• CM4 IoT Router Carrier Board Module Dimensions
• STEP File for Router Enclosure (3D Modelling and Printing design)
• Two Tiny Dual-Gigabit Raspberry Pi CM4 Routers, detailed guide post by Jeff Geerling
• Acrylic Case Product Wiki
• Acrylic Case 3D Model
• Acrylic Case Assembly Diagram
• Test CM4 Router Board, GitHub post by Jeff Geerling
• Compute Module 4 Product Brief
• Compute Module 4 datasheet
• Compute Module 4 STEP file
• Compute Module 4 Lite (without eMMC) STEP file
• BCM2711 (Processor SoC) Peripherals
• Raspberry Pi Getting Started by raspberrypi.org