OpenWrt and Banana Pi have announced the open sale of the wireless router Openwrt One/Ap-24.xy, developed collaboratively by both projects. The router is now available for ordering through Aliexpress Global for 99 euros.
The device is based on the OpenWRT ONE project and utilizes a similar design to the Banana Pi R4 boards. It features an SOC MediaTek MT7981B with a two-core CRETEX-A53 1.3 GHz processor and a MediaTek MT7976C wireless chip. The router comes with 1 GB of DDR4 RAM, 256 MB SPI Nand Flash, and 16 MB SPI Nor Flash.
In terms of connectivity, the router offers two Ethernet ports, USB 2.0 Host Type-A, USB-C, JTAG 10-PIN, and a Mikrobus expansion slot. There is also an M.2 slot for NVMe SSD, supporting PCIe Gen 2 X1, and Poe 802.3at/Af.
The device’s minimalist case includes power connectors, Ethernet and USB ports, reset and user buttons, and a switch for choosing loading mode. Four LEDs indicate the device’s status, and the board is compatible with buildings for Banana Pi Bpi-R4.
Intended for developers and enthusiasts, the first version of the device is not yet ready for end-users. It features multiple levels of protection, including a recovery mode, console access, and an external hardware Watchdog monitor based on the EM Microelectronic EM6324 chip.
The OpenWrt One utilizes both NAND and Nor Flash drives for increased reliability, with a hardware switch for choosing the booting mode. While the firmware is based on OpenWRT by default, users have the option to use the M.2 slot for NVME and load other Linux distributions such as Debian and Alpine, or set up a network storage system.