Banana Pi BPI-R4 Pro 8X - MT7988A 10G Router Board with 8GB DDR4
The Banana Pi BPI-R4 Pro 8X is a high-speed open-source router board built around the MediaTek MT7988A Filogic 880 platform. In the official Banana Pi presale announcement, Banana Pi positions the BPI-R4 Pro as the next step beyond the BPI-R4 for developers who need denser networking, richer expansion, and a stronger platform for custom router, gateway, and network appliance projects. The 8X version is the 8GB DDR4 and 8GB eMMC configuration, using a quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 processor clocked at 1.8GHz.
Official R4 Pro materials and the Banana Pi official store page describe a board with four 2.5G RJ45 LAN ports, dual 10G SFP+/RJ45 combo groups for WAN and LAN, MicroSD support, onboard eMMC plus SPI-NAND storage, dual miniPCIe slots for Wi-Fi NICs, dual M.2 M-Key sockets for NVMe SSDs, and three M.2 B-Key sockets for 5G modules. For related ecosystem hardware, you can also review the Banana Pi BPI-R4 router set, the Banana Pi BPI-BE14 WIFI 7 NIC, and the SanDisk 64GB High-Speed MicroSD Card.
Technical Specifications
| Product Type | Open-source router board / network appliance platform |
| Processor | MediaTek MT7988A (Filogic 880), quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 |
| CPU Frequency | Up to 1.8GHz |
| Variant | BPI-R4 Pro 8X |
| Memory | 8GB DDR4 |
| Onboard Storage | 8GB eMMC |
| Boot / Flash | Onboard SPI-NAND flash plus MicroSD card slot |
| 10G Networking | 2 x 10G combo groups exposed as SFP+ and RJ45 for WAN and LAN |
| 2.5G Networking | 4 x 2.5G RJ45 LAN |
| 1G Networking | 1 x 1G RJ45 LAN plus 1 x 1G LAN via FPC connector |
| Wi-Fi Expansion | 2 x miniPCIe slots with PCIe 3.0 x2 interface for Wi-Fi NICs |
| NVMe Expansion | 2 x M.2 M-Key sockets with PCIe 3.0 x1 interface |
| 5G Expansion | 3 x M.2 B-Key sockets with USB 3.2 interface for 5G modules |
| USB | 1 x USB 3.2, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB Type-C debug console |
| Headers | 2 x 13-pin expansion headers |
| Development Positioning | Open-source router, gateway, firewall, and network application development |
Board Layout & Label Guide
- MT7988A Main SoC Area - The board is built around MediaTek's Filogic 880 router platform for high-throughput networking tasks.
- 10G WAN Combo Group - One 10G WAN channel is exposed through SFP+ and RJ45 style connectors in a combo arrangement.
- 10G LAN Combo Group - A second 10G combo group is provided for LAN-side high-speed switching or uplink work.
- 2.5G LAN Port Bank - Four 2.5G RJ45 LAN ports make the platform practical for multi-port router and edge gateway designs.
- 1G Ethernet Outputs - The board also exposes one standard 1G RJ45 LAN and one 1G LAN connection through an FPC connector.
- miniPCIe Wi-Fi Slots - Two miniPCIe sockets are intended for Wi-Fi NIC expansion in higher-bandwidth wireless gateway builds.
- M.2 Storage Slots - Two M.2 M-Key sockets provide SSD expansion for logging, caching, package storage, or network-attached services.
- M.2 B-Key 5G Slots - Three M.2 B-Key sockets support cellular expansion for failover, hybrid WAN, or field deployment.
- USB and Debug Section - USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Type-C debug make bring-up, flashing, and peripheral testing easier.
- 2 x 13-Pin Headers - Header expansion is useful when integrating custom controls, status signals, or embedded application hardware.
Application Scenarios
1. 10G Edge Router and Firewall
Use the BPI-R4 Pro 8X as the core of a high-speed edge router, firewall, or lab gateway where 10G uplinks, multiple 2.5G LAN ports, and flexible storage options matter.
2. Wi-Fi 7 and 5G Expansion Platform
With dedicated miniPCIe slots for Wi-Fi NICs and multiple M.2 B-Key sockets for cellular modules, the board suits custom wireless gateways, failover routers, and hybrid WAN appliances.
3. Open-Source Network Appliance Development
The combination of onboard flash, removable storage, high-speed networking, and debug access makes the board suitable for OpenWrt-oriented development, traffic analysis nodes, secure gateways, and custom network services.
Packing List
- 1 x Banana Pi BPI-R4 Pro 8X Router Board
FAQ
Q: What is the difference between the 8X version and other R4 Pro variants?
A: The 8X version is the 8GB DDR4 and 8GB eMMC configuration of the BPI-R4 Pro family.
Q: Which processor does this board use?
A: Banana Pi lists the MediaTek MT7988A Filogic 880 quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 processor running at up to 1.8GHz.
Q: Does the board provide 10G networking?
A: Yes. Official presale materials describe two 10G combo groups exposed through SFP+ and RJ45 style WAN and LAN connections.
Q: Is Wi-Fi included onboard?
A: The official product description emphasizes expansion slots for Wi-Fi NICs rather than onboard Wi-Fi, so wireless capability depends on the add-in card you choose.
Q: Can I add NVMe storage?
A: Yes. Banana Pi lists two M.2 M-Key sockets with PCIe 3.0 x1 interface for NVMe SSD expansion.
Q: Can it be used with 5G modules?
A: Yes. The official feature list includes three M.2 B-Key sockets with USB 3.2 interface for 5G module expansion.
Q: Is this a complete router kit?
A: No. This listing is for the router board itself; accessories such as Wi-Fi cards, storage, antennas, and power hardware depend on your build plan.
Q: Is it intended for OpenWrt or custom router software?
A: Banana Pi presents the board as an open-source router platform in the BPI router ecosystem, making it a strong fit for OpenWrt-oriented and custom network appliance development.