Seeed Studio Unveils the reComputer R11 Series of Edge IoT Gateways, Powered by a Raspberry Pi CM4
M.2 slot delivers expansion potential for those looking to experiment with accelerated edge AI projects, too.
Embedded and hobbyist electronics specialist Seeed Studio has announced a new entry in its reComputer range, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4-powered reComputer R11 series — designed to act as an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway with edge artificial intelligence (edge AI) capabilities.
"The reComputer R1100, powered by Raspberry Pi CM4, is an adaptable edge IoT gateway with AI capabilities," Seeed's Serena Liang explains of the company's latest reComputer model. "It perfectly balances price, performance, and power consumption, [and] could be the most adaptable and cost-effective choice for system integrators and solution providers in automation, energy management, and industrial space."
The heart of the compact reComputer is Raspberry Pi's Compute Module 4, a computer-on-module based on the same core technology as the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B family — and, if rumors are to be believed, which uses the same twin high-density connectors as the upcoming Compute Module 5. Various models of CM4 module are available, but they all share a quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor running at up to 1.5GHz and a Broadcom Videocore-VI graphics processor; memory configurations are available up to 8GB, with up to 32GB of eMMC storage on-module — expandable using microSD Cards on the reComputer itself.
Seeed's design uses the CM4 to power an edge IoT gateway, which includes one gigabit Ethernet and one Fast Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.0 video output, two USB 2.0 ports, and three antenna connectors for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, if available on the chosen CM4, or radios on add-in modules. For external connectivity, the device includes isolated connections for two RS485 and two RS232 serial ports, plus isolated digital input and digital output pins. There's also a USB serial console for debugging or field maintenance.
The hardware is housed is a metal chassis with passive heatsink design, and Seeed is making much of its industrial capabilities — including with a demo application that sees the reComputer R11 series used for inventory tracking and security monitoring in a retail environment. For those eager to make use of edge AI technology, meanwhile, the reComputer includes an M.2 M-key slot connected to the CM4 over a PCI Express lane, which can be used for accelerators like the Halio-8 or Google Coral TPU — or for high-speed Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) storage.
The reComputer R11 series is now available to order on the Seeed store with a selection of different Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 boards installed, starting at $179 for the reComputer R1113-10 with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of eMMC storage; hardware is expected to start shipping just before the end of the year.