Banana Pi BPI-RT2: $26 WiFi 6 router board with Realtek RTL8198D MIPS SoC

Banana Pi has released the BPI-RT2, a 97 × 65mm router board priced at $26 built around the Realtek RTL8198D dual-core MIPS interAptiv SoC with integrated Gigabit Ethernet switching. The board includes 256MB DDR3 RAM, 128MB SPI-NAND flash, one WAN and three LAN Gigabit Ethernet ports, dual-band WiFi 6 (802.11ax AX3000) via separate Realtek RTL8892XBR and RTL8832D radios with 2×2 MIMO on each band, USB 3.0, and GPIO/I²C expansion headers.

Banana Pi provides an OpenWrt 22.03-based firmware image with source code on GitHub, plus schematics and DXF design files. However, the firmware is built on Banana Pi's Realtek BSP rather than upstream OpenWrt, and the underlying OpenWrt 22.03 branch reached end-of-life in July 2024. The board is available now through AliExpress and Banana Pi's official store.

Hardware architecture and open-source status

• SoC and memory: Realtek RTL8198D dual-core MIPS interAptiv processor with 256MB DDR3 RAM and 128MB SPI-NAND flash, a configuration typical of entry-level router platforms but with WiFi 6 capability.
• Wireless implementation: Dual-band WiFi 6 achieved through separate Realtek chips — RTL8892XBR for 2.4 GHz and RTL8832D for 5 GHz — each with 2×2 MIMO and MU-MIMO support, rather than a fully integrated single-chip solution.
• Wired connectivity: Integrated Gigabit Ethernet switching hardware with one WAN and three LAN ports, plus a USB 3.0 Type-A port for external storage or peripherals.
• Expansion and debugging: 5-pin and 9-pin headers exposing GPIO and I²C signals, plus a dedicated UART debug interface for development and troubleshooting.
• Software and documentation: OpenWrt 22.03-based firmware with published source, schematics, and DXF files available, though the BSP is vendor-specific and the OpenWrt branch is no longer maintained upstream.

Why it matters

The BPI-RT2 fills a gap in the sub-$30 open hardware router market by combining WiFi 6 with published schematics and modifiable firmware, making it attractive for hobbyists building custom access points and small business edge routers. However, its reliance on a vendor BSP and an end-of-life OpenWrt branch raises long-term security and maintenance concerns for production deployments, and the MIPS interAptiv architecture lacks the mainline Linux momentum of ARM or RISC-V alternatives.