FriendlyElec NanoPC-T6 LTS

In the last quarter of the past year, I ordered this little computer. My initial goal was to build a custom OpenWrt based router which will be powerful enough to handle number of devices without any sweat. I also wanted to have a feature of using M.2 slot based Wi-Fi module that can be used as Wi-Fi access point (AP). This will allow me to upgrade my Wi-Fi standard by simply upgrading the module itself instead of buying a brand new router.

Another important criteria was to have a dedicated M.2 port that supports some sort of SSD drive, preferably an NVMe drive which will allow me to store files temporarily and share them between my computers and other devices. Running a small web server was also on the list. Since the router will be connected with the internet and running twenty-four seven, a fairly powerful device was required for such uninterrupted services.

After spending few days researching on this topic, I realized I have very few options to choose from and I ended up picking the NanoPC-T6, LTS model. The original NanoPC-T6 had option to add cellular data connectivity which I was not interested at. I was quite happy with the LTS model that came without the cellular data option but it has two additional USB port which can become quite handy in case if I want to install full fledged Linux OS like Ubuntu.

There were quite a few options available as far as memory size was concerned. I picked up the one with highest memory capacity. That is the 16GB of LPDDR4 memory option and it came with additional 64GB of eMMC. Although it's not super important for me as I would be using the SSD instead. However, it's still a good idea to have fairly large eMMC just in case if I abandon the idea of installing OpenWrt on the SSD drive or if the SSD drive fails for some reason. I would have the eMMC to install the OS on it. It is more like fail-safe mechanism.

The LTS model also has a dedicated debug USB-C port which is very useful if I want to use serial port. There is another fully functional USB-C port which also supports display monitors. There are three USB-A port which can be used for other USB devices on it. I am more than happy to be able to use my mouse and keyboard with them.

I am not going to bore you with the full specification of this device which you can easily find from the FriendlyElec product page but here is the summary.

Now, coming back to the main attraction of this device and that is this device allows M.2 based WiFi module. Which also meant that I can simply upgrade the module to keep up with the newer standard of WiFi technology since the module is not embedded on the board itself. I initially attempted with the MediaTek MT7921 which supports WiFi 6E standard. This module performed extremely well with on this device with OpenWrt and I used it for few months.

Couple of months back, I learned that MediaTek MT7925 is also somewhat available out there and it supports WiFi 7. I was very excited and I was eager to get one of this module. Yes, I eventually got one. Bear in mind that up until version 23.05.0, OpenWrt did not support WiFi 7 devices which required Linux kernel update. So, I had to wait until OpenWrt 24.10.0 became available with Linux kernel version 6.6. I am happy to report that this module is fully functional now with he latest version of OpenWrt.

I am using the second M.2 slot with an SSD drive and I shared files over SMB and it worked just as expected. However, I am yet to run my web server on this device as I am still learning and working on few other things. Apart from that, I am quite happy with this little monster and expect to run few other OS before I finally settle down with this device.

Single Board Computers are one of those electronic device that fascinates me. I tend to pay serious attention to this particular industry and try keep myself up to date, at least as much as I can. Few years back, I wrote a post on the this issue. Please feel free to check it out whenever you get time.