PiGWay Turns a Raspberry Pi Compute Module Into a Two- or Four-Port IoT Gateway
With up to four Ethernet ports, the PiGWay could be perfect for home-brew routers and gateways — but lacks Compute Module 4 support.
An Australian electronics startup is planning to raise funds for an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway system dubbed the PiGWay, powered by Raspberry Pi Compute Module system-on-modules — but lacking, sadly, direct support for the latest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 range.
"If you’re looking to create your own router, edge computing device, or IoT gateway," the company explains of the project, "the PiGWay P2 and P4 are a step up from the kind of DIY solution you might otherwise implement using a Raspberry Pi (RPi) or some other single-board computer (SBC)."
"More specifically, they: Are driven by RPi Compute Modules with access to 8, 16, or 32 GB of eMMC flash storage so they do not have to rely on SD Cards; Include a hardware crypto chip to help protect your sensitive key material; Support a wider range of power options by way of expansion boards; Can be expanded with peripherals like LTE modems and cameras by way of a USB 2.0 interface exposed through a four-pin header in the P4 and two four-pin headers in the P2; Host multiple on-board NICs that provide for network isolation (keeping WAN and LAN traffic separate, for example); Can power downstream peripherals like CCTV cameras and thermal imaging sensors via PoE [Power over Ethernet]."
The key differentiation between the two models is in the number of Ethernet ports available: The P2 has, as its name suggests, two Ethernet ports and a more compact form factor; the P4, meanwhile, has a bulkier footprint but boasts four ports. In both cases, though, these ports are limited to 10/100 operation. Both models include a Microchip ATECC608A for cryptographic operations.
There's one key caveat to the PiGWay design, though: It's based on the original Compute Module SODIMM form factor. As a result, while it'll accept the original Compute Module, the Compute Module 3, and Compute Module 3+ range, it won't take the new Compute Module 4 with its more powerful BCM2711 system-on-chip and up to 8GB of RAM. While third-party interposer boards may solve that hiccup, it's not yet clear whether there's enough clearance for them to work.
More information, and a form to fill in order to be notified when the campaign goes live, can be found on the PiGWay Crowd Supply page.