Exaviz Cruiser Board v1.0 For Raspberry Pi CM5 with 8x PoE+ and 2.5GbE

Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0 for Raspberry Pi CM5

Exaviz has introduced the Cruiser, a high-integration Raspberry Pi Carrier Board built for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5). Instead of relying on stacked HATs, USB adapters, and external PoE switches, this board consolidates switching, storage, wireless, and display into a single Mini-ITX compatible platform. The design targets NVR deployments, smart home hubs, and edge AI systems that need reliable networking and local storage without extra boxes.

At the hardware level, Cruiser integrates an 8-port Gigabit switch based on the Realtek RTL8367RB and a 2.5GbE WAN uplink through the Realtek RTL8156BG over USB 3.0. PoE models use the TI TPS23861 controller to deliver up to 30W per port under IEEE 802.3at. Exaviz pairs this networking stack with NVMe, dual SATA, dual HDMI, and an onboard ESP32-C6 module, turning the board into a compact all-in-one infrastructure node.

Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0 Ports

Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0 Specification:

• Compute Module Support: Raspberry Pi CM5
• Ethernet WAN: 1x 2.5GbE (Realtek RTL8156BG over USB 3.0)
• Switch: Realtek RTL8367RB managed Gigabit switch
  • 4x or 8x 1GbE ports (model dependent)
• PoE (model dependent):
  • IEEE 802.3af/at PoE+
  • Up to 30W per port
  • TI TPS23861 PoE controller
  • Expandable to 16 PoE ports via FFC add-on
• Storage:
  • 1x M.2 Key-M (PCIe Gen 2 x1) for NVMe SSD or AI accelerator (Hailo-8 / Coral TPU)
  • 2x SATA III (6Gbps) via JMicron JMS561
  • Hardware RAID 0 / 1 / Span / JBOD (DIP switch selectable)
  • MicroSD slot
• Display:
  • 2x HDMI 2.0, up to 4Kp60
  • Independent outputs, HDCP 2.2
• Wireless (onboard ESP32-C6):
  • WiFi 6 (802.11ax, 2.4GHz)
  • Bluetooth 5.3 LE
  • Zigbee coordinator
• USB:
  • 3x USB 3.0 (VL817 hub)
  • 4x USB 2.0
• Expansion:
  • 2x Qwiic / STEMMA QT (I2C, 3.3V)
  • FFC connector for PoE expansion
  • RTC with battery backup
• Power Input:
  • 48–57V DC (PoE models)
  • 13–60V DC (Cruiser Keel)
  • Up to 7A
• Mechanical:
  • Dimensions: 170mm × 120mm (Mini-ITX compatible)
  • Operating temperature: 0°C to +70°C

Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0 Top and Bottom Side

Cruiser supports Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit), Debian Trixie, and Ubuntu 25.10 or newer releases. Exaviz provides a Debian-based image with drivers pre-installed through its DKMS package. Users can control PoE per port via /dev/pse, and the company maintains an APT repository for updates. The board also supports Home Assistant through an Exaviz HACS plugin, allowing direct Zigbee coordination without USB dongles.

Exaviz offers three variants of this Raspberry Pi Carrier Board. The Cruiser model includes 8x PoE+ ports, Cruiser Lite reduces this to 4x PoE+, and Cruiser Keel provides 4x Gigabit Ethernet without PoE. All models retain the 2.5GbE WAN, NVMe slot, SATA ports, dual HDMI, USB, and ESP32-C6 wireless.

Cruiser Desktop Case

The Cruiser Carrier Board v1.0 starts at $89 (pre-order price, MSRP $99) for the Cruiser Keel variant. PoE models retail higher depending on port count. More details and ordering information are available from the official product page.

Carrier Board Dimensions

Images used courtesy of EXAVIZ.