Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT Brings 2x 2.5GbE Ports and M.2 NVMe to Raspberry Pi and ROCK SBCs

Radxa recently introduced the Dual 2.5G Router HAT, a high-performance network and storage expansion board designed for Radxa single-board computers (SBCs) and the Raspberry Pi 5.

It boosts device capabilities by adding two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports via RTL8125BG controllers, an M.2 M Key slot for NVMe SSDs, and a PCIe FPC connector for further expansion. Powered by an ASM2806 PCIe 3.0 switch chip, it delivers up to 8 Gbps per lane, though current SBCs support only a PCIe Gen2 x1 connection. This HAT is particularly useful for building advanced network devices, edge computing platforms, and embedded systems.

Compatible boards include Radxa ROCK 2A/2F, ROCK 4D, ROCK 5C, and Raspberry Pi 5. The package includes necessary hardware like heatsinks, screws, copper pillars, and an IPEX to FPC adapter cable. Radxa ensures product availability until at least September 2033, and support is offered through their website and community forum.

Previously, we have seen that Raspberry Pi 5 works with other boards such as the Seeed Studio PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 HAT+, the 52Pi W01 U2500 HAT, the Waveshare PCIe-Based 5G HAT+, and others. But the Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT stands out as the first of its kind.

Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT Specifications:

• PCIe 3.0 switch: ASMedia ASM2806, up to 8Gbps per lane
• Storage: 1x M.2 M-key socket for NVMe SSDs (PCIe x1)
• Ethernet: 2x 2.5GbE ports via Realtek RTL8125BG controllers
• Uplink interface:
  • 40-pin IPEX connector, supports PCIe Gen3 x2
  • Bundled IPEX to FPC adapter (limited to PCIe Gen2 x1 for most SBCs)
•  Expansion: 1x FPC connector with PCIe x1 signals for additional devices
• Compatible with:
  • Radxa ROCK 2A / 2F / 4D / 5C
  • Raspberry Pi 5
• Power:
  • Input:
    • 12V via 5.5/2.5mm DC jack
    • 5V via GPIO header (USB-C adapter to power the Raspberry Pi)
  • Output: 2-pin 12V output for Radxa X4
• Dimensions: 85x56mm (Standard Raspberry Pi HAT size)
• Cooling: 9×9×5mm heatsink for PCIe switch

The Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT is well-supported through Radxa’s documentation and community channels. The dual 2.5GbE ports, powered by the Realtek RTL8125BG chip, work with most Linux distributions that include kernel 5.4 or newer. Systems like Debian, Ubuntu, and Radxa’s own images also widely support NVMe SSDs via the M.2 slot. Depending on the board and OS, users might need to tweak PCIe settings or check driver availability, with setup guides and resources available through Radxa’s wiki and GitHub.

Its official documentation provides additional details on assembling the board with various SBCs, choosing between a 5V GPIO or 12V DC jack for power, configuring the operating system, and testing both the NVMe SSD and 2.5GbE ports. The image above showcases the Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT connected to a Raspberry Pi 5 via the included FPC adapter cable, with an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD installed on top.

At the time of writing, the Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT is available to purchase through approved distributors like Aliexpress at $42.57, AraceTech at $41.38, and Allnet at $40.00. More details may also be found on the product page.

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