Announce BPi-R64 support

Signed-off-by: Joachim Wiberg <troglobit@gmail.com>

Author: troglobit

_posts/2026-03-08-banana-pi-r64.md

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+---
+title: Banana Pi BPi-R64 Support
+author: troglobit
+date: 2026-03-08 10:00:00 +0100
+categories: [showcase]
+tags: [boards]
+---
+
+Infix now supports the [Banana Pi BPi-R64][1], an affordable WiFi-capable
+router board built around the MediaTek MT7622 SoC.  Although it predates the
+[BPi-R3][bpir3] and uses an older chipset, it remains a capable and
+cost-effective platform — especially for anyone already running one or looking
+for a compact router board with a familiar Banana Pi form factor.
+
+![](/assets/img/bpi-r64-setup.jpg){: #fig1}
+_**Figure 1**: Banana Pi BPi-R64 on the desk, ready to go.  That's a
+[PiDP-11][pidp11] in the background._
+
+### Hardware
+
+The BPi-R64 is built around the MediaTek MT7622, a dual-core Cortex-A53
+running at 1.35 GHz with 1 GB DDR3L RAM.  Networking is handled by a
+MediaTek MT7531 5-port Gigabit switch (4× LAN + 1× WAN), with full Linux
+switchdev support for hardware-offloaded bridging and VLANs.
+
+Storage is covered by 8 GB of onboard eMMC and a microSD card slot, with a
+hardware boot switch (SW1) to select between them — handy for development.
+A USB 3.0 port rounds out the connectivity.
+
+WiFi is where it gets interesting.  The board ships with a MediaTek MT7603E
+built-in radio (2.4 GHz 802.11n), but it also has two Mini PCIe slots.
+Install a MediaTek MT7615 card in one of them and Infix will automatically
+prefer it, giving you dual-band 802.11ac coverage.  The board shown here is
+equipped with one.
+
+![](/assets/img/bpi-r64-closeup.jpg){: #fig2}
+_**Figure 2**: Closeup of the BPi-R64 with a MediaTek MT7615 dual-band WiFi
+card installed in the Mini PCIe slot._
+
+### Support Status
+
+The BPi-R64 is classified as Tier 2 support in Infix.  Linux images are built
+and included in [official releases][4], but the board is not yet part of the
+automated regression test system.
+
+All key hardware features work out of the box:
+
+- routing between interfaces
+- built-in 4-port LAN switch + WAN with switchdev offload
+- USB 3.0 port
+- microSD and eMMC storage with hardware boot switch
+- factory reset button (hold at power-on)
+- 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi (MT7603E, built-in)
+- dual-band 802.11ac WiFi (MT7615, when PCIe card is fitted)
+
+![](/assets/img/bpi-r64-overview.jpg){: #fig3}
+_**Figure 3**: Official BPi-R64 overview with interfaces and chipsets._
+
+### Getting Started
+
+Download an SD card image from the [latest bootloader][5] builds and flash it
+to a microSD card.  Set the boot switch SW1 to ON (SD card), insert the card,
+and power on.  The system will be accessible via serial console (dedicated
+Debug UART header, 115200 8N1, pins labeled on the board) or SSH to the
+hostname advertised over mDNS.
+
+For instructions on installing Infix to the onboard eMMC for permanent
+deployment, see the [board README][3].
+
+Once running, the system can be upgraded using Linux images from official
+[Infix releases][2].
+
+[1]: https://wiki.banana-pi.org/Banana_Pi_BPI-R64
+[2]: https://github.com/kernelkit/infix/releases
+[3]: https://github.com/kernelkit/infix/tree/main/board/aarch64/bananapi-bpi-r64
+[4]: https://github.com/kernelkit/infix/releases/tag/latest
+[5]: https://github.com/kernelkit/infix/releases/tag/latest-boot
+[bpir3]: /posts/banana-pi-r3/
+[pidp11]: https://obsolescence.wixsite.com/obsolescence/pidp-11