CM4 Nano review
By Phil King. Posted
Raspberry Pi’s compact Compute Module 4 is a popular choice for embedded applications, and is used in numerous commercial devices. The CM4 Nano (£70/$90) adds a carrier board with several ports and connectors, protected by a robust metal case with built-in heatsink (the aluminium alloy base).
Accessible via cut-outs, ports include Ethernet, two USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, full-size HDMI, and 40-pin GPIO. An extra USB-C port is found inside when you open the case. Power is via a barrel jack, accepting 7 to 18 V DC.
The device is available with optional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – with an external screw-in antenna to boost the signal – and in several storage and RAM configurations.
On-board OS
The on-board eMMC storage (from 8GB to 32GB) is pre-installed with standard 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS and a BSP (board support package). It’s updatable in the usual ways (including Apt), but the OS can be re-flashed if you need a different version (such as 64-bit).
There’s also a microSD slot, purely for extra storage, although we found it tricky to insert the card without opening the case – ditto for the CSI (camera) and DSI (touchscreen) connections.
Once powered up, the unit boots up with the usual desktop GUI, although we needed to manually enable Wi-Fi in the taskbar. SSH is enabled by default, but you’ll want to change the password for the default ‘pi’ user for security reasons.
Apart from a slight hum, it all worked similarly to a Raspberry Pi 4. The CM4 Nano’s main advantage is that it’s more suited to industrial settings, with an improved ambient temperature range of -25 to 60°C.
Verdict
8/10
A CM4-based, ruggedised alternative to Raspberry Pi 4 with plenty of configuration options for your exact needs.
Specs
Features: CM4 with 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB eMMC storage; 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB RAM; optional Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
Ports: 2 × USB 3.0, 1 × USB 2.0, 1 × USB-C, Ethernet, GPIO, CSI, DSI, PoE, 5 V output
Dimensions: 95 × 58 × 24 mm
When not editing books and contributing to The MagPi, Phil enjoys playing the piano (badly), astronomy, and watching classic sitcoms.
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