The rapid development of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has placed higher demands on edge computing capabilities. As a critical node connecting devices and the cloud, the performance, reliability, and flexibility of edge gateways are of utmost importance. This article compares two popular industrial-grade edge gateway solutions: the Raspberry Pi CM4 inside Raspberry Pi Industrial IoT Gateway and the ARMxy BL370 Arm-based compact fanless industrial-grade computers, to help you make the best choice based on your specific needs in IoT Edge Gateways.
1. Core Hardware Comparison
Processor:
Raspberry Pi Industrial IoT Gateway: Equipped with Broadcom BCM2711, featuring a quad-core Cortex-A72 architecture with a clock speed of 1.5GHz. It delivers strong performance and can handle most edge computing tasks.
ARMxy BL370 IoT Edge Gateway: Powered by Rockchip RK3562J, featuring a quad-core Cortex-A55 architecture with a clock speed of 2.0GHz. While its performance is slightly lower than the CM4, it offers lower power consumption, making it more suitable for power-sensitive scenarios.
Memory and Storage:
Raspberry Pi IoT Gateway: Offers options of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB LPDDR4 memory, as well as 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB eMMC storage, allowing users to choose flexibly based on their needs.
ARMxy BL370 IoT Edge Gateway: Comes standard with 8/16/32GB eMMC storage and 1/2/4GB LPDDR4X memory combinations, the speed is higher than Raspberry Pi CM4 Industrial IoT Gateway.
I/O Interfaces:
Raspberry Pi CM4: Provides a rich set of I/O interfaces, including PCIe 2.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, CSI, DSI, etc., enabling connectivity with various peripherals.
ARMxy BL370: Features flexible I/O interface configurations, allowing users to select different I/O modules based on their needs, such as RS232/485, CAN, DI/DO, etc., making it more suitable for industrial field applications.
2. Software Ecosystem Comparison
Raspberry Pi CM4: Boasts a large developer community and abundant software resources. It supports multiple operating systems, including Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, and Windows 10 IoT Core, making it easy to get started with low development barriers.
ARMxy BL370 IoT Edge Gateway: primarily supporting Ubuntu, Yocto Linux, and requires some embedded development experience.
3. Application Scenarios Comparison
Raspberry Pi CM4: Suitable for scenarios requiring high performance and rich software ecosystem support, such as machine vision, artificial intelligence, and multimedia processing.
ARMxy BL370 Edge Computer: More suitable for power-sensitive industrial field applications requiring flexible I/O configurations, such as data acquisition, device control, and protocol conversion.
4. Conclusion
Both the Raspberry Pi CM4 IoT Edge Gateway and ARMxy BL370 ARM Based Embedded Computers have their own strengths and weaknesses. The choice between the two depends on your specific requirements.
If you need a rich software ecosystem, and don't care about cost, the Raspberry Pi CM4 Industrial Raspberry Pi IoT Edge Gateway is the better choice.
If you prioritize low power consumption, cost-effective, flexible I/O configurations, and industrial-grade reliability, the ARMxy BL370 Industrial IoT Edge Gateway is the superior option.
We hope this article helps you better understand these two products and make an informed decision.
