Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by the Skimlinks, Amazon, Rakuten Advertising, and eBay, affiliate programs, and Liliputing may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. All prices are subject to change, and this article only reflects the prices available at time of publication.
The LinkStar H68K-V2 is a 4-port router with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, two 2.5 GbE ports, and support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. It’s also a tiny device that measures just 80 x 60 x 40mm (3.15″ x 2.36″ x 1.57″).
Available for $99 from Seeed Studio, the pocket-sized router is an updated version of the original H68K that launched in 2022. And it’s similar in a lot of ways, but there are a few key differences in the 2nd-gen model.
Both systems are powered by the same Rockchip RK3568 quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor. Both have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage plus a microSD card reader. And both have the same networking features.
But the new model arranges all of the Ethernet ports on one side of the device rather than spreading them across two sides.
It drops the DC power jack, one of the external USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and the 3.5mm audio jack to to make room for that. But the USB Type-C port picks up support for USB Power Delivery, allowing you to use a wider range of USB power adapters. And the V2 model’s USB-C port enables SATA functionality when connected to a dock.
But probably the biggest difference between the two systems? The original model has reached end of life and is now sold out, while the new V2 version is available for purchase for $99.
Here’s a rundown of some key specs for the LinkStar H68K-1432 and H68K-1432-V:
| LinkStar H68K-1432-V2 | LinkStar H68K-1432 | |
| Processor | Rockchip RK3568 4 x ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores (up to 2 GHz) ARM Mali-G52 2EE graphics NPU with up to 1 TOPS AI performance | |
| Memory | 4GB RAM | |
| Storage | 32GB eMMC microSD card reader SATA 3 support (with dock) | 32GB eMMC microSD card reader |
| Ports | 2 x 2.5 GbE (RTL8125B) 2 x Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8211F) 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A 1 x USB Type-C (5V – 20V DC input – 10W or higher) 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A | 2 x 2.5 GbE (RTL8125B) 2 x Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8211F) 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x DC power input |
| Wireless | Mediatek M7921E module WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 | |
| Power consumption | 7.5W (with all network ports in use) | |
| Power supply | Supports USB Type-C power adapters (10W or higher, 5V-20V voltage) | 5V – 24V DC power input (12V/1A adapter recommended) or USB Type-C adapter (5V or less) |
| Dimensions | 80 x 60 x 40mm | |
| Price | $99 | $129 (out of stock) |
Seeed Studio ships the LinkStar H684K with Android 11 pre-installed, but the system also supports Linux-based operating systems including OpenWrt and Armbian. And since it supports booting from an SD card, you can switch operating systems without removing the pre-installed software.
via LinuxGizmos
Nope. Spend another $50 and get a much more useful micro PC that you can load pfsense, nonsense, Linux, Windows, proxmox etc which will also have Four 2.5 gb nice as well as upgradable storage and ram.
Brilliant hardware. Reviews of the v1 suggest the OpenWRT implementation was not strong. Great efforts from the OpenWRT community provided a way forward. Im looking for a small capable unit for my robotics project, Opening up the OpenWRT support is the difference between solution and software adventure. So please
1. Whats the OpenWRT software path / support ?
2. Does this run the community OpenWRT port ?
3. How is the wifi power/strength/range ?
If you get the above 3 things right – this will be the best solution out there.
Question:
I have a fibre connection with an ethernet “WAN” connector in order to connect one of the Wifi router sold on the market today. What can I do and can I not do with this LinkStar H68K-V2 ?
In order to really use it as a Wifi router in my home, can I really do the with
It seems I can do quite a lot, use it as a wifi router, even connect a usb Zigbee or Thread adapter, get a dynamic DNS server, connect to my oter home with a VPN connection, access Internet locally in bothe countries if I have a router in both countries ?
If I want to use it as an Wifi Router in my home, is really Antroid 11, or OpenWrt or Armbian good choices where I can configure router parameter in the Gui and not by linux commands ?