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- LinkStar H68K Review, Specification, and Features.
LinkStar H68K
Another SBC recently launched. It comes pre-installed Android 11 operating system and can host various operating systems, multiplying its functional capabilities. Seeed Studio company already exposed the product on their official page, showing the new LinkStar- H68K -1432 WiFi 6, a compact and powerful device with some surprises and exciting features.
LinkStar H68K: Quick Introduction
LinkStar H68K Specifications
| Parameters | Details |
| Processor | Rockchip RK3568 for up to 2.0GHz |
| CPU | Quad-core 64-bit Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | ARM G52 2EE |
| NPU | 1 TOPS@INT8 |
| Multi-Media | 4K@60fps H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoder1080@60fps H.265/H.264 video encoder. Support 8M ISP, HDR |
| Storage | Onboard 32GB eMMC 1x SD card slot for storage expansion |
| Operating System | Pre-installed Android 11 OS |
| Software | Ubuntu, Debian, Armbian, Android, Openwrt, Buildroot |
| Wireless | Dual-band 2.4G/5G Wi-Fi 6 (M7921E module) |
| NIC | 2x 1G Ethernet NIC RTL8211F 2x 2.5G Ethernet NIC RTL8125B |
| Video Output | 1x HDMI2.0 interface for 4K output |
| Audio | 1x 3.5mm four-piece headphones for both input and output |
| USB | 1x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.0 Type-C, capable of storage expansion and 5V power supply 2x USB 2.0 Type-A |
| Power Supply | Operating voltage: 5V~24V DC(12V-1A DC recommended) Recommend(with Type-C connector): under 5V Recommend (with additional hardware driver): 12-2A DC Recommend: 12V-1A DC |
| Power Consumption | 8W |
| Operating temperature | -10 ~ 55°C |
| Dimensions | 80*60*40mm |
Hardware
Measuring 80x60x40 mm, and based on the Rockchip RK3568 SoC, it features an ARM CPU with four 64-bit ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2 GHz clock frequency and an ARM G52 2EE GPU. It also has a 1 TOPS@INT8 NPU and can offer video decoding with a maximum resolution of 4K @60 fps with H.265/H.264/VP9 codec, while encoding is 1080p@60 fps using the H.265/H.264 codec. For storage, it has a large 32 GB eMMC drive, expandable via an SD card slot.
Software
This unit gives users the possibility of installing an operating system that provides it with extensive functionalities; Although we can opt for a reasonably traditional OpenWRT, we can also mount other GNU/ Linux derivatives that will offer us great flexibility: Android 11 (which is the one that comes pre-installed), Ubuntu, Debian, Armbian, or Buildroot.
Other Interfaces
With this capacity, it is not surprising that we can and want to use this router directly from the console, which is why it integrates an HDMI 2.0 port with 4K resolution capacity, as well as a USB 3.0 type A port, a USB type C with 5 V power supply, and two USB 2.0 Type-A.
LinkStar H68K | Interfaces
Connectivity
Regarding connectivity, in addition to having dual-band WiFi 6 (2.4+5 GHz), it also has four Ethernet ports, two of them at 1 Gbps with an RTL8211F NIC controller and the two remaining at 2.5 Gbps with an RTL8125B controller.
Passive Cooling and Other Features
Its encapsulation is made of metal, facilitating the passive dissipation of excess temperature and allowing it to operate outdoors and indoors, both stationary and in motion. Among its features, we find the NAS, VPN router, game server, firewall, and print server, to name just a few.
Price and Availability
Considering other competitors in the SBC Router board market segment, The price tag for the complete kit, including the metal case, is very reasonable. HINLINK sells the product in two configurations, with 2GB or 4GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet ports only, and AP6256 WiFi 5 or MT7921 WiFi 6 modules. Seeed Studio offers the basic model for $89 without wireless and $119 with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 support.
