Orange Pi RV2 Review: A Complete Detailed Look

Wireless Connectivity

A standout characteristic of the RV2 board is its integrated (on-board) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, eliminating the need to purchase an additional Wi-Fi card. Additionally, it also comes equipped with two 1GbE ports.

The RV2 board is equipped with the AP6256 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi chip from AMPAK Technology Inc. It also comes with a simple wire-type antenna connected to an onboard IPX connector. Although this arrangement isn’t without its drawbacks, it certainly offers a significant advantage over having no antenna at all. For those looking to enhance their connectivity, investing in a high-quality plastic antenna with SMA connectors is strongly recommended.

Expected bandwidth

While the RV2 doesn’t offer Wi-Fi 6 which normally exists in high-end boards, its performance is still okay. The Wi-Fi/BT chip is compatible with both 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies, ensuring a decent and reliable connection. Using the nmcli tool to assess the network status and here are our results:

Frequency (MHz)	Channel	Rate (Mbit/s)	Bandwidth (MHz)
2.4	1	130	20
5.2	48	540	160

What actual output speeds can you anticipate?

Our tests, along with laboratory evaluations conducted by the Orange Pi team, indicate that on the 5GHz band you can anticipate downstream speeds of up to 250 Mbps and upstream speeds of up to 188 Mbps. On the 2.4GHz band, you can anticipate an upstream speed of 48Mbps, while the downstream rate hovers around 41Mbps. While these speeds may not be very impressive, it’s certainly better than having no Wi-Fi support whatsoever.