Banana Pro

Summary

Banana Pro is an ARM single-board computer built around the Allwinner A20 dual-core processor, 1 GB DDR3 RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, SATA and integrated WiFi/Bluetooth. It takes the original Banana Pi design and adds wireless connectivity, so it fits mobile builds, headless servers that still need WiFi management, and projects that depend on Bluetooth peripherals. The notes here cover first boot, practical use cases and the checks worth running before you call the system stable.

Banana Pro in use

Banana Pro is the second-generation board in the LeMaker Banana Pi family. The extra hardware is not cosmetic. It adds WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 to a platform that already has a useful base spec.

• Processor: Allwinner A20 dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 at 1 GHz with Mali-400 MP2 GPU
• Memory: 1 GB DDR3 RAM, shared with the GPU
• Storage: microSD slot and on-board SATA interface for 2.5-inch drives
• Network: Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8211E), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (AP6210), and Bluetooth 4.0
• I/O: 40-pin GPIO header compatible with RPi accessories, 2x USB 2.0 host, 1x USB OTG, IR receiver
• Video: HDMI 1.4 (1080p), LVDS connector, composite video
• Audio: HDMI audio, 3.5mm stereo jack, on-board microphone
• Power: 5V via barrel jack, 2 A minimum and 2.5 A recommended for WiFi plus peripherals

Common use cases

1. WiFi access point or router: The integrated WiFi adapter can run as an access point with hostapd or as a client. Pair that with Gigabit Ethernet and Banana Pro can handle a small router, VPN gateway or network bridge without much fuss.

2. Bluetooth IoT gateway: Bluetooth 4.0 LE support gives the board a direct line to sensors, smart home devices and wearables. That makes it suitable for home automation hubs, environmental monitoring and logging jobs.

3. Headless server with WiFi fallback: Use Ethernet as the primary link, then keep WiFi in reserve for management access or for the awkward cases where physical access is limited.

4. Media centre with remote control: The on-board IR receiver works with remote controls in Kodi or LibreELEC setups. WiFi also removes the need to run an Ethernet cable across a living room, which matters more than people admit.

5. Portable development platform: Battery-powered projects can use WiFi for SSH access and code deployment without being tied to Ethernet. It is useful for robotics, mobile data collection and field testing.

Prerequisites

Before first boot, gather the basics and save yourself a round of avoidable debugging.

• Power supply: 5V DC, 2.5 A recommended and 2 A minimum. WiFi and Bluetooth add 300500 mA to base consumption, and under-spec supplies cause random reboots.
• MicroSD card: 8 GB minimum, with 16 GB or 32 GB recommended. Use a reputable brand such as SanDisk, Samsung or Kingston.
• Ethernet cable for initial setup: configure WiFi over wired SSH first so you are not troubleshooting two links at once.
• WiFi credentials: SSID and WPA2 passphrase if wireless will be enabled.
• Serial console adapter, optional but recommended: 3.3V USB-to-UART for troubleshooting when both Ethernet and WiFi fail.
• Upgrading? The Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro on Amazon is the current-generation successor with RK3576, 4 GB RAM, eMMC, and built-in Wi-Fi that has active 2026 Armbian support.

Step-by-step quick start

Step 1: Download and verify an image

Visit the downloads hub and choose an image such as Armbian, Debian or Ubuntu. Check the SHA256 checksum before flashing:

# Linux/macOS:
sha256sum BananaPro_Armbian_23.02.1.img.xz

# Windows PowerShell:
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 BananaPro_Armbian_23.02.1.img.xz

Step 2: Flash the image to microSD

Use Etcher, Raspberry Pi Imager or dd. Once the write finishes, eject the card cleanly. Do not just pull it out.

Step 3: First boot with Ethernet

Insert the microSD card, connect Ethernet, HDMI or serial console, then power on. First boot usually takes 60-90 seconds because the filesystem expands and the image completes its initial setup. Confirm:

ip a
# Confirm eth0 has an IPv4 address.

df -h
# Confirm root partition expanded to full microSD capacity.

systemctl --failed
# Confirm no critical services failed at boot.

Step 4: Update packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo reboot

Step 5: Configure WiFi, if needed

If your image uses NetworkManager:

nmcli device wifi list
nmcli device wifi connect "YourSSID" password "YourPassword"
ip a show wlan0

If your image uses wpa_supplicant, edit /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf:

network={
    ssid="YourSSID"
    psk="YourPassword"
}

Then restart networking:

sudo systemctl restart dhcpcd
ip a show wlan0

Post-boot verification checklist

1. WiFi firmware loaded: run dmesg | grep -i brcm and confirm the AP6210 driver initialised.
2. Bluetooth functional: use sudo hciconfig hci0 up && sudo hcitool scan to test Bluetooth.
3. SATA detected, if connected: lsblk should show /dev/sda.
4. GPIO accessible: ls /sys/class/gpio to confirm the sysfs interface is present.
5. Temperature within range: cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp returns millidegrees, and idle should stay below 70000.
6. No kernel errors: journalctl -b -p err lists boot-time errors. A few informational warnings are normal, but emergency or critical messages need checking.

Troubleshooting common issues

WiFi adapter not detected:

• Check dmesg | grep -i brcm or dmesg | grep -i ap6210 for driver messages.
• Confirm the firmware package is installed, either linux-firmware or armbian-firmware.
• Some older kernels do not support AP6210 properly. Move to a recent mainline or Armbian kernel.

WiFi connects but drops frequently:

• Check signal strength with iw dev wlan0 link. Values below -70 dBm are marginal.
• Disable power saving with sudo iw dev wlan0 set power_save off.
• Make sure the power supply can deliver sustained current. Cheap supplies sag when WiFi transmits.
• Look for interference with iw dev wlan0 scan, then switch the router to a less crowded channel.

Bluetooth scan fails:

• Confirm hciconfig hci0 shows the interface is UP and RUNNING.
• Restart the Bluetooth service with sudo systemctl restart bluetooth.
• Check dmesg for firmware loading errors.

System reboots randomly when WiFi is active:

• That is the classic under-voltage symptom. Measure power supply voltage under load or replace it with a 2.5 A+ supply.
• Check dmesg for "under-voltage detected" messages.

SATA drive not detected:

• Confirm the drive is powered. 2.5-inch SATA drives draw power from the board, while 3.5-inch drives need external power.
• Run dmesg | grep -i ata to see whether the kernel detects the controller and drive.
• Some images disable SATA to save power, so enable it in device tree or kernel config.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the difference between Banana Pi and Banana Pro?
A: Banana Pro adds WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, an on-board microphone and an IR receiver. The CPU, RAM, Ethernet and GPIO remain the same.

Q: Can I use Banana Pro as a WiFi access point?
A: Yes. Install hostapd and dnsmasq to create an access point. The AP6210 chipset supports AP mode. See Armbian or Debian documentation for hostapd configuration.

Q: Does Banana Pro support 5 GHz WiFi?
A: No. The AP6210 module supports only 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n. For 5 GHz, use a USB WiFi adapter with a compatible chipset.

Q: How do I enable Bluetooth LE (Low Energy)?
A: Bluetooth 4.0 includes LE support. Use BlueZ tools such as bluetoothctl and hcitool lescan, or libraries like bluepy for Python and noble for Node.js.

Q: Can I boot from SATA instead of microSD?
A: The bootloader, U-Boot, must still live on microSD, but you can move the root filesystem to SATA for better I/O performance. See the Banana Pi resource page for SATA boot procedures. The process is identical for Banana Pro.

Q: What is the GPIO pinout?
A: The 40-pin header is largely compatible with Raspberry Pi Model B+ pinouts. See the specification page for detailed pinouts and voltage levels.

Q: How do I use the IR receiver?
A: Install lirc and configure it for the CIR, or Consumer IR, device. Most distributions include lirc packages and sample configurations for common remotes.

Q: What operating systems are supported?
A: Armbian is recommended, and Debian, Ubuntu, Android, OpenWrt and LibreELEC/Kodi are also available. See the downloads hub for available images.

Q: Can I run Docker on Banana Pro?
A: Yes, but the 1 GB RAM limits container density. Small services such as Pi-hole and lightweight web apps work well. Heavier workloads such as databases and multi-container stacks may need swap or memory tuning.

Next steps

Once the board is stable and reachable on the network:

• Review SBC Maintenance Routine to set weekly and monthly checks.
• Consult Basic Security Defaults to harden SSH and firewall settings.
• Explore WiringPi for GPIO control in C/Python.
• For WireGuard VPN deployments, a Contabo VPS provides a stable public endpoint if your home IP is dynamic.

Related guides

• Banana Pro specifications
• Resources and downloads
• Quick start guide
• Network setup notes
• Boot and storage notes

Author: LeMaker Documentation Team
Last updated: 2026-01-10