Which hardware to use?

Help with Raspberry Pi Foundation Boards (Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, Pi Zero W, Pi A, Pi B, Pi B+, Pi2 B, Pi3 B, Pi 3 B+)
Post Reply
NQ1C
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:10 pm

Which hardware to use?

Post by NQ1C »

I am ready to build a pi-star hot spot. I have an MMDVM_HS GPIO modem (Chinese clone). Is there any advantage to using a Pi 3B+ or 4B over the zero WH? Would there be any areas (other than possibly the web interface) where performance would be better?

I've seen some videos where the comment is made that if you run multiple modes, it can take the hot spot a little while to figure out which mode you are using. Is this determined by the modem or by the Pi board's speed?

I'll use a Pi 3B+ or 4 if there is an advantage, otherwise I'll probably just use a zero WH. I don't really care about the physical size.

Thank you for any comments.
KD8DVR
Posts: 106
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:23 pm
Location: Columbus, OH USA
Contact:

Re: Which hardware to use?

Post by KD8DVR »

I think ANY pi, other than a zero is overkill an an unnecessary expense.

The larger, faster, pi's will give you faster dashboard load times, but that's about it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

AntiSquid Disclaimer: All messages posted are personal opinion only and may not constitute fact.
NQ1C
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:10 pm

Re: Which hardware to use?

Post by NQ1C »

Thank you. That exactly answers my question!
User avatar
KE0FHS
Posts: 1122
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:40 pm
Location: Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: Which hardware to use?

Post by KE0FHS »

I'll offer a different opinion: some of the other Raspberry Pi boards are much faster than the RPi Zero W, and that can make things like booting up, changing modes, applying changes, etc. much faster. For me, it's definitely worth it. If you're using a wired network connection, I recommend the RPi 3B (not the 3B+, which runs hotter). If you're using a wireless network connection, then the RPi 3A+ is a great board.
73, Toshen, KE0FHS
Playing with Pi-Star (unofficial notes about setting up and using Pi-Star):
https://amateurradionotes.com/pi-star.htm
Post Reply