Image available including IpFire on a Banana Pi R3

Hardware
1

After several weeks of work, we completed the image for a Banana PI R3 using IpFire.

Exciting news for all network enthusiasts and Banana Pi users! We are thrilled to announce that the latest IPFire image for Banana Pi R3 is now available for download. This custom-built firmware leverages the powerful capabilities of the Banana Pi R3, enhancing it with the robust security features of IPFire, perfect for building a secure and efficient network gateway or firewall.

Key Features Include:

  • Device: Banana Pi R3
  • CPU: MediaTek Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53
  • RAM: 2GB DDR3
  • Networking: Wi-Fi 6, 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • Storage: Supports both SD card and internal storage implementations
  • Firmware: Custom IPFire
  • Version: Latest stable release, optimized for Banana Pi R3

Perfect for: Home networks, small office environments, and educational institutions looking for a reliable and secure networking solution.

Download Link: Firmware for Banana Pi R3 with IPFire

2 Likes
2

Very nice!

What types of things were needed to customize & optimize IPFire to make it work well with the Banana PI R3?

Are there any benchmarks? I am looking for speedtest/iperf3 tests for throughput.

Client <---- green ----> Banana PI R3 using IPFire <---- red ----> Internet (or an iperf3 server)

1 Like
3

Welcome to the community.

Nice advert.

Do you plan to transfer your work to the ā€˜officialā€™ IPFire project?

4

After image worked proper on the system, i want to know now if anyone else is interested in this combination of ARM hardware and IpFire. This is my plan ā€¦ to find out if people are interested :grinning:.

5

Hi, I donā€™t know if I understood well what you mean, but I would be interested

6 
Connecting to host ping-90ms.online.net, port 5201
[  5] local 192.168.1.228 port 35984 connected to 51.158.1.19 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr  Cwnd
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  4.75 MBytes  39.8 Mbits/sec    0    768 KBytes
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  9.25 MBytes  77.6 Mbits/sec    0   1.10 MBytes
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  14.0 MBytes   117 Mbits/sec    0   1.63 MBytes
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  11.2 MBytes  94.4 Mbits/sec   32   1.37 MBytes
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  11.5 MBytes  96.4 Mbits/sec    0   1.52 MBytes
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  11.6 MBytes  97.5 Mbits/sec    0   1.63 MBytes
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  11.4 MBytes  95.4 Mbits/sec    0   1.72 MBytes
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  11.5 MBytes  96.5 Mbits/sec    1   1.27 MBytes
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  11.6 MBytes  97.5 Mbits/sec    0   1.35 MBytes
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  11.5 MBytes  96.4 Mbits/sec    0   1.40 MBytes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec   108 MBytes  90.9 Mbits/sec   33             sender
[  5]   0.00-10.13  sec   100 MBytes  82.9 Mbits/sec                  receiver


iperf Done.


Connecting to host ping-90ms.online.net, port 5201
[  5] local 192.168.1.228 port 50032 connected to 51.158.1.19 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr  Cwnd
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  4.00 MBytes  33.5 Mbits/sec    0    728 KBytes
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  8.50 MBytes  71.3 Mbits/sec    0   1.05 MBytes
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  12.8 MBytes   107 Mbits/sec    0   1.55 MBytes
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  14.1 MBytes   118 Mbits/sec   39   1.34 MBytes
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  11.2 MBytes  94.4 Mbits/sec    0   1.48 MBytes
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  11.1 MBytes  93.3 Mbits/sec    0   1.59 MBytes
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  11.2 MBytes  94.4 Mbits/sec    0   1.68 MBytes
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  11.4 MBytes  95.4 Mbits/sec    1   1.24 MBytes
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  11.2 MBytes  94.4 Mbits/sec    0   1.32 MBytes
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  11.1 MBytes  93.3 Mbits/sec    0   1.37 MBytes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec   107 MBytes  89.5 Mbits/sec   40             sender
[  5]   0.00-10.13  sec  97.9 MBytes  81.1 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.

EDIT: moderator formatted code

7

Since ā€œping-90ms.online.netā€ looks like an external site, what is your provisioned Internet speed?

8

The test is difficult to measure clean and comparable. But I checked by:

  1. ASUS RT-AC88U: 290MBit/s Download, 100MBit/s Upload
  2. Banana PI R3: 330MBit/s Download, 100MBit/s Upload

And it has nearly same performance. In my case even the R3 little better.

Speedtest
Speedtest525Ɨ547 26.5 KB

Updated download link:

Image: http://u.pc.cd/BNVrtalK

1 Like
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The provisioned speed is what you purchase from the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

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10

Why is the firmware password protected?

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11

The primary reason for implementing password protection at this stage is to manage the initial distribution carefully. As someone deeply involved in multiple projects, my time for extensive support is limited. By limiting the early access to users who are genuinely interested and ready to provide constructive and professional feedback, I can ensure that any issues are addressed efficiently and effectively.

This approach helps in creating a more refined and stable version of the image before a broader release. Itā€™s important to me that the users who download this version are those who are willing not only to use the software but also to contribute to its improvement through thoughtful feedback.

Once the image has proven stable and the feedback from initial users has been incorporated, I plan to remove the password protection to allow easier access for the broader community.

Thank you for understanding

12

This may mean, that you have to do more support. :wink:
For example, I do not own a Banana Pi R3. So I cannot test your image. But I may be able to revise your solution by looking inside the image and checking how IPFire is integrated.
And I think Iā€™m not alone with this situation.

1 Like
14

It isnā€™t difficult, but not the usual way of communication in this project.

  • complete solutions ( OS versions, addons ) are available from IPFire.org and ā€˜licensedā€™ mirrors.
  • the source is stored on IPFireā€™s git repository ( with all versions since project start )
  • new functions or bug corrections are discussed on the development list

This process defines openess of the system and allows code revision by members of the community.

BTW: password protected ZIP files are IMO a kind of proprietary software, which is deprecated by the project.

15

I send you PM including password. Feel free to test it.

16

Hello, can you please also PM me the password. I have a banana pi r3 and I would like to test it.
Thanks