Specifications

Compute Module Support

Networking

Switch port configuration by model:

PoE Power Budget

The 30W figure is a per-port maximum, not a simultaneous one. Every PoE port draws from a single 120W total budget, so the per-port ceiling and the total have to be read together.

Budget is allocated by each device’s advertised class, not by what it actually draws. A class 3 device reserves 15W and a class 4 device reserves 30W the moment it is granted power, whether or not it goes on to use it. A camera pulling 4W on a class 3 port still holds 15W of the budget.

That gives two full-capacity configurations on an 8-port Cruiser:

Eight class 4 devices would reserve 240W, double the budget. Once the budget is consumed, any further port that requests power is power-denied while still passing data.

Which ports those are is not fixed. Allocation is first-come-first-served in the order ports energize, not by port number, and a denied port never joins the allocation. So the ports that lose power can change across a reboot or when a device is hot-plugged. Do not plan on “ports 5-8 are my data-only ports”.

If you are specifying eight simultaneous PoE cameras, choose class 3 devices or power some of them externally.

Firmware 1.1.2 or later is required for both exact-fit rows above. Earlier firmware treated 120W as a figure to stay strictly under, which denied the 8th class 3 port and the 4th class 4 port even though each lands exactly on the budget.

Cruiser Lite has 4 PoE ports, so 4 × 30W = 120W: it can run every port at full PoE+ within the budget, also on firmware 1.1.2 or later.

An attached Interceptor PoE Board is powered by the Cruiser directly over the FFC link, so no extra power converter is needed (only an Interceptor Carrier Board with a PoE Board needs the 48Vdc Power Converter). Its ports share the Cruiser’s budget: the 120W figure is enforced in firmware across every PoE controller the board enumerates, so an expansion board’s ports may draw against this same allowance. If you are planning a 16-port PoE deployment, size it conservatively and talk to us first.

Switch Architecture

The Cruiser uses two RTL8367RB switch chips connected directly to each other in hardware. All port-to-port switching – including traffic between the two chips and traffic from an attached Interceptor PoE Board – is handled entirely in the switch hardware. The CM5 is not in the data path for switched traffic.

The CM5’s 1GbE connection only carries traffic actually destined for the CM5 itself, such as camera streams being written to storage. For NVR recording workloads, see the NVR bandwidth FAQ.

In Linux, all switch ports are exposed via the DSA (Distributed Switch Architecture) framework as individual network interfaces (poe0–poe7, extending to poe15 with the add-on board). See Switch port management in Linux for details.

2.5GbE WAN Port Performance

The 2.5GbE WAN port delivers real-world throughput significantly exceeding Gigabit Ethernet:

Key findings:

• Upload performance is excellent at 2.35 Gbps (94% efficiency)
• Download achieves 1.93 Gbps — nearly double Gigabit Ethernet
• CPU impact is minimal (~27% single core during max throughput)
• Zero packet retransmissions in all tests

Tested with iperf3. See detailed benchmarks for full methodology.

Storage

Video Output

USB Ports

USB 3.0 Architecture:

• CM5 USB 3 Port #1 → VL817 hub → 3x external USB 3.0 + RTL8156BG (2.5GbE)
• CM5 USB 3 Port #2 → JMS561 (dedicated) → 2x SATA ports

The SATA controller (JMS561) has its own dedicated USB 3.0 connection directly from the CM5. It does not share bandwidth with the external USB 3.0 ports or the 2.5GbE WAN adapter. Storage I/O and WAN traffic operate on entirely separate buses.

Wireless (ESP32-C6)

Expansion

Cooling

Power

Voltage Requirements by Model

Power Consumption (Typical)

Measured on Cruiser (8-port PoE model) with CM5. Cruiser Lite and Keel have slightly lower base power. See Power Consumption for details.

Physical

Mounting Hole Positions

Board dimensions: 170.0mm × 120.0mm

Note: Bottom left corner matches Mini-ITX standard (4.9mm from edges). Other corners are non-standard.

Source: CAD design files (source of truth for mechanical specifications).

Environmental

Compliance

• NDAA Compliant (Section 889)

Product Variants

Prices shown are MSRP. Visit the Exaviz Store for current pricing.

All variants include 2.5GbE WAN, M.2 NVMe, SATA, USB, HDMI, and ESP32-C6. The Keel has the same 4-port 1GbE switch as Cruiser Lite, but without PoE capability.

Last modified October 9, 2026