Geniatech XPI is a cheap, credit-card-sized computer that can do just about anything, from robotics to different home automation. It’s easy to set up and use, but it’s also very powerful, as you’ll see by the end of this article.
However, before Geniatech’s current limelight was raspberry PI. The Raspberry Pi has been a great success for the hobbyist programmer. It was the idealistic small computer that you can use to learn to program and create cool projects into powerful ones. This increased the Pi’s rating hugely among kids and adults alike. However, there are some limitations to the Pi’s capabilities that led to the need for a raspberry pi alternative.
Common Issues with Raspberry PI
Considering majority of the issues encountered when using raspberry PI, most of them can only be solved with the XPI.
These include:
Stuck OS
A stuck OS is one of the most common issues with Raspberry PI that users face. The boot process of a Raspberry PI can be affected by many factors like, power supply voltage fluctuations and other environmental conditions like temperature etc., which can cause this issue. To resolve this issue you need to re-flash your micro SD card using Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager software and reinstall your operating system on it again. A factor that needs a lot of keenness not to damage the board completely.
USB not working
Another common issue that users face is when their USB ports do not work properly or at all after installing their operating system on their Raspberry PI. If you are using a USB hub along with your USB port then it might not work properly as it might be overloaded with power requirements or may not be compatible with other devices connected to it. In that case, try connecting your devices directly to your computer or laptop’s USB ports instead of using a hub might solve but the best solution is to shift to the XPI board.
Incompatible with HDMI displays
The Raspberry PI only supports HDMI 1.3 version, which means it cannot support HDCP 2.2 or 4K content. This means that if you want to play 4K video or HDCP 2.2 content, then your display must be compatible with these standards. If not, then you will not be able to play the content on your monitor or TV screen which means you will have to use another device such as a media player or computer to play those videos if not compatible with your display device.
Failed Cameras
Raspberry PI comes with a camera port which can be used for connecting cameras such as webcams and other types of cameras but this port is not compatible with most cameras out there since most cameras today come with HDMI ports instead of USB ports unlike before where most cameras had USB ports.
Top Geniatech XPI Advantages
The Geniatech XPI is an Android TV Box that comes with a Quad-core CPU. The device offers a lot of advantages that make it the best alternatives for raspberry PI, and here are some of them:
- The Geniatech XPI uses a SOC processor instead of an ARM processor like Raspberry Pi 3 B+ that makes it much more powerful than Raspberry Pi 3 B+.
- The Geniatech XPI has built-in HDMI output so that you don’t need to connect an external HDMI display to use it. It also has built-in 1G/2G/3G modem so that you can connect it to the internet without using any USB dongle or Ethernet cable!
- In addition, Geniatech XPI comes with an IR receiver that allows you to control it using your TV remote controller (like LG TV remote).
Conclusion
There are many alternative mini-computer boards out on the market today that outperform competitors like the Raspberry Pi and its prices are much more reasonable. For example, if you’re looking for a board with a CPU that can handle HD video, the Geniatech XPI is an excellent choice. With plans to actively pursue new forms of computer entertainment, Geniatech has definitely piqued most people’s interests.
In the end, XPI is an affordable and feature full alternative to the raspberry PI for hobbyists interested in entering the Arduino world. While it may not be a perfect fit for everyone, it’s easy to see why this is a product that’s both simple to use and easy on the budget. Overall if you’re looking to get started with some sort of Arduino project and don’t want to spend a lot of money, then this will be a product you’ll definitely want to consider.
