Banana Pi M2 Ultra. My start.

Some time ago I’ve purchased RPi2 and built my first smart home server (powered by Pimatic). Everything is good with this solution but currently I need more:

1. More memory.
2. More CPU performance.
3. Fast internal storage (eMMC preferable).
4. Backup battery.
5. All wireless interfaces (Wi-fi, Bluetooth).

So, I’ve researched on the web and selected an alternative (Banana Pi M2 Ultra). It contains all necessary features:

1. RAM: 2GB.
2. CPU: 4 cores Allwinner R40.
3. eMMC: 8 GB (really, I love it).
4. Build-it battery interface.
5. Many more hardware things.

BUT it does not include the most important thing :). The manufacturer provides very limited support for this product. A community is rather small and you may not find a solution for your problems.