2024-10-03 - RasPi Zero W 1.x vs. 2

RasPi Zero is a nice, little board running linux. for a simpler tasks, that do require a “real OS”, it's a perfect choice, with an friendly price tag. some time ago i bough RasPi Zero 1.x W for a remote flashing tool (i'll leave out details for another post). i needed WiFi-enabled one, but i was hesitating between series 1.x and 2. 1.x was a bit cheaper, but since it's 32-bit, 1 core and thus far less capable, i figured out it will consume less current and went with this one.

it turned out that i had some issues with connecting to my home WiFi. some APs worked, some did not. so i ended up using external (USB) WiFi card. problem solved. it did cost me an evening to figure out the root cause, though.

since i do have version 2 as well, i decided to give it a shot, too. it connected to all WiFis i have flawlessly. that made me thinking – how much power do i really save by using 1.x instead of 2? here's my results.

turned out that it does not matter if board is doing sth (1 core) or idling – both cases version 2 is more power efficient, despite being 64-bit (vs. 32-bit 1.x). version 2 is a pure win, at a minimal cost difference.

more over - ASLR is almost worthless on 32-bit system nowadays, so 64-bit version is also a security win.

i still have a couple of RasPis 1.x W on the shelve. will use them over time, for sure. but for new projects version 2 is the way to go. :)