52Pi M.2 NVMe SSD Plus 2.5G Ethernet Adapter for Raspberry Pi 5

Fast SSD storage and 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet for the Raspberry Pi 5, on one compact board that sits on top of your Pi.

Network storage, media servers and self-hosted apps usually hit two limits on a Pi: microSD storage and the 1 Gbps onboard Ethernet. This HAT fixes both. Your M.2 NVMe SSD runs on the Pi 5's PCIe lane, and the Realtek RTL8156BG 2.5 Gbps network controller links over USB 3.0. Because each has its own path, storage and network traffic don't compete for the single PCIe lane.

The board takes M-key NVMe drives from 2230 up to full-length 2280, with a dedicated mounting pillar, and no soldering is needed. Cut-outs in the PCB let camera or display ribbon cables pass through, and a 40-pin header passes the GPIO up for other add-ons.

Setup:

• Fit the standoffs and connect the PCIe ribbon cable to the Pi 5's PCIe connector.
• Plug the included USB bridge connector into the Pi 5's USB 3.0 port.
• Add dtparam=pciex1 to /boot/firmware/config.txt and reboot. The SSD and network port are then detected automatically.

Features

• Full-speed SSD access over the Pi 5's PCIe x1 interface. Runs at Gen 2 by default and supports Gen 3 for extra throughput (Gen 3 is not officially certified by Raspberry Pi).
• Network transfers up to 2.5 Gbps through the 2.5G RJ45 port, which also connects at 1 Gbps and 100 Mbps.
• Fits any common SSD length, with marked mounting points for M.2 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 drives.
• Delivers up to 3 A on the SSD's 3.3 V supply, which meets the M.2 power standard, so higher-performance drives run reliably.
• Short PCIe traces on a gold-plated PCB for reliable Gen 3 signalling.
• Activity and status at a glance, with an NVMe activity LED plus link, speed and power LEDs for the network port.
• Open, hollow board design that helps airflow through the stack.
• Cut-outs that let camera or display ribbon cables pass through the board.
• Ships with all mounting hardware and a screwdriver.

Specifications

Resources

• 52Pi EP-0228 Wiki – setup, PCIe enabling, SSD formatting and network testing
• 3D-printable enclosure design (DeskPi)
• Raspberry Pi 5 hardware documentation (PCIe and NVMe)

What's Included

• 1x U2500 M.2 NVMe SSD + 2.5G Ethernet HAT
• 2x PCIe FFC cables (8.5 × 40 mm)
• 1x USB bridge connector
• 1x 40-pin GPIO header
• 4x M2.5 × 17 mm brass standoffs
• 8x M2.5 × 4 mm flat-head screws
• 1x M2 SSD mounting pillar
• 1x M2 × 3 mm screw
• 1x screwdriver