I tried USB/ethernet adapter on a Surf SOHO HW2 and it worked. But on a Balance 20x it did not work. Are there settings that need to be adjusted in the USB WAN definition?
Hmmm. @sitloongs indicated it’s supported. Wondering if you used one of those listed here → Can I Use Ethernet Adapters on the USB WAN?. Or a different one?
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My bad. Did not read whole posting from the beginning. You have to first configure the USB port to work with Ethernet rather than 4G/LTE. After doing this, it worked fine.
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This is a GREAT feature on the Balance 20X. Thank you for the instructions here on how to make it work. I had tried to configure it manually, but it wasn’t working.
Had I not been pointed to this feature before my purchase, I likely wouldn’t have a Peplink at all right now, because the models with dual built-in Ethernet ports were out of my price range, especially with SpeedFusion enabled. I am currently using it to smooth / bond two cellular connections, and I just saw some amazing results.
Note that I am not using the built in cellular modem because my current options are T-Mobile Home Internet which has a plan that only works with their device, and a local MVNO on AT&T. I already have a CAT11 modem for AT&T, and there is no way I am going to go back to a CAT4 modem.
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I searched and came in here just to see if it was possible with a modern B20x and happy to see that it is. 
Does the USB port of latest Balance 20X support any Peplink AP module? I wish to use Balance 20X with primary connection to a home FIOS, then connecting to a hotspot as load balancing (If not; then failover). If both the FIOS and hotspot fail, LTE would be the failover. The Balance 20X USB port is 2.0 or 3.0 or something else?
Chanpakkwong, I don’t have an answer for you, but I am interested in your question, as I may be in the same position. Are you attempting to use the USB and an AP in combination to pick up a wifi signal from a cellular hotspot? If so, that’s what I’m considering doing down the road as a secondary connection to my primary Starlink (WAN). Essentially you’d be trying to create a secondary Wifi-as-WAN connection, correct?
Exactly. I saw the opening post stating a number of Peplink models that support USB WAN but not Balance 20X. Later I discovered the opening post was 4 years ago and after searching the product information page, I THINK the latest Balance 20X is supporting USB WAN. Just want to make sure before putting my investment there.
My understanding is that you are correct.
A further question- what hardware do you intend to use to pick up the Wifi signal? At the moment I am using a Surf SOHO (as it has native wifi-as-WAN capability), but I may move from that in the future to the Balance 20X (or similar). I’m trying to find the best option for feeding the wifi connection to the router.
I know this answer is late, but posting in case it helps someone else. With my B20X, the USB connected ethernet adapter can’t actually achieve even close to 1Gb of throughput. IIRC, it can hit around 100 Mbps. I’m guessing its limited by the CPU load required to handle the USB device. So I suspect that the 2.5Gb adapter wouldn’t fare any better. If my theory is correct, other Balance routers with more processing power may be able to get more speed out of the USB.
BTW, my cable modem does have a 2.5 Gb connection and the download speed to the modem is about 1.5 Gbps. Sadly, there’s no way to get that available bandwidth into the Balance 20X or most other Balance models. I wish Peplink would provide a Balance router for less than $1000 that could accept at least a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet WAN connection and at least one equivalent speed port on the LAN side.
Competitors have models priced below $1000 with 2.5 Gbps and/or SFP+ ports.
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Just making sure I’m following, the limited 100mbps throughput is ONLY on the USB connection, correct? You still get good throughput on the standard WAN connection, right? I ask because if I go that route, that connection would be for LTE, which in my experience is pretty slow.
I really wish that there was a Balance router that supported Wifi-as-WAN. It would simplify things immensely.
Yes, only limited on USB. The Ethernet WAN hits advertised throughput, 900+ Mbps on the 20X.
When I’ve used the USB for LTE, I’ve gotten between 5 and 35 Mbps.
If you really need WiFi as WAN, using an Apple Airport Express set to act as a bridge has worked well for me in the past. The Airport connects to the WiFi and Ethernet carries the traffic from the Airport Express to a wired WAN port.
In the “non-Peplink world” we’ve used devices such as this to add wi-fi-as-WAN with Balance routers. However, Peplink’s “device connector” is a far more robust solution.
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I use a GL.inet 750s Slate. It won’t give you gigabit speeds but rated max 300 2.4 ghz and 433 at 5ghz.
We use it to capture wifi into a 10 yr old Max 700 WAN port and use the Max 700 wifi as Wan to capture an iPhone hotspot over LTE which we bond into Speedfusion with FEC to livestream.
Not ideal but budget is limited. 
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The Surf SOHO is cheaper than that (the Peplink Device Connector). Any reason not to use that to push Wifi-as-WAN to a Balance router IF I end up upgrading to one?
As you say, “[n]ot ideal but budget is limited.” That would certainly not be my preferred approach. However, you will find several threads here in which using a SOHO as an AP are discussed. Before I did that I’d likely use a product similar to the first link I provided. But, as they say, “YMMV.”
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The Optimum hotspot is using 5GHz, therefore I am considering a TP-Link CPE510. Another option is a NanostationM 5 GHz Loco because it looks like many people are talking about this. Both of them said they have 13 dBi gain but TP-Link is cheaper since it includes a PoE adaptor.
Optimum uses a mix of 2.4 and 5ghz on their outdoor/commercial access points (Cablewifi SSID will be present). Optimum off of modems in homes might now be all 5ghz but I dont remember.
I have the balance 20x, how do I enable a second internet connection through ethernet?
Hi. Actually, this has been discussed a number of times here on the Forum. Do this:
- Navigate to Network → WAN
- Under Connection Name select the USB item
- Click the blue “?” in the upper right corner of the pane that pops up (as shown below.)
- Click on “here” in the little box that pops up.
- Configure your new WAN.
(This example is from a Balance 210 – your screen will look similar.)
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