Drop-in Mode allows Peplink | Pepwave products to be deployed in a network without configuration changes on existing network infrastructure.
Example: Pre-Installation
In the following network diagram, ISP A provides a 24-bit network 210.10.10.2 / 255.255.255.0, 210.10.10.1 is the default gateway. The Firewall is performing NAT (Network Address Translation) for Local Area Network 192.168.1.0/2 to access the Internet.
Firewall settings:
NAT Enabled
External Interface IP: 210.10.10.2/24
Default Gateway: 210.10.10.1
Internal Interface IP: 192.168.1.1/24
The Peplink Balance is now installed in between the existing ISP modem and the existing firewall. Additional WANs (wired or LTE/5G) are added to the network via the Peplink router.
When operating, the Peplink forwards the traffic between LAN and WAN1 of the router without performing any IP address translation. The Firewall will not notice any change in the IP addresses of the hosts on WAN1, and vice-versa, so all existing security policies will remain effective. Because the Firewall is not changed, it remains programmed with the original gateway. (Do NOT change the Firewall Default Gateway to Peplink’s IP 210.10.10.3)** If there is not a spare IP address on the WAN range of the firewall, the Peplink is also able to share that IP and preserve transparency.
For the other WAN connections, they will be operating in NAT mode by default, which allows proper routing of traffic coming back and forth via different ISP.
Notes:
- PPTP server will be disabled automatically if the Balance is deployed in Drop-in mode.
- Drop-in mode can be configured on any WAN port. But there is only one WAN port can be configured in Drop-in mode.
- High Availability will be disabled automatically if the LAN Bypass port is selected as the WAN port for Drop-in mode.