The Dome has an M35 screw mount, if you use the Ethernet splitter (supplied with the Dome) directly attached, the screw fitting is covered and the mount is thus no longer pole mount. (You can see this in the pictures on the product page https://www.peplink.com/products/max-hd1-dome/)
Currently, the Dome does not have a Wi-Fi modem/antenna and this is in the already requested in the forum here Max HD2 Dome -WiFi WAN feature- (add your voice to promote it up their to-do list )
I agree. I ended up mounting mine using the included bracket because I wanted to use the passthrough both for weatherproofing and for a second future dome. When you do this, you are almost required to use the mounting bracket or come up with some custom setup. Having a marine mount threaded bracket would have been slightly better, but with the weight of the entire setup, I can understand why the included bracket is preferred.
Yes this sounds great. I don’t believe a Peplink product exists to do this now that doesn’t have a missing piece - either doesn’t run off of DC power, doesn’t have WiFi as WAN, or isn’t a 3rd party product that doesn’t include SpeedFusion and other Peplink features I want to use.
Yes, I suggest 2 cables from SIM Injector to WAN2 and WAN3 of the Balance router. Balance router supports same subnet for different WAN interfaces. So, LAN of both HD1 Domes, WAN2 and WAN3 of Balance router are in the same subnet. WAN2 of Balance router will point HD1#1 as a gateway and WAN3 of Balance router will point HD1#2 as a gateway.
By the way, your guys (@stevemitchell and @tgorter) provided a good idea below which using VLAN Tagging!
Based on my suggestion from option 3, you may tag WAN2 as VLAN10 and WAN3 as VLAN 20 (we support 1 tagged VLAN per WAN port). Then configure VLAN10 and VLAN20 respectively in both HD1 Dome. This helps to avoid using same broadcast domain within HD1 Domes and Balance router.
Ok I am resurrecting this because I still never really got an answer as to the best Peplink product to use as the main router.
Is there a 3x WAN Peplink product that has DC power and supports SpeedFusion and the other core features in the Balance/MAX line, as well as has decent SpeedFusion performance?
The Balance 305 looks promising, but it is AC only and a very low max temp rating (40C/104F), plus very low SpeedFusion throughput compared to other products in that range (150Mbps?)
The MBX product line has been proposed, but that is overkill - not only in terms of price, but it has tons of LTE modems that won’t be used in this situation.
The Balance 210 can have a 3rd WAN port activated on it, and has a DC wall wart power supply for 12v, so that seems like the best candidate. It’s SpeedFusion throughput is the same as the 305 if unencrypted.
Let me know if I’ve missed a particular model that doesn’t require AC power, have limited temp requirements, or isn’t $5000+ in cost.
Seems like a good opportunity for a new product - one with WiFi as WAN ports (doesn’t need local AP), a couple of PoE ports to run the HD1/HD2 domes, a couple of LAN ports, and remote SIM management. I know a whole host of boaters that would pay for a nice indoor router like that, one or two outdoor domes, simplified ethernet cabling to the domes, and a couple of indoor APs. It would be a fantastic marine/mobile solution that eliminates costly antenna cabling, antenna challenges, signal loss, etc.
Hi @stevemitchell
I’m listening! Ive taken all your previous comments and they align with my personal experience.
The Balance 301X could be an option. Similar throughput as the MBX (and same physical design) but different WAN setup
-2x Ethernet WAN
-1x Cellular modem
-2x USB WAN
SpeedFusion throughput - No Encryption: 600 Mbps / 256-bit AES: 500
Power input - 12-30V DC
-Operating Temperature -40° to 149°F / -40° to 65°C
@stevemitchellIs there a 3x WAN Peplink product that has DC power and supports SpeedFusion and the other core features in the Balance/MAX line, as well as has decent SpeedFusion performance?
Have you taken a look at the Max HD2 yet? It is capable of 2 WAN + 1 USB WAN inputs, POE output, the throughput for SF falls in between the Balance 210 and 305, and its powered by DC 12-48V.
Unfortunately this only has 2x WAN ports. Unless you can use a single WAN port to the SIM injector and VLAN tags for 2x HD1/HD2 domes, it won’t work. It also has LTE radios which I don’t need if I have HD1/HD2 domes on the roof, so I’m paying for those (probably quite a bit).
Maybe if it had a license option for a 3rd WAN port it would be slightly better. Not sure what the pricing is, but if it is too high up there, that could be a barrier too…
I considered it, and have one in a box somewhere, but the MAX HD2 also has LTE radios I don’t need, which increases the price quite a bit. A MAX HD2 without LTE would be perfect.
The 700 looks pretty good, but it is pretty old. I can’t even find it in the normal navigation on Peplink’s site without searching for it manually, and I see reviews as far back as 2011… It also has about the same performance as a MAX Transit for SpeedFusion. Would love to get past that 100Mbps limit…
So Peplink, any thoughts adding a dome that has dual band/radio WiFi as WAN 2.4 & 5ghz? How would the antennas work if the dome is mounted high up on a mast and connecting to an AP for WiFi as WAN that is low, i.e. on a dock? For cellular, I don’t see it being much of an issue because cell towers are high. I usually mount high up on masts.
It sounds like someone should invent a MIMO over ethernet (POE) adapter that breaks out and recombines (both directions) antenna data for the router LTE radio at the router to process - some kind of balun. It would basically be just the part of an LTE radio that handles input/output of antenna signals, and not everything else the radio does. $50 dollars for the kit, at most. Works with any Cat level. Don’t troll me… I’m just brainstorming.
Or this with the Max Transit on one WAN and injectors to power the Dome/s daisy-chained or on the other two WANs, with either the sim injector or other POE injectors (or a DC-powered POE switch that you connect your Domes to on a separate VLANs - no standalone injectors-it also handles your APs with the LAN ports on separate VLANs). This is how I use a POE switch to connect and power my Mikrotik Metal 52 and my Ubiquiti APs.
The best solution is the MBX without LTE radios at a commensurate price - a very purposeful device. It would do everything that you want AND add USB tethering support.
I had a cradlepoint that was just LTE to POE. I actually had it deployed on the boat first using Peplink router and then switched to all peplink and got rid of the cradlepoint. I liked Peplink’s interface, routing options, etc. But something like you are mentioning would be cool too if a dome cant do it all.
I’d really love to see a dual cellular dome with wifi wan that can do both 2.4 and 5ghz wifi simultaneously that fits on a marine 1x14 mount and is POE (POE that can easily accept 12v DC or use a simple converter). I could probably sell 50 of those devices in my marina alone, if it existed. Peplink, what do you think?
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