Martin,
THANK you.
Sure you can turn off DHCP…
I don’t think it’s this simple without some sort of passthrough built in, if you want the Speedfusion vpn tunnel to function. I’m looking for more how to advice. There may be as double nat issue. I think this may have something to do with drop-in mode that some other Balance models provide.
Has anyone done this with the Max Transit?
Martin?
If this router is just about LAN management and not about the WAN at all (so you’re not wanting this router to worry about NAT/ Firewall stuff between LAN and WAN) then there is nothing to stop you from putting the Transit on the same LAN segment as this router and the LAN clients and simply using it as a default gateway.
So your router (eg 192.168.1.1) would manage DHCP / DNS, and you’d set the clients default gateway to the Transit (which might have a LAN of 192.168.1.2 for example).
That work? Else yes drop in mode is what you’d need to look at, but I’d need a network diagram to help you work out how and where to drop it in.
Thanks Martin. I can hardly type due to yesterday’s shoulder surgery so a network diagram is a push for a few months. Here is my use-case.
In my Rv: I’ll only use my Peplink MTD. It’s all configured with Speedfusion and outbound policies. Working great, having studied your video on setting up Solo FH on Vultr. I’ll be plugging a Wifiranger Elite external router/antenna into the free Peplink WAN port for an additional Wifi source and testing soon.
I also use the Peplink at home for all internet needs for WAN and AP services. I want the Peplink (that unfortunately doesn’t support drop-in mode) to do ALL of the WAN management, including with Speedfusion. But, I have a high-end Netgear Nighthawk 9000 router that I want to be the home AP. I was hoping to place this downstream from the Peplink and let the Peplink continue to get the public IP, not provide AP services, and just passthrough on it’s LAN port to the Netgear.
Peplink tells me that I can’t do this for some reason.
You suggested that I might be able to plug the Peplink in on the same LAN subnet but I’m wondering how it will continue to function as the router that provides the public IP and sustain the VPN to the SF server at Vultr.
It’d be wonderful if it is this easy. When I move it from RV to house, I would simply turn it’s DHCP server off, but I would have to change every home client to use the Peplink IP to use it as the gateway.
This is why I am hoping the Peplink can be UPstream from the Netgear AP.
If only the Peplink would act as a WAN gateway with passthrough.
Thanks again for your expertise.
Joel
I feel like you have said a few times you want to use Wifiranger. But why? The Peplink can do cellular and Wifi as WAN. A better approach might be to have a local AP to handle the local WiFi. Unless the issue is the Peplink WiFi radio is not as powerful as the Wifiranger? In which case, I’d simply use the Peplink for everything and plug the WiFi ranger (or get a Mikrotik) into the Wan port and just let that feed a WiFi as WAN via ethernet? Why are you introducing a Nighthawk as an AP? I dont understand that.
Wifiranger is a WAN source and that is my plan exactly; the radio and antenna are integrated and allow me to find public wifi at great ranges. I also have other hotspots that I’ll use Wifi as WAN.
On the AP/LAN side, my Netgear router is a much more capable router for home use. Plex host, USB storage, advanced QoS, range, etc, and can secure my home network and not need reconfigured once setup; a more static environ. I may end up with other solutions for these things and attach my commercial managed POE switch to the Peplink’s only LAN port. May use my other routers as APs or buy Ubiquiti APs for range and out-buildings. I’m looking for plug and play between RV and home… all but the MIMO antennas used. It’s about connectivity, options, and flexibility.
OK, so to clarify. You have a single MAX Transit Duo. It will pull dual duty, either in the RV with a wifi ranger on its WAN or at home where you already have a Nighthawk acting as your home router (what internet access does it have when the MTD isn’t there?) and you want to add your MTD to the Nighthawk in some way or another when you are not travelling.
That right?
Which model nighthawk is it? Can you send me the model number? I assume it has an available WAN connection?
Yes Martin. No internet access at home since I can see both Verizon and ATT towers from my back deck. Totally cellular, embedded sims on Peplink, full time, except Wifiranger as WAN when traveling (w/Mobilemark 5in1 MIMO for cell transmission). I also have other hotspots with fast, unlimited data that I’ll use Wifi as WAN as needed traveling and home. i currently won’t access a home network remotely although I have before and may in the future. I have a NAS and separate Plex server at home that I may want to remotely access in the future - I’ll have to get a public IP at home at that point as well or may just leave my Verizon Jetpack 8800L at home for remote access…
Router is Netgear Nighthawk AD7200 R9000.
Thank you!
I just dont understand why this is so complicated. You have cellular, WiFi as wan, and WAN ethernet port on the Peplink. Use the peplink as the brains. Plug the Wifiranger into the ethernet port on the Peplink. Or the nighthawk. I have a similar setup on a boat.
Ok so set the nighthawk to AP mode plug it into the LAN of the transit and you’re done.
Transit does the routing job, nighthawk does the LAN wifi and other services job.
OK. I’ll give it a try. Peplink said it couldn’t be done if I want Speedfusion to work, unless I had dropin mode.
They weren’t suggesting this approach.
With this approach, I don’t see a benefit since I lose port forwarding for my major CCTV system (and other things) and can’t use the Netgear DHCP. I may as well just use the Peplink and add appliances (VOIP, QoS, firewall, etc.) to my managed switch, program the ports there, and just wire as many Ubiquiti APs that I need for indoor range and out buildings. I had hoped to just drop the Peplink into an otherwise static network architecture and have it simply provide my WAN IP and manage a WAN pool. This is what I’ve ssid I want and Peplink said I needed a bigger Balance series router for… not an optimal mobile router. They simply have to provide passthrough or dropin mode on the MTD. Oh well… you can’t have it all. 
If your netgear had a fully configurable DHCP server, one where you can set a default gateway that is not the IP of the nighthawk but instead the LAN IP of the Transit then you could keep everything the same and the transit would just be a WAN path. It doesn’t from my glance at its user manual - so you left with three options (using a Transit):
Port forwarding over cellular isn’t likely going to work anyway - unless you have paid extra for fixed routable IPs. Why is Netgear DHCP so important - I don’t see its value add.
If the Transit is WAN side of the netgear you can have 1:1 NAT setup so port forwarding will work fine (assuming you have cellular connectivity that is inbound routable).
Thanks Martin. I will setup the Transit as the main router and use my managed switch to control (to the extent possible) downstream APs, subnets, vlans, and appliances. My other router/s will be setup as APs. I currently have 28 wireless clients, three switches, and 11 wired clients (four purpose-built servers with link aggregation). I have extensive backup and other Synology NAS services, home automation and Geovision CCTV but most of this happens inside the LAN so port forwarding shouldn’t present too big an issue. It will be fun to see what the Transit will do. i’ll be interested to learn if the Transit manages dynamic DNS well and transparently. If I need to provision a public broadband IP at home for the Transit WAN port, I can do so.