Hi All,
a customer is testing the Transit Duo on a train. He is happy about Peplink, but it has heard about SIM bank and he would understand if he can use the TST Duo on a train leveraging on the virtual SIM using the SIM bank remotely. It will work? Any idea on the when this solution will be released to the market?
Thanks
Hi @Riccardo,
This isn’t currently available (I don’t have a release date, but hopefully a colleague will). However, your customer could use the HD2 Mini with the SIM Bank.
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve, this means now is possible only using HD2 Mini? Is the solution already available? Tx
Answer from Dan :
Friends, many thanks for all of your requests about the remote SIM functionality
SIM Bank is currently supported in full only on the European model of SFE (SFE-LTE-E-ET, SFE-DUO-LTE-E-ET). Full - means the SIM bank will support both local and roaming SIMs in the SFE.
Other SKUs for now will support only the local SIMs - meaning your SIM bank located in Denmark will not be able to handshake with an SFE in Norway etc. Both devices have to be in the same country, carrier-independent.
SC and “LatAm, ANZ” SKUs are in development now; if you have a deployment in those parts of the Globe and need a roaming support, please let us know.
We’ll also let you know when we add the roaming support for the US and LTEA SKUs.
Hi @Riccardo,
The HD2 Mini, with remote SIM functionality is currently in the final testing stages, so not available yet to order yet. How many would you be looking at?
Alternatively, as @Venn has suggested, you could use the SpeedFusion Engine rather than the HD2 Mini.
Steve
Can we have more info about this SIM bank?
Hi @SamuelNorris,
We will be showing off the SIM Bank at the EU Summit in May.
However, the SIM bank has 8 SIM slots which can be used to provide remote SIMS to other Pepwave devices (like the SpeedFusion Engine / HD2 Mini, shortly). The SIM bank can be connected to the device via Ethernet cable - providing easy access for changing SIMS. However, the SIMS can also be provided remotely, via SpeedFusion or from a Public IP address.
Imagine a fleet of boats cruising around Europe at the moment, each boat would need to have at least one SIM for each Country it would be visiting (to keep costs down). With the Remote SIM Bank (in a central location), you could have 8 SIMS installed, one per Country perhaps, then as a boat passes between Countries the SIM Bank would provision a different SIM for the device to use, based on Geographical location.
Each SIM in the SIM Bank can be assigned to multiple devices, but each SIM can only be used by one device at a time, Therefore, the fleet of boats in the above example could all have access to all 8 SIMS in the SIM Bank, but only one boat could use the Ukraine SIM at a time.
Hope this helps,
Steve
Hi Steve
This sounds absolutely amazing!
Will it work with most Pepwave Cellular products?
Would it work with the current version of HD2 mini or would it need to be a special new model?
Thanks
Hi @SamuelNorris,
Yeah, this is an amazing product. The current Pepwave cellular products are not compatible (with the exception of the new SpeedFusion Engine and soon to be released HD2 Mini Hardware 2). I believe there is also a new HD2 IP67 which will be compatible, when it becomes available.
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve
Is it planned that as products are updated, this capability will be added e.g. HD4, Transit DUO etc.
Thanks
Hi @SamuelNorris,
It is my understanding that as new hardware releases are introduced they will be compatible, but I don’t have timescales for this. I’ll leave this for the Hardware team to answer 
Thanks,
Steve
This is a long anticipated product that is much needed. Peplink customers in our commercial marine market currently struggle with improper installations from Peplink dealers. The modems have had to be separated from the antenna masts due to inability to access the sims. The average distance is 18 meters though up to 60 meters is common. This has caused all kinds of performance issues. Solutions are cobbled together involving wrongly specified cabling, poor cable assembly and questionably operating Wilson boosters or linear amplification.
I anticipate us changing over every marine system with cabling issues within one maintenance cycle after IP rated and BR1 units become available for US, Europe and Americas models
Any updates on this?
Should be coming soon, the modems in the latest transits we received are from a different brand and more suitable for FusionSim.
But I could be wrong, who knows. This is part of Peplink’s charms
This product sounds like a solution that I could use on many ships I work on. When it becomes available will it also allow integration with multiple VSAT connections?
Tony, please explain exactly what you would like for a ship.
My ideal is;
-Main router in rack (like a Balance 580 or 710) that can accept WAN connections (VSAT) and then a secondary modual (like a small EPX) which is located remotely up the mast connected by a dedicated Ethernet cable.
-SIM cards are inserted in Balance (or SIM Bank) at easily accessibly main rack)
-Modems from remote unit appear in main Balance interface as though the two units are one
-antenna cable runs are kept to a minimum
I need to incorporate two different cell services in two different countries and not incur roaming charges from Country A when in Country B.
When at sea (location C) and not in either country A or B, I need to utilize one VSAT (prefer ability to add a second VSAT ~ 3-5 years out)
Does the inControl software allow on/off configuration via gps input of which modem is active?
I would like to keep this all within the Peplink family of products if this is possible, Is the SIM bank product available as of this date?
Thanks, Tony
