Hi everyone.
We have received many reports of a “slow throughput” issue between previous generations of Peplink devices and the newest Starlink Gen 2 Ethernet adapter. After extensive testing, we have determined that this is not a Peplink device defect or failure. We do not see this behavior demonstrated on these products when used with other vendors’ devices, or other generations of Starlink systems - this appears to be an unfortunate compatibility issue between previous generations of Peplink routers and the Gen 2 Starlink Ethernet adapters.
Even though this is not a product defect or failure, Peplink develops products with a long term focus, and so we are still trying to find ways to avoid this issue for any customers experiencing this compatibility issue.
The Problem
When the two devices are connected, the throughput is significantly lowered (especially on the upload) due to excessive packet loss.
We’ve narrowed it down to a port compatibility issue, and is an effect of the combination of the Ethernet Adapter chipset provided by Starlink and the WAN chipset of certain Peplink models (eg. MAX Transit, Transit Pro E). Changing either device will see this problem disappear.
Technical Details and Affected Models
During our investigation, we have identified that the following models, which carries the AR8033 WAN/LAN ETH chipset, could potentially encounter the same problem:
- Balance One / Balance One Core (All HW)
- Balance 30 LTE (HW3)
- Balance 30 Pro (All HW)
- Balance 210 (HW4 / HW5)
- Balance 310 (HW4)
- MAX700 (HW3 / HW4)
- MAX HD2 (HW5 / HW6)
- MAX Transit / Transit Duo / Transit Core (All HW)
- MAX Transit Pro E (HW1)
Workarounds
With the help of the community, we have come up with two temporary fixes to the issue:
- Connect a switch in between the two devices. It acts as a mediator to bridge the compatibility gap.
- Use a LAN port with the Virtual WAN on VLAN license. If you have a device that supports the license, we can provide the license and a special firmware for free if you open a ticket.
Currently only applicable on the Transit Pro E.
Regardless, we would like to invite affected users to work with us by submitting a support ticket, so we can review your setup via remote assistance and possibly provide a better workaround.
Our team is trying their best to find a feasible solution. We have already ordered a Starlink Dish and ETH Adapter for further testing, and we will update the community whenever we make any breakthroughs. Stay tuned.