**[Webinar] See What’s New in Firmware 8.3.0 (EMEA & APAC)**
Firmware 8.3.0 is coming, with both new and improved features! With updates to improve the performance of your bonded connections and offer you more WANs virtually, there’s a lot of interesting information to not miss out on.
We’re excited to have Joey Janssen, Technical Sales Engineer of Frontier BV, dive deeper into this firmware update and share how all these features will help supercharge your Peplink setup and connectivity.
Catch our upcoming webinar on March 9th, 2023 at 10 am (CET) to explore together with Joey what’s included in the new 8.3.0 firmware.
EMEA / APAC region
Webinar & Live Discussion
Thursday, 9 March 2023
10 AM Central European Time / 5 PM Singapore Time (UTC+8)
#See What’s New in Firmware 8.3.0 (EMEA & APAC) Q&A
###Upgrading to Firmware 8.3.0
Q. How much downtime will there be when updating to Firmware 8.3.0?
Downtime will depend on the device, but on average, this ranges from 3-8 minutes.
Q. What Firmware 8.3.0 features are applicable to the SOHO Series?
As devices in the SOHO Series have different specifications, applicable features vary depending on the device. For instance, the Surf SOHO cannot enable Synergy Mode or Dynamic Weighted Bonding. However, you may be able to use Synergy Mode, Dynamic Weighted Bonding, or InTouch for devices such as the Balance 20X and Balance Two, as long as you meet their respective requirements.
Q. Can the SOHO Series be upgraded to Firmware 8.3.0? Do you recommend upgrading?
Yes, as long as your device is running Hardware 2. You can also look into upgrading your device to the Balance 20X.
Q. What are the major differences between Firmware 8.2.1 and this new firmware?
Improved Dynamic Weighted Bonding
Improved Starlink use within bonding tunnel
InTouch
Synergy Mode
Virtual WAN
MAX Adapter connected to USB WAN, is used as an LTE WAN
Band selection for 5G modem
Carrier selection for 5G modem
You can also visit this page to learn more about Firmware 8.3.0.
Q. How many WAN connections can use TCP Ramp Up at the same time within PepVPN?
All available WAN connections on a device can use TCP Ramp Up. The only limitation is the number of WAN connections on the device model.
Q. In regards to the new option to turn off GPS and GPS forwarding services, in what scenarios would users want them off?
Especially when the connectivity option is expensive and GPS is not needed, turning off GPS services can help reduce any extra traffic going over the network.
Q. What is InTouch?
InTouch gives users the ability to connect to the interfaces of devices within the LAN network of a Peplink device. These LAN devices do not need to be Peplink devices. It also works with RDP, and some web based protocols.
Simply said, if you are using a Peplink device and need to connect remotely to a LAN device without using a VPN or need to manage multiple platforms, this is a simple and great method.
Synergy Mode essentially combines the number of WANs from multiple Peplink devices into a single Peplink device virtually. It enables the individual WAN links available on connected Peplink devices, meaning you can better route traffic.
For example, if 2 HD2 Domes are connected to WAN1 and WAN2 on a Balance 380X, Synergy Mode enables 4 LTE uplinks for the Balance 380X.
Q. Can you connect the Synergy Controller and the Synergized Device through a Peplink Switch?
Yes, you can use a Peplink SD Switch to connect the Synergy Controller and the Synergized Device.
Q. Do you need PrimeCare and EssentialCare for Synergy Mode?
An active Care Plan is required for the Synergy Controller, which will be validated by the system prior to activating Synergy Mode. Synergy Mode will be enabled for a single Synergized Device without a Care Plan. However, additional Synergized Devices will require a Care Plan.
Q. Is this Synergy Mode architecture possible: Balance 20X (Synergy Controller) - Peplink SD Switch - MAX HD2 IP67 (Synergized Device)?
Q. Does Dynamic Weighted Bonding, in essence, moves the sliders automatically based on latency and link congestion?
Yes, this is correct. You can find detailed explanations hereand here.
Q. If I’m using Starlink and 2 4G SIMs, would you recommend Dynamic Weighted Bonding or regular Bandwidth Bonding?
We recommend enabling Dynamic Weighted Bonding. While Starlink has a latency that is comparable to LTE networks, packet drops are unavoidable when switching between LEO satellites. The great difference in latency may result in poorer performance from Bandwidth Bonding, while Dynamic Weighted Bonding is able to recognize this.
###Others
Q. Can SpeedFusion Connect support Facebook/YouTube/RTMP streaming?
Yes, this is supported. However, audio-video streaming using multicast is advisable to use Layer2 PepVPN.
Q. What Peplink device is a direct replacement for the Balance 210?
You can purchase either the Balance 305 or the Balance Two with a Bonding License. To learn more about our legacy products, you can visit this page.
Q. Can you explain what 2x2 is within the 5G network?
2x2 refers to 2 antennas used to establish up to 2 streams of data with the receiving device.
For Sierra Wireless modules, this option is officially supported so we have this feature on our “-GLTE-S” or “-5GH” models. For Gemalto modules, the 2-antenna-mode isn’t officially supported, so it can’t be enabled in our firmware at the moment.
Q. Is it dangerous to operate a device (e.g. Transit Pro Duo) on WAN and Wi-Fi only whilst not physically having connected the cellular antennas?
It won’t cause any damage or harm, but you will not be able to use the cellular modems that come with the device if none of the antennas are connected.
