Peplink Firmware 8.5 Released – Starlink Optimizations & Minor Updates

Today, cellular-connected router manufacturer Peplink released version 8.5 of the firmware that powers its lineup of connected routers.

The headline feature is a repeat from last year's firmware 8.4 release - "Supercharged Starlink Integration" with a few new Starlink optimization tricks being added.

Most of the other new features getting top billing are targeting enterprise deployments with complex security or deployment needs.

But there are many other features and bug fixes lurking further down in the release notes that are actually interesting to our more prosumer audience as well.

Let's dive in!

Peplink Firmware 8.5 Video

 

Peplink & Starlink Integration Improvements

Peplink's most significant new tweak for Starlink users is the ability to detect when the Starlink Ethernet WAN connection is down specifically due to obstructions. 

This is useful because an obstruction outage (such as when parked under trees) might only be a few seconds long.

Normally when the router detects a connection is down - it will switch traffic away to other connections, and it might take 30+ seconds to fully trust that the down connection has come back up and use it again.

But when obstruction awareness is turned on - the router will be more tolerant of a few dropped packets and will not mark the Starlink connection as down for only a few seconds of obstruction.

This means that the Starlink connection will end up being used more in marginal tree-obstructed areas, keeping it better balanced with cellular when bonding Starlink and cellular together.

The other major new Starlink feature is that a Peplink router paired with a Starlink will now automatically use the Starlink as a GPS receiver.

This means that routers that lack their own internal GPS capability (like the Peplink B One Series) will now be able to take advantage of  Peplink location tracking features, thanks to Starlink.

“Adaptive” Forward Error Correction

Another new feature to help with marginal connections is a new adaptive forward error correction setting for SpeedFusion bonded connections.

In the past - Peplink routers have allowed you to mark connections being used for SpeedFusion to use either none, 13.3% (Low), or 26.7% (High) extra data overhead to add some extra redundancy to the connection to better handle packet loss.

This can help a lot in marginal areas where there are dropped packets due to a weak signal or network connection.

The downside - this extra overhead was still there, even if you had a perfect connection.

The new "Adaptive" algorithm adjusts the amount of overhead on the fly - giving you the benefits of forward error correction without nearly as much full-time impact.

This makes it a feature much more worthy to leave on all the time by default, just in case.

Peplink 8.5 Firmware - Additional Features

Despite the lack of many signature features that will excite most of our audience, there are still a lot of tweaks and improvements lurking in the 8.5 release worth mentioning.

Here are some of the other improvements on our radar:

• Least Used Over Uplink Outbound Policy - One other new features that debuted last year in 8.4 was a new variant of the "Least Used" outbound policy that routes traffic over the connection with the most available uplink capacity, rather than the prior behavior of exclusively focusing on downlink capacity. This capability in 8.4 only supported Ethernet connections, now in 8.5 it works over cellular connections as well - and can be used to better optimize across multiple cellular modems.
• Improved Firewall Rules By Device Type - You can now define Firewall rules using device type, so you can (for example) set up a rule that applies only to smartphones, tablets, or game consoles connected to your network.
• Better Access Point Support for Roaming & Power Management - In firmware 8.5 Peplink adds support for the 802.11v standard for "Assisted Roaming" which will allow the router to automatically move devices between access points as they move around. This is not generally an issue for most RV or boat installations that at most have a single access point, but larger yachts with an AP on each deck or an RV's with access points at either end could see some benefit. The router can now also automatically configure AP output power too, and mesh connections should be more reliable. TIP: You must also upgrade all Peplink Access Points to the new firmware release 3.9.4 to enable these new capabilities.
• Improved eSIM Capability (Including Over Synergy) - Peplink has further improved eSIM features in 8.5, including now supporting eSIM on routers that are being controlled via Synergy Mode.
• B One Bluetooth Capability - The B One router has hidden Bluetooth hardware that firmware 8.5 enables to allow the Peplink App to configure the router without needing to jump through Wi-Fi hoops. Firmware 8.5 also allows this Bluetooth radio to be completely disabled too.
• Bonding Remains After PrimeCare Expires - With firmware 8.5 installed, the MAX Transit Duo Pro routers will now retain a license to use SpeedFusion bonding, even after PrimeCare expires. This only matters if you are hosting your own SpeedFusion server - PrimeCare has never been required for SpeedFusion Connect bonding service purchased directly from Peplink.

Concluding Thoughts

There are lots of other small changes, tweaks, UI improvements, geek-level features, and bug fixes lurking in 8.5 - and it has proven to be solid in our testing so far.

We consider firmware 8.5 a nice solid release, establishing a solid foundation for Peplink to build on.

You can read the full geeky release notes and download the firmware files on Peplink's firmware portal when ready to upgrade.

MIA Exclusive Discounts & MMH Perks

Our MIA members (the awesome folks who provide the primary funding so we can create our advertising-free, in-depth content) enjoy exclusive discounts from trusted vendors like MobileMustHave, TechnoRV, and Onboard Wireless.  

When shopping for high-end Peplink routers - this discount can add up, often exceeding the membership cost!

Our MIAs can visit our member-exclusive discounts page to get their discount codes of up to 10% off.

Our discounts are designed to pass along any affiliate kickback these vendors offer to our members. If you prefer to not become a member, you can still support our mission here at MIRC by using the affiliate links for these vendors that are in our Peplink Gear Center entries in the purchasing area. 

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