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Education & Action Explained

This article is divided into two main sections, Education & Action. The Action Section refers to content with step-by-step how-to articles on this topic. The Education section links to related content and deeper dive information from our friends at the Mobile Internet Resource Center. Enjoy and your feedback is always welcome!


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Products Covered


  • All Peplink Devices with Speedfusion Licensing Enabled


Speedfusion applies primarily to customers with dual modem devices, or those combining another internet source such as Starlink. Enabling Speedfusion on a single WAN connection will not provide any benefits other than VPN-like security to the connection and may slow down connections as additional hops are being added to the connection.


Article Summary

Pepwave routers have the ability to combine multiple WAN connections into a single connection using a technology called SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN). Peplink has branded their particular SD-WAN solution as SpeedFusion and has branded the Peplink Cloud Hosted version "SpeedFusion Connect Protect." The branding has changed several times so you may see it referred to as SpeedFusion Connect, SpeedFusion Cloud, or Speedfusion Connect Protect. These all refer to the same cloud-hosted technology offered by Peplink. In this article, we will discuss how to set up SpeedFusion Connect Protect and will discuss its basic functionality. 


Before Getting Started

Disclaimer

SpeedFusion Connect is a powerful technology that when used properly can prevent internet connection problems. That said, SD-WAN bonding and SpeedFusion Connect have their limitations and are not suitable for all installations. 

SpeedFusion is considered an advanced feature and is not covered by our complimentary support provided with a router purchase. Using SpeedFusion Connect requires a basic working knowledge of networking so be prepared to spend time learning the technology, its benefits, and its limitations. 


The information in this article is provided "as-is" to help our customers. If you require additional assistance we recommend joining our Mobile Internet Insider Explore Membership which provides customer access to our MMH Support Forums on the Mobile Internet Resource Center (rvmobileinternet.com) where topics like SpeedFusion Connect are discussed and where questions are answered beyond what information is offered here as part of complimentary support.


Education

SpeedFusion Connect or any SD-WAN technology utilizes multiple WAN connections inside a form of a VPN tunnel to provide connectivity, usually out to the internet for most non-commercial use cases. While Peplink devices have the ability to combine WAN sources such as Campground WiFi and Cellular connections into a single connection, the technology is generally best used with two cellular connections or a single cellular connection in conjunction with high-speed satellite internet such as Starlink. 


Dual-Modem should not be confused with multiple sim card slots. Many modems such as the Max Br1 MK2 and Max BR1 Pro 5G are single modem devices that have multiple sim slots but only one SIM can be used at a time. 


Many streaming services such as Netflix may not work over SD-WAN connections including SpeedFusion. 

This is because the license agreements they have with content providers do not allow the streaming of content outside of the location they were intended for and VPN technology masks your true location. This article will guide you through establishing multiple WiFi networks for SpeedFusion and Non-SpeedFusion traffic. Streaming services should not be set up to use the SpeedFusion connection in most cases. 



Member Content Available

Our complete guide on this subject is available to our members at: 

SpeedFusion Connect Protect Guide

 Some content is provided free of charge, members have full access as well as access to our pre recorded webinars on this topic. Learn More About Memberships...


Speed & Reliability Expectations

Before getting started with Speedfusion it is essential to understand how the technology works so that your expectations are appropriately set. Do not skip over this section as it will save you time in the long run! 


In order for SpeedFusion to function properly, it must balance internet traffic across the multiple internet connections available to the Peplink router. Most customers think that if they have, for example, an AT&T SIM in Modem A that is getting 10Mbps of download speed and a Verizon SIM in Modem B getting 5Mbps of download that with SpeedFusion Connect they will get 15Mbps of combined download speed. This is generally not the case, we will explain why below. 


In order for the SpeedFusion Tunnel to operate and provide redundancy from any single connection, the modem attempts to balance the amount of information going over each connection and not favor any single connection too heavily which would impact the redundancy of the tunnel.  The modem must also use approximately 10-20% of the available bandwidth for overhead to maintain the SpeedFusion tunnel. It is also important to note that a connection with a ping rate of 500ms or higher (unhealthy) will be disregarded from the SpeedFusion tunnel in most situations as the connection is too unstable to use in the tunnel.


In the example above it is much more common that a user will experience 7-11mbps of download speed when utilizing a speed test application such as speedtest.net because of these factors. 


So why use SpeedFusion if it's not faster? Well, faster isn't really the primary benefit of SpeedFusion, the benefit is to provide a more stable and reliable connection that can self-heal when environmental conditions change. Reliability is typically more important than speed when it comes to the internet and absolutely more important for mobile workers who utilize VOIP, Video Calling, or other two-way communication technology that require a stable internet connection. 


With that said, if two cellular connections are both evenly performing, with 10Mbps of download speed each, then customers can regularly see the combined connection be closer to 15-18Mbps of download speed on the combined SpeedFusion connection.  


Additional Content & Links from Mobile Internet Resource Center


Action

Watch the Setup Video

We have filmed an instructional video on how to set up Speedfusion Connect Protect. We recommend watching the video and reading the article.


Setting Up SpeedFusion Connect Protect

Now that we have the education section behind us let's begin with how to set up SpeedFusion Connect. 


If you skipped the information above, we highly recommend you go back and read it to save yourself time and to prevent future questions not  covered by complimentary support.


Step 1: Updating Firmware & Backup Your Device Configuration

Before you get started make sure to backup your device configuration and update your firmware to the latest version. Backing up your device and updating your firmware takes about 10-15 minutes. Detailed help articles on how to do this are located below. 

Step 2: Baseline Your Mobile Router

Begin by first ensuring your Pepwave is baselined properly. While not required we highly recommend following our initial setup guide as well as our guide on WiFi network setup best practices. Links below.

Step 3: Enable SpeedFusion Connect Protect

Now that you have backed up your device and verified it is on the latest firmware, it is time to enable Speedfusion Connect. Begin by accessing your mobile router's administration console and selecting the SpeedFusion Connect Protect Tab. If you do not see a Speedfusion Connect Protect tab your device firmware is out of date or your device does not support SpeedFusion Cloud or you may need to contact us for warranty support. See the screenshot below. 


Now we will enable SpeedFusion Connect and tell our mobile router to enable a connection to the SpeedFusion Connect Server that is closest to our location for optimal performance. 


Enable SpeedFusion Connect and enable automatic server detection. See the screenshot below for the firmware version you are currently running. 


firmware 8.1xx and below example



On the next menu screen, select Automatic from the cloud server location screen. Then hit the green checkbox to save the configuration. See the screenshot below. 



Last, click Apply Changes in the upper right corner to save again. See the screenshot below. 


Step 4: Attach SpeedFusion Connect to New WiFi Network

As discussed earlier in this article, it is not recommended to use SpeedFusion for all internet traffic. Utilizing bandwidth through SpeedFusion Connect also has an associated cost (typically $40 per TB of data) so only using SpeedFusion Connect when necessary can save money.  As such, we will now define a new wireless network name or "SSID" specifically for SpeedFusion traffic. Any device connected to this new WiFi network will utilize SpeedFusion Connect. 


Under the SpeedFusion Connect Protect tab, navigate to Link Wi-Fi to Cloud button. See the screenshot below. 




Select your WiFi network in the "Reference SSID" dropdown. The router will copy all settings from this existing WiFi network. As mentioned above it is recommended that you follow our WIFI Best Practices Guide before enabling SpeedFusion Connect. For maximum compatibility and speed, we recommend selecting your 2ghz WiFi network. If WIFI range is not a concern and you prefer the fastest possible speed, select your 5Ghz network. If you are not sure what this means, you can simply select the name of the Peplink WiFi network you use regularly. In our example, we are selecting "Smith Family" as the reference WiFi. 


Under "SSID For Cloud," overwrite the default language and include a name for your SpeedFusion Connect Network. In the example below we have entered "Smith Family (SpeedFusion)" so that we know easily which network has SpeedFusion enabled. Once entered hit the "SAVE" Button. See the screenshot below. 



Now select "Apply Changes". See the screenshot below.

 

Your SpeedFusion Tunnel and WiFi network are now setup. 


Step 5: Enable WAN Sources for SpeedFusion Connect to Utilize

SpeedFusion Connect will utilize the WAN connections that are in Priority 1 on your Pepwave. Many customers neglect to move their WAN connections into priority 1 and experience issues because connections not in Priority 1 will NOT be used in your SpeedFusion Cloud tunnel. Navigate to the Dashboard of your Pepwave device and drag the connections you wish to Utilize into Priority 1. See the screenshot below. 

 

All connections you wish to use will be listed in priority 1 as shown in the screenshot below. 


Step 6: Connect Devices to New SpeedFusion WiFi SSID

In order to utilize Speedfusion Connect simply connect any device that you wish to utilize the connection to the SpeedFusion Connect created above in Step 4. In our example, the WIFI appears as Smith Family (SpeedFusion) because that is what we called our network in Step 4. The password to connect to the WIFI is the same as the WiFi password you copied/referenced in Step 4 (typically your original Peplink WiFi password prior to following this guide).  The example below is shown on MAC OS.


Need More Help? Consider Joining Our Membership & Support our Community


MMH Explore members can join the conversation and gain access to our support forums located within the Mobile Internet Resource Center. Senior members of MobileMustHave's Technical Staff moderate the MobileMustHave.com Support Forum and tackle more advanced configurations, troubleshooting, and general advice.  


In addition, MobileMustHave hosts monthly live webinars on advanced topics. These sessions cover everything from the basics to the more nuanced areas of configurations on Peplink devices.  Past Webinars have included deep dives into; SpeedFusion Connect Protect (Cloud), Outbound Policies, VLANs, and much more.  


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