In today’s hyper-connected environment, a reliable and high-speed internet connection is essential for homes, remote offices, and expanding businesses. Many now expect enterprise-level features and scalability from their routers.
The Peplink Balance 20x aims to meet these demands. After using the Balance 20x CAT-7 (LTE category 7) as my primary home office gigabit router for the last few months, this review shares my experience with its performance and capabilities, especially after the recent firmware update.
Meet the Balance 20x Gigabit Router
The Balance 20x offers multi-WAN functionality, meaning it can manage multiple internet service providers (ISPs) simultaneously. With its integrated CAT-7 cellular modem, it allows internet connectivity through cellular networks. This is extremely useful in locations where conventional wired internet options are limited or unreliable.
The Balance 20x setup was straightforward, taking only a few minutes. Its intuitive user interface makes it suitable for both tech-savvy and less experienced users. Furthermore, the Balance 20x’s “Future-proof FlexModule Slot” ensures long-term value.
Balance 20x Network Performance Features
The Peplink Balance 20x includes several features to optimize network performance. The most notable ones are:
- SpeedFusion Bonding: Peplink’s SpeedFusion technology creates enterprise VPNs that aggregate bandwidth from multiple cable, DSL, 3G/4G/LTE, and other WAN links. It facilitates real-time data transfers like video, VoIP, and POS data while reducing costs. SpeedFusion combines all data into a single bonded data pipe, providing high-speed and reliable connectivity for diverse networking environments.
- Link Aggregation: The Balance 20x supports link aggregation, which allows administrators to combine multiple Ethernet ports to increase network speed and ensure redundancy in case of port failure.
- Quality of Service (QoS): The Balance 20x supports QoS, which prioritizes network traffic based on defined rules, ensuring that critical applications receive adequate bandwidth.
- Future-proof FlexModule Slot: The Balance 20x features a FlexModule slot for adding optional modules, such as additional Ethernet or cellular connections, to enhance the router’s capabilities and reliability.
- WAN Health Check: The Balance 20x continuously monitors the status of all WAN connections and automatically switches to a healthy connection in case of failure, ensuring uninterrupted internet connectivity.
- Drop-in Mode: This allows the Peplink Balance 20x to be deployed in a network without altering the configuration of existing network devices, streamlining installation and ensuring seamless operation with current routers and firewalls.
The Balance 20x is a high-performance router with many features to ensure a fast and reliable network. Let’s examine its load-balancing methods and algorithms, a core reason why it’s an ideal router for businesses and professionals requiring fast and reliable internet.
Balance 20x Load-Balancing Methods & Algorithms
Peplink’s load-balancing algorithms offer a straightforward method to optimize traffic distribution across connections. The product’s name, “Balance,” accurately reflects its capabilities when setting up load-balancing features.
This router can handle unique network configurations using its enterprise-grade software to meet specific requirements. The available algorithms enable easy customization of rules for superior internet connectivity and stability. Here are the load-balancing methods and algorithms.
Security Features of the Balance 20x
The Peplink Balance 20x router includes comprehensive security features to protect network traffic. The built-in security features include:
- Stateful Firewall: The Balance 20x features a stateful firewall that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined rules. It can block traffic based on port, protocol, IP address, etc.
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention: The Balance 20x can detect and prevent various network attacks, such as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, by analyzing network traffic and blocking any suspicious activity.
- Content Filtering: The Balance 20x can block access to specific websites or categories of websites based on their content, preventing users from accessing malicious or inappropriate content.
- VPN Support: The Balance 20x supports various client and server VPN protocols, such as PPTP, L2TP, and OpenVPN (client plugin available). This allows users to establish secure connections between remote locations and ensures encrypted data transmission.
- VLAN Support: The Balance 20x supports Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), allowing network administrators to segment the network and restrict access to specific resources based on user or group membership.
My Peplink Balance 20x Home Lab Setup
My main concern was integrating this router into my home lab rack in an aesthetically pleasing way. Since the router does not inherently support rack mounting, I had to find a workaround.
To rack mount the Balance 20x, I removed the rubber feet/pads from one side of the router and carefully fit it into a universal rackmount kit from a previous router. The fit is snug, which eliminates the need to drill holes for screws.
The Balance 20x comes with five external antennas: two for Wi-Fi, two for cellular, and one for GPS. Both the cellular reception and the Wi-Fi transmit power are impressive! There are ‘High’, ‘Max’, and ‘Boost’ settings for Wi-Fi. Enabling ‘Boost’ will warn that “Output power may exceed local regulatory limits.” I have not tested the GPS antenna.
The Wi-Fi transmit power is so potent that I have mine set to ‘Medium’, and the range is still better than my previous access points. I am currently using only the 2.4 GHz frequency and have disabled the 5 GHz radio because 2.4 GHz has superior penetration through thick concrete walls.
Load Balancing Algorithm Configuration
The Balance 20x offers multiple load balancing methods. Below are steps on how to configure each one.
Fastest Response Time Method
The Fastest Response Time load balancing method duplicates and sends web traffic via all selected healthy WAN connections. The connection with the earliest response will be used to send all further traffic for that session. Any slower responses from other connections are discarded. This algorithm selects the most responsive connection per session.
Step 1: Log into the Peplink Balance 20x web interface.
Step 2: Navigate to Network > Outbound Policy.
Step 3: Click Add Rule.
Step 4: Configure the rule:
- Name: Enter a descriptive name for the rule (e.g., “Fastest Response Time”).
- Source: Define the source of the traffic to be affected (e.g.,
Any). - Destination: Define the destination of the traffic (e.g.,
Any). - Algorithm: Select
Fastest Response Time. - Interface: Select the WAN connections you want to include in the load balancing.
Step 5: Save the rule.
Lowest Latency Method
This method directs traffic to the WAN connection with the lowest latency, which can be useful when the Fastest Response Time method might exceed data limits due to its traffic duplication.
Step 1: Log into the Peplink Balance 20x web interface.
Step 2: Navigate to Network > Outbound Policy.
Step 3: Click Add Rule.
Step 4: Configure the rule:
- Name: Enter a descriptive name for the rule (e.g., “Lowest Latency”).
- Source: Define the source of the traffic to be affected (e.g.,
Any). - Destination: Define the destination of the traffic (e.g.,
Any). - Algorithm: Select
Lowest Latency. - Interface: Select the WAN connections you want to include in the load balancing.
Step 5: Save the rule.
Other Load Balancing Methods
The Peplink Balance 20x offers a range of additional load-balancing methods, each suitable for different scenarios.
- Weighted Balance: Distributes traffic across multiple WAN connections based on user-defined weights.
- Persistence: Routes session traffic to the same WAN connection for the entire session.
- Least Used: Distributes traffic to the WAN connection with the least traffic.
- Priority: Routes traffic through the WAN connection with the highest priority level.
- Overflow: Directs traffic to an alternative WAN connection only if the primary connection is fully utilized.
- Enforced: Routes all traffic through the specified WAN connection unless it goes down.
- Custom Rules: Allows users to define specific load-balancing rules based on their network setup.
To configure these methods, follow steps 1-3 from the “Fastest Response Time Method” section, and then select the desired algorithm and configure its specific parameters in step 4.
Features I Would Like To See Added By Peplink
So far, this router has been performing well. However, there’s always room for improvement.
Here are a few features that - for my use case - would make this router, or the next updated model, even better!
- Wireguard support - WireGuard is faster, simpler, and more secure than OpenVPN. It uses modern cryptography and has a streamlined codebase, resulting in faster connection times and lower latency. WireGuard is also easier to use and has native support on mobile platforms, making it a better choice.
- VPN client auto-failover - The Balance 20x VPN client addon is highly reliable because it continuously attempts to re-establish the connection if the VPN provider service drops. However, for users with multiple VPN services from different providers and locations, adding multiple connection profiles isn’t enough. It would be helpful to set connection priorities so that if the first VPN provider goes offline, the router can connect to the second provider until the first is back online, and so on. Currently, the router only keeps trying to reconnect to the main profile, even if multiple profiles are already added.
- eSim support - eSIMs are fast becoming the future of SIM card technology due to their convenience, ability to support multiple profiles, improved security, and additional functionalities. Currently, to replace the SIM card in the Balance 20x, it is necessary to remove it from the rack to access the bottom compartment where the SIM card is located. eSIMs offer a more convenient, flexible, and secure way to manage connections.
- Rackmount kit - Currently, a universal rackmount kit is being used.
Before the Balance 20x
Previously, an Edgerouter 10x was used. This is mentioned not as a direct comparison but to provide context regarding the upgrade decision.
The Edgerouter 10x performed adequately. However, over time, a few issues became apparent, including limited load balancing options and clumsy automatic failover of dual-WAN connections.
For example, auto-failover often took a minute or two to switch to the secondary ISP, causing temporary internet loss. Intermittent connections with the primary ISP resulted in failover cycles that disrupted connectivity. High latency issues on the primary ISP didn’t trigger an automatic switch to the secondary ISP.
These issues necessitated a router upgrade with better load-balancing features and capabilities. The Balance 20x was frequently recommended, leading to its adoption.
The Peplink Balance 20x Gigabit Router is a dependable and high-performing router that is well-suited for both home and small business environments and features multi-WAN capabilities and a built-in CAT-7 cellular modem making it well-suited for areas where reliable wired internet connections are not available.