Peplink Firmware 8.5.3 Beta 2 — Full Release Summary and Bug Fix Highlights

Peplink has officially released Firmware 8.5.3 Beta 2 (August 13, 2025), bringing a wealth of feature enhancements, stability improvements, and critical bug fixes across its extensive lineup of Balance, MAX, UBR, B One, MediaFast, SDX, EPX, PDX, and FusionHub devices.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Devices supported in this release
• Major improvements and new features
• Detailed bug fixes (the biggest focus of Beta 2)
• Known issues still pending resolution

Supported Devices

This beta firmware covers a vast range of Peplink hardware, including:

• Balance Series: From Balance 20X to 5000 EC
• MAX Series: Including BR1 Mini/Core/5G, BR1 Pro, BR2 Pro, HD2/HD4, MBX series, Transit series, and more
• UBR, B One, MediaFast, SDX, EPX, and PDX
• FusionHub and SpeedFusion products

Major Improvements in Beta 2

Peplink continues to expand capabilities in several areas:

1. Docker Enhancements – Added /dev/net/tun support for tunneling inside containers.
2. RADIUS Authentication – Now supports a secondary RADIUS server for Web Admin fallback.
3. LAN PVID Control – PVID support added to LAN Port Settings for better VLAN management.
4. GPS Priority Settings – Configure GPS source priority and view the active source on the dashboard.
5. Cellular Control – IPv4-only PDP enforcement for private SIM profiles, LTE-SB firmware upgrades via Web UI, extended SMS length limits, and better Cell ID handling for 5G networks.
6. eSIM Experience – Improved prompts when confirmation codes are missing.
7. Security & Networking – Support for DH Group 16 in IPsec, new DPI protocols, multiple NTP servers, and SNMP enhancements.

Key Bug Fixes in Beta 2

The main strength of this release lies in its comprehensive issue resolution. Below are the major fixes:

Wi-Fi WAN Stability

• 2.4GHz Wi-Fi WAN Crash — Fixed a stability problem where enabling 2.4GHz Wi-Fi WAN caused disconnects.
• Reconnect Failure — Resolved an issue where Wi-Fi WAN could not reconnect after repeated disable/enable cycles.

LAN & DNS Reliability

• DNS Proxy Resolution — Fixed a bug where the DNS Proxy failed if one of several configured DNS resolvers was unreachable.
• DHCP Issues — Corrected a bug where LAN clients failed to obtain IPs in certain configurations.

Switch Controller Enhancements

• Untagged LAN Selection — Switch Controller now supports selecting “Untagged LAN” in VLAN Trunk custom settings.

Outbound Policy

• Least Used Policy Error — Fixed misrouting when selected WANs exceeded bandwidth limits.

WAN Connectivity

• GRE WAN — Fixed GRE WAN not working in Beta 1.
• Management IP Access — Restored access on DHCP WAN after it broke in Beta 1.

Cellular & SIM Management

• 5GD Connectivity — Fixed cases where 5GD cellular devices couldn’t connect.
• eSIM Removal — Resolved inability to remove active eSIM profiles on certain 5GD/5GN devices.
• Incorrect APN Use — Corrected APN selection for some global roaming SIMs.
• Carrier Selection Retry — Ensured retries for highest-priority PLMN settings.

FusionSIM

• Connection Failures — Fixed connection issues when Auto LAN Discovery was disabled.
• Uptime Overflow Bug — Resolved FusionSIM failures caused by uptime overflows.
• Agent Memory Leak — Fixed gradual memory increase on FusionSIM farm devices.

Synergy Mode

• WAN Interface Drop — Corrected WAN drops after InControl config pushes.
• SIM Detection Issues — Fixed missing SIM Card B detection on Synergy Cellular WANs.
• Offline Display Bug — Fixed devices showing offline in InControl after losing controller connection.

Security

• CVE-2025-26466 — Patched this vulnerability across all models.

Device-Specific Fixes

• MBX Mini HW2 — PoE restored after factory reset.
• BR1 Mini 5G — Fixed cellular module detection after software reset.
• Balance One — Restored traffic forwarding on LAN ports assigned as WAN.

Known Issues in Beta 2

While this release addresses dozens of issues, a few remain:

• OSPF/RIPv2 UI — May not load correctly on FusionHub.
• Management IP on DHCP WAN — May still have intermittent issues.
• LAN IP Passthrough — Ports 1/2 may fail to obtain IP in some setups.
• Docker Limitations — Containers won’t run without an active DHCP server.
• YouTube Blocking via QUIC — May bypass filtering.
• Switch Controller PVID Changes — May not always apply.

Conclusion

Firmware 8.5.3 Beta 2 is a significant milestone in Peplink’s software evolution, with critical bug resolutions, expanded hardware support, and enhanced feature sets for enterprise, mobile, and ISP deployments. From improved Wi-Fi WAN reliability to stronger security, this release is worth testing for those who want the latest features before the final stable build.

If you rely on Peplink gear for mission-critical networking, now is a great time to trial this beta and report any issues to help refine the final release.