Peplink pushed router firmware 8.6.1 out on September 30, 2026, as a point release over 8.6.0. The update brings new ways to manage a Starlink dish, IPv6 over cellular on several 5G routers, Synergy Mode without a license, and a set of security patches we'd install sooner rather than later.
Plenty of the routers running on our unlimited data plans qualify for this update, so we read every line of the notes and pulled out what our customers will care about. Below you'll find our summary, the models it covers, and how we upgrade routers ourselves.
Which routers get Peplink firmware 8.6.1
Nearly every current Peplink and Pepwave router is covered. From the models we stock and support, that means:
- MAX BR1 Pro 5G (hardware revisions 1 through 3) and the CAT-20 BR1 Pro
- The BR1 Mini family: the 5G model, HW3, and the Core
- MAX BR2 Pro
- B One 5G, B One Plus, and the original B One
- Balance 310 HW5, Balance 310 5G, and Balance 310 Fiber 5G
- MAX Transit, Dome, MBX, SDX, and the bigger Balance units
Older hardware may still be on the list, so check Peplink's PDF if yours isn't here. There's one catch for everyone: 8.6.1 only installs over 8.6.0. A router still on 8.5.x needs two upgrades in a row.
Starlink owners get the most out of this one
If a Starlink dish is one of your WANs, whether for backup or bonded with 5G, you'll notice these:
- Dish events now get their own Orbit WAN view inside the Event Log. When the dish drops, you can read why without leaving the router's admin page.
- You can now switch off the dish's radio from the router (Peplink calls this Inhibit RF). That's handy anywhere the dish has to go quiet but you'd rather not climb up and unplug it.
- Reaching the Starlink Dish API from your local network is now free. Before 8.6.1 it required a Care plan.
- Location reporting is smarter. The router can tell you when your Starlink subscription is what's blocking GPS, and the "GPS unavailable" warning only shows up if you actually turned Starlink GPS on and none of your dishes is sending a position.
Synergy Mode no longer costs extra
With Synergy Mode, a second Peplink device runs under a main router, and you manage the pair as a single box. Until this release, that meant paying for a Care plan and a license. Neither the main router nor the second unit needs them now. A synergized unit can also link to the main router over a USB Ethernet adapter.
Two Synergy Mode bugs are gone as well. One left Wi-Fi users without an address when a single controller ran several devices. The other kept a BR1 Mini from joining if nobody had changed the main router's factory login.
IPv6 over cellular
Several 5G routers can now run IPv6 on their cellular connection. From our lineup, that covers the BR1 Pro 5G, BR2 Pro, B One 5G, Balance 310 5G, and Balance 310 Fiber 5G. IPv6 announcements on your LAN also follow the timing your provider sets.
Security patches
These are why we're telling customers to update. Peplink closed holes in:
- How the router checks a firmware file before accepting an upload
- API requests that could have been abused to run code on the device
- How configuration input gets validated
- Three published advisories, affecting DHCP client hostnames, Web Admin permissions, and the command-line management tool
There's nothing to configure afterward. Once the router is on 8.6.1, it has the patches.
SpeedFusion and VPN fixes
Bonding and site-to-site tunnels got a round of cleanup. If you've seen odd tunnel behavior, one of these may be the cause:
- Big packets going missing inside SpeedFusion Connect
- UDP traffic that was split into fragments getting lost at the far end
- SpeedFusion Boost discarding traffic on a handful of specific ports
- Per-WAN SpeedFusion Score results failing when a backup WAN sat in the tunnel
- Traffic stopping after the router on the other end rebooted
Smaller changes to know about
- The router now checks WAN health by testing DNS at Google, Cloudflare, and Quad9.
- DNS-O-Matic has been pulled from the Dynamic DNS list since that service is closing. Pick a different DDNS provider first if you depend on it.
- PrimeCare Secure DNS works with any Care plan you have active, not only PrimeCare.
- InControl can push a feature activation key to a router that's locked to status reporting only.
- Wi-Fi 6 routers hold onto clients better as they move between SSIDs on one radio, and air-monitor settings now survive an upgrade from 8.6.0.
- A B One no longer crashes when its USB port resets.
- On supported models, all Docker containers now draw from one shared memory pool.
How to update your Peplink firmware
Expect a reboot, so pick a time when losing the connection for a few minutes is fine.
- Save a copy of your settings. In the web admin, open System > Configuration and download a backup.
- Look up your current version under Status > Device. Anything on 8.5.x goes to 8.6.0 first.
- Open System > Firmware and start the upgrade. If you manage a fleet, push it from InControl instead.
- When the router comes back, make sure every WAN reconnects (cellular, Starlink, and wired) and your SpeedFusion tunnels come up.
- If you were on DNS-O-Matic, finish moving to your new DDNS service.
For routers you can't easily reach, use InControl's scheduled upgrade. A bad update at a remote site is much easier to deal with when you planned for it.
Should you update?
Yes, for nearly everyone. The security patches justify it by themselves, and Starlink and Synergy Mode users get real upgrades on top. Two quick checks first: confirm you're already on 8.6.0, and confirm you don't need DNS-O-Matic.
Shopping for a router? See the Peplink routers we stock and why we recommend Peplink.
Running one of our routers on a Crosstalk Mobile plan and want a hand? Call or text a network engineer at 888-381-7750, Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM Pacific.
