When a Peplink device connects to a SpeedFusion hub in NAT mode, the hub's DHCP server gives the device an IP address, as it would for any other client. To give the device the same address every time, you add a DHCP reservation on the hub, and a reservation needs the device's MAC address.
The tunnel doesn't present any of the device's physical MAC addresses. It uses a virtual MAC that starts with 52:00:00. This article shows how to find that MAC and use it to reserve an address.
In short
- Every Peplink device has one SpeedFusion NAT-mode MAC address:
52:00:00followed by six characters of its serial number.- It stays the same across reconnects, reboots and firmware upgrades. It changes only if the hardware is replaced.
- Read it on the device under Status > Device > MAC Address > SpeedFusion NAT Mode, or work it out from the serial number.
- Don't take it from the device's Client List, which shows the NAT-mode address with
00:00:00:00:00:00.
What the MAC address looks like
The format is 52:00:00:XX:YY:ZZ. To get the last three pairs from the serial number:
- Remove the dashes from the serial number.
- Skip the first two characters.
- Take the next six characters and split them into pairs.
| Serial number | Without dashes | Characters 3 to 8 | NAT-mode MAC |
|---|---|---|---|
1930-A1B2-C3D4 |
1930A1B2C3D4 |
30 A1 B2
|
52:00:00:30:A1:B2 |
(This serial number is an example, not a real device.)
Peplink doesn't document this pattern, so check the MAC on the device's Status > Device page whenever you can.
Find it on the device
- Open the device's Web Admin, either directly or through InControl2's Remote Web Admin.
- Go to Status > Device.
- Under MAC Address, read the SpeedFusion NAT Mode row.
The serial number is on the same page, near the top, if you want to compare the two.
If your firmware doesn't show a SpeedFusion NAT Mode row, work the MAC out from the serial number as shown above.
Don't use the Client List
On the device itself, Status > Client List includes its own NAT-mode address as a SpeedFusion VPN entry, with the MAC address 00:00:00:00:00:00. That entry is the device's own tunnel address, not a client on its LAN, and the Client List doesn't show a real MAC for it. A reservation with this MAC won't match anything.
Reserve the address on the hub
On a FusionHub:
- Open the FusionHub's Web Admin and go to Network > DHCP Server.
- Under DHCP Reservation, fill in an empty row:
- Name: something that identifies the device, such as its site name or serial number.
-
MAC Address: the device's
52:00:00MAC. - Static IP: the address you want the device to have. Use an address in the hub's subnet that is outside the dynamic IP Range, so the hub never hands it to another device.
- Click Save, then Apply Changes.
Applying the changes reconnects the SpeedFusion tunnels, and the device comes back on its reserved address. If it doesn't, reconnect the SpeedFusion profile on the device or reboot the device.
On a Peplink router acting as the hub, add the reservation to the DHCP settings of whichever network hands out the NAT-mode addresses.
Adding a new device
- Before it first connects: work out its MAC from the serial number and add the reservation. The device gets its reserved address on its first connection.
- If it has already connected: it will have an address from the hub's dynamic range. Add the reservation and apply the changes, and it moves to the reserved address.
Good to know
- One MAC per device. Reconnects, reboots and firmware upgrades don't change it, so a reservation keeps working.
- Replaced hardware has a new MAC. A replacement unit (for example, after an RMA) has a new serial number and therefore a new NAT-mode MAC. Update the reservation, or the new unit takes a dynamic address.
- Two devices could share a MAC, but it's rare. The MAC uses only six of the serial number's twelve characters. If a reservation seems to go to the wrong device, compare the two serial numbers.
- NAT mode only. This applies to SpeedFusion profiles that use NAT mode on the hub. Devices bridged at Layer 2 don't get an address from the hub's DHCP server.
Need help setting up reservations across a fleet? Submit a request and our team will help.