Peplink Releases The SpeedFusion Connect App, Bringing SpeedFusion Bonding And VPN To iOS and Android Smartphones – For Free!

Router manufacturer Peplink has launched a new SpeedFusion Connect App that lets those connecting via iOS or Android phones experience some of the reliability benefits of Peplink’s SpeedFusion Connect bonding technology.

This is a great tool for those with Peplink routers to tap into the reliability of SpeedFusion when away from their home networks.

Peplink is making this app available to everyone, even those who do not currently have Peplink hardware, allowing them to experience SpeedFusion for free.

But there are some important limitations to be aware of...

SpeedFusion Connect App Video

 

SpeedFusion Connect App Functionality

The app works as a VPN and uses Peplink’s SpeedFusion servers to let your phone connect over Wi-Fi, cellular, and Ethernet (via USB) simultaneously.

It combines these connections using SpeedFusion for added redundancy, ensuring that any drops in one source will not result in a drop in your overall connection.

The app prioritizes reliability instead of using bonding to boost peak speeds.

In response to our inquiry, Peplink stated that the app utilizes SpeedFusion WAN smoothing, a form of bonding that sends duplicated traffic over every connection and then selects the packet that reaches the bonding server first, discarding the rest.

In our testing, there also appears to be a throughput limit. When using the app to bond a 700 Mbps Wi-Fi connection with a 500 Mbps cellular connection, the bandwidth on the bonded connection seems to be capped out at about 50 Mbps.

Still, that is plenty fast enough for many tasks, and the reliability improvement should be a big win for certain tasks (like video chat) in marginal environments.

You can also use the Peplink VPN to route your traffic out to the Internet in various locations around the world, potentially getting around geolocation blocks.

This app is designed for on-device usage on your phone or tablet - in our testing it does not seem that SpeedFusion is engaged when sharing your connection with other devices.

In other words, this does not let your smartphone replace a full-featured bonding router.

Overall, the app works similarly to the Speedify app and service for smartphones that we have reported on here before.

Is It Really Free?

Peplink confirmed to us that the current feature set is, indeed, free - you just need to create a Peplink account if you do not already have one.

However, Peplink may add additional features in the future that will incur a charge. 

Considering how much it costs to run data and VPN servers around the world, along with the bandwidth costs, Peplink's offering the app and service for free is a big surprise.

Concluding Thoughts

Our first impression of the SpeedFusion Connect app is that this is essentially Peplink’s version of the Speedify app, which we have long covered and recommended - in limited situations where it makes sense.

The primary advantage of Peplink's implementation is that it is free; however, Speedify is not expensive and comes with several features that the Peplink app lacks, notably significantly higher speeds.

The SpeedFusion Connect app is available now for download here.

For the price, this is a worthwhile addition to your connectivity arsenal, and for those who don't already have a Peplink router, it's a great way to experience the capabilities of SpeedFusion.

We look forward to seeing how this app evolves further over time.

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