Knowledge Base

How traditional on-prem AD, Uplevel's AD-compatible directory service, and Azure AD (Microsoft Entra ID) differ, and which one fits which SMB scenario.

ZTNA — Setup Your First Peers

End-to-end quickstart for Uplevel ZTNA: create the first user in Zitadel, install Netbird peers on Windows / macOS / Linux / iOS / Android, and validate connectivity.

ZTNA — Connecting a Third-Party Identity Provider (Google, Entra, Auth0)

Use Zitadel as an identity broker so ZTNA users can sign in with Google, Microsoft, GitHub, or any other existing IdP instead of a Zitadel-local account.

WAN Static IP Configuration Guide

Configure a static public IP on the primary or AUX WAN port of an Uplevel Gateway, from the Portal or via serial console.

WAN Mapping — Using Multiple Static IPs

Configure additional static IPs on the Primary or AUX WAN ports for port forwarding and per-host or per-subnet egress mapping.

WAN Failover

How the Uplevel Gateway's automatic WAN failover keeps a site online when the primary internet connection goes down.

QOS Configuration Guide

Set traffic priorities for VoIP and other latency-sensitive traffic using QOS classes and rules in the Uplevel gateway.

Storage Backup Services

Enable backup on Uplevel NAS shares and pick the right combination of local snapshots, cloud disaster recovery, and long-term archives.

Uplevel SNMP OIDs

Reference list of SNMP OIDs exposed by the Uplevel Gateway for system information, Ethernet ports, layer-2 and routing tables, memory, and CPU utilization.

Uplevel PoE Switch Datasheet

Spec sheet for the ULS-100, ULS-101, ULS-102, ULS-103, and ULS-202 PoE+ switches, including port counts, switching capacity, PoE budget, and dimensions.

Understanding the Devices Page

Reference for the gateway Portal's Devices page — what each column means, how the per-device action menu works, and the common workflows for naming, reserving, and troubleshooting clients.

UAP-101 Mounting Diagram — Wi-Fi 5 Indoor APs

Mount the UAP-101 indoor access point on a wall, ceiling, or drop-ceiling T-rail using the included mounting bracket and hardware kits.

Throughput Speeds of the UG-101 Gateway

Real-world WAN, firewall, and site-to-site VPN throughput numbers for the UG-101, and what changes with IPS/IDS enabled.

Surveying Wi-Fi and AP Layout

Practical guidance on how many access points a site needs and where to place them, before committing to a full RF site survey.

Storage Capacity of a 1 TB Hard Drive

Why a 1 TB drive shows up as 931 GB on a computer, why you should leave 25% of the disk free, and what that means in practice for an Uplevel NAS.

Speed-test Results Are Slower Than Expected

Why a single-stream speed test understates fibre throughput, and how to get a representative number by running multiple parallel streams.

Slow Internet — Speed Capped at 150 Mbps with IPS/IDS Enabled

Why per-connection throughput appears to cap with Threat Analysis on, and how to measure total network throughput correctly by running multiple parallel speed tests.

Site-to-Site VPN (Uplevel to Uplevel)

Configure a one-click site-to-site VPN tunnel between two Uplevel Gateways, including optional point-to-point mode that bypasses the cloud VPN hub.

Storage — Serving QuickBooks Files

Why Intuit no longer supports running QuickBooks against a NAS-hosted company file, what's still supported, and the partner reality on this configuration.

Security Groups — Inter-VLAN Routing

Understand the default firewall rules between LAN security groups (Guest, Boss, Employees, custom) and how to override them per-group.

Securing a Digital Nomad Worker

Why a consumer VPN doesn't secure a remote workforce, what stack actually does, and when a travel router is the right addition for high-mobility staff.

Restoring Files and Directories from Snapshots Using Windows File Explorer

Use the built-in "Previous Versions" tab in Windows File Explorer to recover files and folders from Uplevel storage snapshots.

Rename a Customer or Site in the Portal

How to change the display name of a customer or one of its sites from the Portal.

Removing a Switch from a Customer's Portal

Clear an "Ethernet Switch is down" alert by removing a retired or relocated switch from its old customer site in the Portal.

Remove an Access Point from a Customer's Portal

How to cleanly remove an AP from a customer's site in the Portal so that the red unplugged alert clears and billing stops counting the device.

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Run through the deployment checklist for each new client to confirm static IPs, VPN accounts, and other prerequisites before going on-site.

Power Consumption Data Sheet

Per-device maximum and typical power draw for Uplevel gateways, APs, and PoE switches — handy for sizing UPS capacity at a site.

Management Portal

Where to find the Uplevel management Portal and how to sign in from either the company homepage or the permalink.

Portal Account — Change Password

Update your Uplevel Portal account password from the profile settings.

Port Forwarding

Why we recommend against port forwarding, when Client VPN is the right alternative, and how to lock down a port forward if you absolutely have to use one.

Ethernet Port Colour Legend

What the green, blue, and yellow port colours in the Portal mean, and how to spot a cable problem from the colour alone.

Point-to-Point (P2P) Wireless Bridge Setup Guide

Pair an upstream and downstream radio to extend the LAN wirelessly to a remote location, assign the bridged port to the right VLAN, and test the link.

NEMA Boxes for Switches and APs

How to pick a NEMA enclosure for switches and Wi-Fi APs in outdoor or hostile environments — fans vs. dust-proof sealing, metal vs. plastic, sizing for thermal dissipation.

Moving Switches or APs Between Sites

Uplevel switches and APs can be relocated between customer sites freely; the Portal just needs to be told the move was intentional so the offline alerts clear.

MAC Filter — Allowlists and Blocklists Using MAC Addresses

Build per-VLAN allow or block lists keyed on device MAC addresses to control which clients can join each LAN segment.

Using an LTE / Mobile Network Modem as a Primary or Failover Connection

Pair a single-purpose LTE modem with an Uplevel Gateway for primary or backup WAN service, with subnet, IP, and Bridge-mode configuration notes.

Log Retention

Quick reference for what the gateway retains and where to find it — pointer to the deeper firewall log retention article and to compliance-driven log requirements.

Load Balancing Across Multiple WAN Links

Switch the gateway from default WAN failover behaviour to active/active load balancing by setting upload and download speeds for each connection.

Joining a macOS Client to Directory Services

Configure DNS, bind a Mac to Active Directory, enable network-user login, and mount an SMB share served by the gateway.

ISP Modem Configuration Modes Guide

Identify whether the ISP modem is delivering CGNAT, bridged, or routed/static service, and the consequences for VPN, port forwarding, and remote access.

Replacing a Gateway — RMA or Upgrade

Scripted procedure for swapping an Uplevel Gateway, whether it's a failed-unit RMA or a planned hardware upgrade.

Hostnames Not Showing in Portal Devices Section

Why static-IP devices often appear without a hostname on the Devices page, how to spot them, and when to escalate to a support ticket.

HIPAA Compliance

How the Uplevel system addresses the HIPAA Security Rule for EPHI storage, backup, access control, logging, encryption, and intrusion detection.

High-Gain Wi-Fi Antenna for Outdoor APs (Third-Party)

For long-range outdoor Wi-Fi deployments, pair the Uplevel outdoor APs with Ubiquiti airMAX high-gain antennas to extend coverage beyond 600 ft.

NAS Drive Size and RAID Options — UG-101, UG-206, UG-208

Storage configurations available for each gateway chassis — single-disk HDD vs. SSD RAID1, and which sizes ship in each model.

GPO — Drive Mappings

How to map network drives via Active Directory Group Policy, including item-level targeting, and how to map a drive manually in Windows 11.

Hardware Replacement — RMA and Upgrades

Replacing gateways, switches, or APs against a cloud-stored configuration; what needs Uplevel support and what you can do yourself.

Light Statuses for UG-101 and UG-204 Gateways

Decode the front-panel LED states on the UG-10x and UG-204 gateways to diagnose DHCP, DNS, and cloud connectivity problems at a glance.

Firewall Log Retention

How long the gateway keeps inbound logs, attack records, and LAN activity records, and how Advanced Security and HIPAA compliance change the level of detail.

Export a Human-Readable SonicWall Configuration File

Pull a complete tech-support report off a SonicWall via its CLI for use during migration planning.

Export a Microsoft Active Directory Domain to CSV

Two ways to dump an existing Microsoft AD domain to CSV for migration onto the Uplevel Directory Service — the ADUC GUI for small domains, and a PowerShell script for larger ones.

Domain Filtering Configuration Guide

Configure the Advanced Firewall's domain and category filtering, set up SSL certificate keys, and assign filter groups to VLANs.

Disaster Recovery — How We Secure and Protect Your Data

The storage architecture, encryption, and recovery flow behind Uplevel's Disaster Recovery service — and how to invoke it when an incident actually happens.

LAN Subnet and DHCP Server Configuration

Enable or disable the gateway's per-VLAN DHCP server, set its pool range, configure the LAN gateway IP and CIDR, and pin specific MAC addresses to specific IPs.

Creating Accounts in the Uplevel Portal

Add Admin or Tech accounts to your Uplevel Portal organisation from the Profile › Settings › Other Accounts tab.

Creating Shares and Mapping Windows Network Drives

Create a storage share on the gateway and map it as a network drive in Windows, with troubleshooting for SMB signing and guest-auth errors.

Country Blocking — Configuration and Bad-Actor List

Configure country-level firewall rules to filter inbound and outbound traffic by geography, with practical bad-actor and least-privilege presets.

Connecting Uplevel Switches Using SFP Ports

Which SFP modules are tested, and how to wire SFP1/Uplink SFP ports for chaining switches up to a gateway and down to other switches.

Configuring Security Groups (VLANs)

Create new security groups on the gateway, understand the reserved and default VLANs, and configure tagged vs untagged ports.

Client VPN — OpenVPN with TOTP MFA

Stand up an MFA-protected OpenVPN Client VPN for a customer site, including how to provision the user, download the configuration and QR code, and install the OpenVPN client on Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS.

Client VPN — L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, SSL (Legacy)

Legacy Client VPN setup covering SoftEther on Windows, plus L2TP/IPsec on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and SSTP/SSL options.

CIS Benchmark Compliance — Level 1 and 2

How the Uplevel platform maps onto the Center for Internet Security benchmarks, what Level 1 covers out of the box, and what's needed to reach Level 2.

Best Practices for Managing Client Networks

Network access, surge protection, regular maintenance, and policy practices for keeping Uplevel-managed client networks secure and the hardware long-lived.

Email Notifications and Alerts

Configure Uplevel's email alerts, customize subject and body with variables, and route notifications into Autotask, ConnectWise, RepairShopr, or Halo PSA.

Understanding ISP Unstable Alerts

What triggers the "ISP link is unstable" alert, what it indicates about the upstream link, and how to triage and respond.

Active Directory GPO — Roaming Profiles

Set up roaming user profiles in the Uplevel domain so users keep a consistent desktop, settings, and documents across any joined workstation.

Active Directory GPO — Folder Redirection

Redirect Windows user folders (Documents, Desktop, etc.) to a network share via Group Policy so user data follows the user across machines.

Domain Controller (Active Directory) Setup

Stand up the Uplevel Directory Service, set the domain admin password, and join workstations to the domain using Microsoft RSAT for day-to-day administration.

Accessories That May Be Needed at an Install

Reference list of cables, connectors, rackmount shelves, console cables, and surge protectors typically useful on an Uplevel deployment.

Site-to-Site VPN — Non-Uplevel (Third-Party VPN)

Stand up an IPsec tunnel from an Uplevel Gateway to a third-party firewall or cloud service using the VPN configuration form, with notes for Fortigate and pre-shared-key handling.

Data Transfer Rates — 1xx vs. 206 Gateways

Lab benchmarks of read/write throughput for the UG-101 (1 TB HDD) and UG-206 (dual-1 TB SSD RAID) under large-file and small-file workloads.

UG-206 and UG-208 Tech Spec Sheet

Datasheet image for the UG-206 and UG-208 gateway models, summarising port counts, throughput, and feature support.