Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 22:44 Post subject: Can't make QoS work
Hi!
I've installed a dd-wrt firmware over the stock one, cause i wanted to set some QoS options. The router is a Linksys E3200, with firmware DD-WRT v3.0-r36698 big (08/22/1 and it is connected to a modem that is set in bridge mode.
I'm trying to limit some devices down/up speed (basically only smartphones connected wireless). I set MAC priority, as in the screenshot, but it doesn't work. I tried to set any other option without success. Even the option "Enable Per User Default Limits" isn't working.
I'm unsuccessfully trying to make it work since a couple of days, read almost every post about my problem.
The first issue I see is the port being set to LAN/WLAN, when it should (almost always) be set to WAN. It's your limited WAN bandwidth that most people manage with QoS.
Additionally, most people wouldn't configure their QoS settings to set strict bandwidth limits on specific devices because that's not efficient use of your limited WAN resources. The way you're configuring things, you're establishing a limit on (your device) 74:E2:8C:1A:13:8C of 500 kBits, even if it's the only active device using your 15000 Kbits connection.
QoS can be smarter than that if you let it.
Having problems with torrent downloads slowing your video streaming? Create a Services Priority rule for your torrent traffic and assign it Bulk priority (the least important traffic on your network).
Want to ensure your gaming console is always given the resources it needs for smooth online gaming? Create a Netmask Priority or MAC Priority rule for your Xbox/PS with Premium priority so it gets preference over everything else on your network.
Want to ensure your Netflix experience isn't interrupted by somebody else? Create a Netmask Priority or MAC Priority rule for your Netflix-viewing device with Premium priority so it gets preference over everything else on your network.
Think about the problem(s) you're trying to solve with QoS, and a rather simple rule (or two) will generally emerge.
Get this setup and then we can talk about how you'd determine whether it's working (because when it's setup properly, QoS shouldn't be obvious).
I would set global limits at the top. Then use service priority. If a service is not in the list, add one to the port priority manually. Don't bother adding anything set to Standard, that is the default. Make sure to add some to both Premium and Bulk though.
For example:
Skype - Premium
Bitorrent - Bulk
Google maps - Express
Youtube - Express
Netflix - Express
Etc...
I need to set QoS for gaming, because i've lag spikes.
I set WAN instead of wan/lan. I've tried both interface and application settings, but i think it isn't working.
I just need to slow down wifi devices that use all of my bandwidth, ie when watching videos, scrolling a page with a lot of medias, when sending medias (whatsapp etc.), because of my connection poor upspeed.
I would create a single QoS rule for your gaming PC or console based on its MAC address and assign it Premium priority. Normally I'd suggest Express, but you're dealing with a really small uplink speed, so you need your gaming device to be more greedy with bandwidth than usual.
You could also use Netmask Priority, but to ensure the IP address of your gaming device doesn't change, you'll also need to create a DHCP reservation, or assign the device a fixed IP address. So, MAC is easier.
You could use Services Priority, but if you miss some of the protocols being used by your game(s), those won't be handled with the higher priority you expect. So, MAC is easier.
I would also use the check-boxes near the top of the QoS configuration page to prioritize small TCP-packets with the following flags: ACK/SYN/FIN/RST.
As long as you've got your Downlink and Uplink speeds set correctly (these really do need to be less than the maximum speeds of your connection, usually 85-95%), that single MAC rule will treat your gaming device with higher priority than anything else sharing your connection.
We actually play with 2 consoles and 2 PCs, most of the time connected at the same time. Could it be a problem?
If i check the ACK/SYN/FIN/RST options my internet randomly crash after some time (could be when connecting a wired device?)
Thank you.
Edit:
I tried to set 1 mac address(my pc) and checked the options, but it is still laggy when surfing pages/watching videos and crash if i send a "large" media through whatsapp.
I did a speedtest from my smartphone, while playing on pc. Smartphone still uses 100% of my bandwidth.
Decreasing my connection downlink from QoS settings doesn't change anything, devices still use all the bandwidth, not the one i set (i don't know if it is supposed to work this way).
The drop down box (Port)- needs to be WAN, not WLAN and LAN for QoS to work on the WAN side.
Also, just so you know, torrents use a ton of ACK.
Are all of the devices on your network gaming (2 consoles and 2 PCs)? _________________ Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings
Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.
Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS
Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
First off.... I an NOT going to contradict any of the good advice already given to you
In my testing "on broadcom" QOS does not work when you are too greedy setting your up & download limits
My suggestion is to start over, only filling in the two top boxes ONLY...As suggested in the wiki an by the responses in this thread
Keep testing your set limits untill they are reflected in your up/download tests...on any device...preferably wired to eliminate any other miss configurations
Only then set aditoinal rules to isolate particular devices
Just trying to help... _________________ Location 1
R7800- DD-WRT v3.0-r53562 (10/03/23) Gateway
WNDR3400v1 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531_mega-nv64k (03/26/18 ) Access Point
WRT160Nv3 DD-WRT ?v3?.0-r35531 mini (03/26/18 ) Access Point
WRT54GSv5 DD-WRT v24-r33555_micro_generic (10/20/17) Repeater
Location 2
R7800- DD-WRT v3.0-r51855 (02/25/23) Gateway
R6300v2- DD-WRT v3.0-r50671 (10-26-22) Access Point
WNDR3700v2 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531 std (03/26/18 ) Access Point
E1200 v2 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531 mega-nv64k (03/26/18 ) Gateway(for trivial reasons)
RBWAPG-5HACT2HND-BE RouterOS-v6.46.4 (2/21/20) Outdoor Access Point
2x RBSXTG-5HPACD RouterOS-v6.46.4 (2/21/20) PTP Bridge 866.6Mbps-1GbpsLAN
Location 3
2x R7000- DD-WRT v3.0-r50671 (10/26/22) Access Points
2x RBWAPG-60AD RouterOS-v6.45.9 (04/30/20) PTP Bridge 2.3Gbps-1GbpsLAN
2x RBSXTsqG-5acD RouterOS-v6.49.7 (10/14/22) PTP Bridge 866.6Mbps-1GbpsLAN Thank You BrainSlayer for ALL that you do & have done, also to "most" everyone here that shares their knowledge
We actually play with 2 consoles and 2 PCs, most of the time connected at the same time. Could it be a problem?
I tried to set 1 mac address(my pc) and checked the options, but it is still laggy when surfing pages/watching videos and crash if i send a "large" media through whatsapp.
Decreasing my connection downlink from QoS settings doesn't change anything, devices still use all the bandwidth, not the one i set (i don't know if it is supposed to work this way).
A few comments based on the above.
First, Dr_K gives great advice about how to establish your bandwidth limits, without which everything else we're talking about is pointless.
Second, if you're gaming on 4 devices, "2 consoles and 2 PCs", you may have an issue of each of them working together behind the same router (i.e. it could be a UPnP issue, or similar), and that's in addition to the base problem you're experiencing with having such limited bandwidth.
Third, your uplink speed of 550 bps is so small, I'm not surprised your link is congesting when you upload a large file with whatsapp. You could attempt to make this better by adding a second QoS rule and assigning your smartphone device with Bulk priority. Really though, with only 550 mbps uplink, uploading large files needs to be avoided entirely when you're doing anything interactive on your network.
Lastly, "devices still use all the bandwidth", isn't really a valid test of whether QoS is 'working' or not. If your router isn't actively processing traffic from higher priority devices, the regular priority devices can consume all they want. In the gaming PC example, it isn't enough to simply have the PC on, it must also be consuming network bandwidth. You might think about testing by running simultaneous uploads and downloads on high and regular priority devices to see the effect of the QoS rule.
That said, the best way to tell if QoS is working is by looking at the connection table, and seeing if traffic is being tagged properly. If it's being tagged properly, then QoS is technically 'working'. That doesn't mean it's accomplishing the end-user requirements you're outlining. If QoS is properly tagging traffic, but you're still having end-user problems, we're either missing a suitable rule, or the contention for your network's limited bandwidth resources is too great for QoS to fix (my suspicion is currently here, based on the 550 mbps uplink speed).
DD-WRT’s QoS had major upgrades this summer. It’s good but not quite fully as good as it could be. piece_of_cake.qos and layer_cake.qos would be major upgrades over the current htb/hfsc shapers/schedulers.
These two tickets are open for QoS (there are probably more):