Whirlpool

As the QOS on the Dynalink RTA1025W is great, and due to few questions ive seen now and then about setting up QOS, I decided to write up a quick guide.

Before QOS: couldnt upload at more than 30KB/s without game pings, and browsing slowed up considerably after around 60KB/s

After QOS: can upload at 100KB/s without any noticable impact in games or browsing. Half the time i forget i have torrents sitting around uploading at 100KB/s when I start playing a game or when I'm browsing. In fact, the hard drive activity from active torrents ends up being more of an impact then the network usage. You may want to still limit your speeds a bit, especially for low end connections - just test it and work out what works best for you.

This guide is based on a common torrent setup, to simplify it, we will raise priority of ports 64000 and below. That means anything on 64001+ will be "low priority". We will set up torrents to use this port range, but anything (like ftp etc) could also use this port range and not impact applications on lower ports. But you can use whatever range you want, depending on how many ports you need throttled.

Simple Steps (for those who know what they're doing)

1) Set up fixed DCHP IP mapping to your MAC address (so you always get same IP).
2) Check IP is now assigned correctly as per mapping.
3) Turn off UPNP if you use it, set utorrent incoming port to 64001, preferences->advanced->net.o­ utgoing_port to 64002, preferences->advanced->net.o­ utgoing_port_max to 64099. (utorrent only ends up using 1 or 2 ports above outgoing_port, so 98 ports should be enough)
4) Forward port 64001 to your IP as set in step 1). Rest are outgoing connections so NAT takes care of it.
5) Create IP QOS rules to set upstream/downstream ports 1-64000 as high priority. Optionaly, create up/down rules for ICMP if you want the dos pings etc to be helped by QOS.

Detailed Steps to setup QOS on RTA1025W

1) Set up a fixed mac->ip mapping for the computer(s) which you want to set up QOS for. This is so that the rules always work (if you have one computer you should always get same IP) and you always have the same IP. To do this:

a) Get MAC address for you computer -> start -> run -> cmd -> "ipconfig /all"
b) Look for field called: "Physical Address" for the network adaptor you use for internet.
c) browse to 192.168.1.1 -> Advanced -> Local Network -> DHCP server
d) Click reserved ip list -> add -> enter the pairs of hexadecimal characters from Physical Address in step b, changing the - to : to seperate the pairs. Give an IP. Eg for my main computer (and this guide), i used the ip 192.168.1.69
e) apply, close (for window), apply (for main DHCP server window). Reboot router

2) Now check you have the IP you specified by going start -> run -> cmd -> ipconfig. you might need to run ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew to get the new one to work. Once the IP is listed as one you setup, we can set up port forwarding.

3) Turn off uPNP. For my torrents, i set port to be the 64001. The reason you use a really high port is so we only need 2 QOS rules (1 for up, 1 for down). If you choose a lower port, you need to have 4 rules, to cover either side of choosen port.

For Azureus, make sure you set it to use same port (64001) for incoming/outgoing connections (cant remember what the options are).

For uTorrent 1.7.4, in preferences->connection set the port to 64001 there. For outgoing connections, you need to set:
preferences->advanced->net.o­ utgoing_port to 64002
preferences->advanced->net.o­ utgoing_port_max to 64099

uTorrent only ends up using 1 or 2 ports above outgoing_port, so 98 ports should be enough. It only uses extra ports when you are opening them all at same time on startup.

4) Now all your settings on your PC should be done, need to forward ports.

a) 192.168.1.1 -> Advanced -> Virtual Server -> Add (leave anything not mentioned default/blank)

User Defined: P2P
Forward to Internal Host IP Address: 192.168.1.69
Protocol: Select TCP/UDP from first dropdown
For all 4 port textboxes in that first row, put 64001

b) Test out your torrent program to make sure port is open/forwarding ok. Maybe do some testing to see how you ping in games, how internet browsing is, etc while downloading/uploading.

5) Now we need to make 2 rules for QOS, 1 for upstream, 1 for downstream, setting ports 1-64000 to High priority. All remaining (ie P2P) are low by default (no need for extra rules).

a) 192.168.1.1 -> advanced -> quality of service -> IP QOS -> add 2 rules as below. anything not mentioned, leave default/empty

Traffic Class Name: ALL_DOWN
Destination IP: 192.168.1.69
Destination Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Destination Port (start - end) : 1 - 64000
Traffic Priority: High

Traffic Class Name: ALL_UP
Source IP: 192.168.1.69
Source Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Source Port (start - end) : 1 - 64000
Traffic Priority: High

b) this part is optional...if you want your pings (ie start -> cmd -> ping www.iinet.net.au) to be also improved by QOS, you can add entries for them:

Traffic Class Name: ICMP_DOWN
Protocol: ICMP
Destination IP: 192.168.1.69
Destination Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Traffic Priority: High

Traffic Class Name: ICMP_UP
Protocol: ICMP
Source IP: 192.168.1.69
Source Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Traffic Priority: High

Thanks for taking the trouble to write a guide. Now I have to take the time to take the trouble to do it :) But I think I will.

its worth it :)

just was playing a game then and i didnt even realise id left utorrent running and uncapped, uploading @ 100KB/s the whole time.

compared to my other modem, the QOS on that seemed to just fill up space in the web admin, didnt seem to help much at all.

Thanks for taking the time to write up the guide. I've just set it up and it seems to improve general web surfing by a fair bit (I'm on 512k) when I'm uploading. Not quite as good as without torrents running at all but much better than previously.

btw i just realised that in utorrent 1.7.4 there is a setting for net.outgoing_max_port as well as net.outgoing_port. this will resolve the errors about using the same port on startup.

so, the changes to make to above guide to use this (if using azureus, the above guide is fine as it can work with 1 port for all):

in utorrent:
preferences->advanced->net.o­ utgoing_port to 64002
preferences->advanced->net.o­ utgoing_port_max to 64099
and normal incoming port remains at 64001

this will allow 98 outgoing connections, which should hopefully be enough...utorrent only needs more than 1 outgoing port on startup when opening connections at the exact same time. after running for a few hours, nearly all connections will be on 64002 port only.

Can I just add P2P_DOWN and P2P_UP?

Will all other non-specified traffic be "medium" or "high" priority?

been meaning to do this for a while...

thanks for posting this!

srnm writes...

Will all other non-specified traffic be "medium" or "high" priority?

Good question man.

That is awesome. I wish I had this guide when I was on Wild and had an unbareable connection when making VoIP calls. I could never get the QoS quite right but this has cleared it up!

Well, for me, QOS is not doing too much. I am downloading torrents at pretty much 110k average and browsing is still slow. Also, VOIP calls are very clear. What gives?

srnm writes...

Will all other non-specified traffic be "medium" or "high" priority?

good question! lets test it out with ICMP setting (assuming it handles all data, be it icmp/tcp/etc the same way...)

QOS ICMP = no entry
Minimum = 54ms, Maximum = 455ms, Average = 288ms
QOS ICMP = Low
Minimum = 53ms, Maximum = 476ms, Average = 245ms
QOS ICMP = Medium
Minimum = 33ms, Maximum = 47ms, Average = 40ms
QOS ICMP = High
Minimum = 32ms, Maximum = 44ms, Average = 37ms

looks like its definitely "low" when non-specified.

so, this means we dont need to set up the P2P_UP/P2P_DOWN rules. ive removed mine and things seem the same - so looks like you only need to specify rules for things that you want medium or high.

if i dont notice any change over next few hours, ill update the guide, will make things simpler.

QOS is not designed to load balance , its designed to allow 1 application to take precedence over all others , with some variations

u want load balance , run a server

pete y testing writes...

u want load balance

Whats load balancing?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_balancing_(computing)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_balancing_(computing)

Thanks.

ive updated the guide to make it simpler (changed port numbers) and clear up a few things. since low is default priority, we dont need specific rules for P2P ports - we only need rules to make sure all lower ports (1-60000) at set to high priority.

for any other programs you want throttled, make sure they use ports outside the high priority rule(ie make them use ports 64100+). eg for people who do a lot of flashfxp uploading/downloading, you can restrict local port to use 64100->65000 in flashfxp options, so uploading wont lag you out either.

it also means, that by default, all other PC that u dont setup QOS for will be Low priority, same as your P2P, so no one else using your internet can lag you out :)

pete y testing writes...

QOS is not designed to load balance , its designed to allow 1 application to take precedence over all others , with some variations

thanks, but no one mentioned load balancing, and its got nothing to do with QOS. QOS is for precedence like you said, which is what people would use it for - to allow data to still be transferred at high rates, without it holding up more important data like games and browsing.

So does that mean setting up the QOS like this will work or not?

PhoenixSun writes...

So does that mean setting up the QOS like this will work or not?

I just did this.

Lets see if it helps.

PS: I have now reconnected the NB6Plus4W to the PC, and have the Netgear TA612V connected to the NB6Plus4W. How is this as a setup? Should the QOS help with VOIP voice quality when I am doing heavy P2P and downloading/surfing/gaming?

PhoenixSun writes...

So does that mean setting up the QOS like this will work or not?

yes it will work, you dont need to specify the p2p rules, just the high priority "all" ones for everything else.

theoretically the less rules the less modem/router processing time for data so things might be marginally quicker with just the 2 all rules as initial post has been updated to

HandsomeGuy writes...

PS: I have now reconnected the NB6Plus4W to the PC, and have the Netgear TA612V connected to the NB6Plus4W. How is this as a setup? Should the QOS help with VOIP voice quality when I am doing heavy P2P and downloading/surfing/gaming?

you will need to add rules to set all ports (dont enter start/end i guess?) used by netgear IP to high priority. so same as the 2 rules in first post, but change ip to its ip, and omit start/end ports, i guess?

NewKleer writes...

yes it will work

Doesn't work for me. See here:
forum-replies.cfm?t=820953

but change ip to its ip,

How do I find out its IP?

THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!!

HandsomeGuy writes...

Doesn't work for me.

well you havent set up QOS for the netgear, so obviously it wont work. also, you shouldnt use RTA1025W as router if you have the TA612V also - its better to use the RTA1025W as a modem only and the TA612V as the router - presumably it will have all QOS set up fine for voice calls.

this guide isnt for setting up for VOIP, but for a common torrent/gaming/browsing setup - but hopefully what ive written below will help if you must use the TA612V behind the RTA1025W (with it acting as router still). i dont use VOIP so i dont know what works

How do I find out its IP?

192.168.1.1 -> status -> dhcp table to find ip for netgear

you should take the mac address from that table, and set up a fixed ip mapping as part 1) of the guide, but this time for your netgear device.

then set up/down rules for the netgear device. eg say u set the netgear up as ip 192.168.1.70 in the fixed dhcp mapping (and verify on dhcp table page after modem reboot that its set correctly)

Traffic Class Name: NG_DOWN
Destination IP: 192.168.1.70
Destination Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Traffic Priority: High

Traffic Class Name: NG_UP
Source IP: 192.168.1.70
Source Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Traffic Priority: High

i think leaving ports as blank will make all ports to that ip as high. you still may need to throttle upload/downloads a bit if the voip is sensitive to any variations

NewKleer writes...

well you havent set up QOS for the netgear, so obviously it wont work.

I DID enable QOS on the Netgear.

you should take the mac address from that table, and set up a fixed ip mapping as part 1) of the guide, but this time for your netgear device.

I have no clue what this mean. Your instructions aren't very clear regarding this man.

then set up/down rules for the netgear device. eg say u set the netgear up as ip 192.168.1.70 in the fixed dhcp mapping (and verify on dhcp table page after modem reboot that its set correctly)

HUH?

i think leaving ports as blank will make all ports to that ip as high. you still may need to throttle upload/downloads a bit if the voip is sensitive to any variations

How so?

Also...if you know anything about this: forum-replies.cfm?t=813976 I'd be happy to hear it.

Thanks man.

You are quoting significantly more words than you have written.
Consider whether you need to quote at all -- unless you are quoting to respond to a specific statement, it's usually easier to just mention who you're responding to.
Otherwise, trim the quoted passages down as much as you can.

NewKleer writes...

you shouldnt use RTA1025W as router if you have the TA612V also - its better to use the RTA1025W as a modem only and the TA612V as the router

I would say it is better to use RTA1025W as router, so you can use the wireless, and router.

what ive written below will help if you must use the TA612V behind the RTA1025W

Actually, you just need to get the Netgear VoIP box to mark all traffic with higher priority, and QoS in Dynalink will notice and action on this.

Oh, you need to enable QoS while setting up PPPoA/PPPoE in the RTA1025W as well.

Aaron S writes...

I would say it is better to use RTA1025W as router, so you can use the wireless, and router.

I have an NB6Plus4W, not an RTA1025W.

Actually, you just need to get the Netgear VoIP box to mark all traffic with higher priority, and QoS in Dynalink will notice and action on this.

I have already enabled QOS in the Netgear ATA.

Oh, you need to enable QoS while setting up PPPoA/PPPoE in the RTA1025W as well.

Huh?

HandsomeGuy writes...

have already enabled QOS in the Netgear ATA

Have you set the priority?

Huh?

Go through your PPP set up again, and one of the questions is if you want QoS. If you did not tick it, well, god help you :P

Aaron S writes...

Have you set the priority?

Yes...

Go through your PPP set up again, and one of the questions is if you want QoS. If you did not tick it, well, god help you :P

Oh that...yes, I did tick it.

Can someone tell me how to put the QOS settings into the NB6Plus4W device if my IP addresses are as follows:

PC: 192.168.1.2
NB6Plus4W: 192.168.1.1
TA612V: 192.168.1.3

* I want to have an ICMP QOS set to HIGH (for pings), both incoming and outgoing.
* I want to have P2P set to LOW, both incoming and outgoing.
* I want to have the TA612V set to HIGH, both incoming and outgoing.

I must say, after reading many threads on Qos, this one is the best BY FAR!!!!!!!

Thank-you OP.

before this i was able to d/l and make a voip call, but voip was choppy.

Now Vvoip call is clear and also able to d/l and browse on the call.

THANKS AGAIN for doing the step by step guide!!!!

HandsomeGuy writes...

Can someone tell me how to put the QOS settings into the NB6Plus4W device if my IP addresses are as follows:

PC: 192.168.1.2
NB6Plus4W: 192.168.1.1
TA612V: 192.168.1.3

* I want to have an ICMP QOS set to HIGH (for pings), both incoming and outgoing.
* I want to have P2P set to LOW, both incoming and outgoing.
* I want to have the TA612V set to HIGH, both incoming and outgoing.

I only noticed this thread existed due to the last post, so I'm not sure if you're still needing this info.

ICMP QOS, HIGH: add rules "ICMP_DOWN" and "ICMP_UP" as stated in the guide, replacing IP in guide (192.168.1.69) with 192.168.1.2 .

P2P, LOW: as determined in the thread, data not covered by QoS rules is prioritised as low, so, you'll need to configure your P2P clients to use ports above a particular port number (I use 60000, as opposed to 64000 in the guide, as I have other PCs on my LAN also doing P2P at times). In my case, I added "ALL_DOWN" and "ALL_UP" rules (as per the guide, changing 64000 to 60000) for every PC, however in your case I would set the priority to Medium (reason comes next).

TA612V, HIGH: I'm not 100% sure if the modem's SIP ALG automatically provides QoS (if enabled), but it shouldn't hurt creating these two rules.

Traffic Class Name: TA612V_UP
Protocol: UDP
Source IP: 192.168.1.3
Source Subnet: 255.255.255.255
Source Port (start - end) : 1 - 65535
Traffic Priority: High

Traffic Class Name: TA612V_DOWN
Protocol: UDP
Destination IP: 192.168.1.3
Destination Subnet: 255.255.255.255
Destination Port (start - end) : 1 - 65535
Traffic Priority: High

i think that this thread should become a sticky

this may be a stupid qest.....do you have to create a rule for each computer attached to the modem via wireless or ethernet?

if so does that mean that you have to have diff port ranges for each diff ip address?

vinni30 writes...

do you have to create a rule for each computer attached to the modem via wireless or ethernet?

Not really. Say you set a high priority for your VoIP phone, then your VoIP phone is already "higher" than every other computers, so you don't need to do other computers.

vinni30 writes...

this may be a stupid qest.....do you have to create a rule for each computer attached to the modem via wireless or ethernet?

if so does that mean that you have to have diff port ranges for each diff ip address?

well it depends on what you have setup now/what you want. if you simply set VOIP higher than everything and that was it, then like Aaron said, you dont need to do anything for any pc's, because they will all be low (which is why in step 5a we only needed to set non-P2P ports to high, so they get a higher priority than everything without an entry)

however, if you wanted to have VOIP high, non-P2P on multiple pc's medium then you need to make the 2 entries for each PC also (i have 3 pc at home, and i just added the up/down entries for each of them...one of them doesnt have any P2P so i made all ports high for it's entries).

however, ive only tried the effects of high vs low(default) QOS, perhaps using medium might interfere slightly with the VOIP on high?

if you have LOTS of pc's and dont want to add too many entries, perhaps use the subnet mask. i forget how they work though. im not sure if there is a limit to how many QOS entries you have before the QOS lookup itself starts impacting on performance? ive got 6 entries at top (3pc x 2) which is fine.

Great guide.

Its cool to see your torrent uploads just suddenly drop when you do a speedtest.net test or something similar and it is testing upload..

I'm using utorrent 1.6 and it doesn't let you set max out going ports etc but ive just classed all other traffic I want as HIGH..going fine so far..

Awesome guide. Thanks.

Thanks for the useful guide. I have one question, how beneficial in terms of bandwidth allocation is QoS if you set it up properly?

I guess you don't need allocation if VoIP can get priority over everything else.