Networking help please! (Bandwidth limiting on home network)

[KuNai]

Ok, so recently my parents upgraded our Internet connection from 3MBPS to 10MBPS. I'm happy. But, we live in a house and we also rent out the basement (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc).

At first, I didn't mind. Until I noticed a dramatic drop in my speed. My download speed has dropped from 10MBPS down to 0.97MBPS. My current router is a Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router [WRT54G]. This is extremely frustrating, and I don't know HOW in god's name one lady, and her child can use up ALL my bandwidth.

Ever since they were connected, THEIR light on the router's face is CONSTANTLY blinking. Wtf. And when I unplug the port they're using, my speed, as well as my brother's goes up to max.

Does anyone know how to limit bandwidth? So my brother and I get like, 75%, and the tenants downstairs 25%?

Please, do NOT suggest me to buy a new router. I am thinking of that, but as a last resort. Please help, I timed out twice trying to post this. This is seriously ticking me off.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/7634/bandwidthl.jpg

^ On my QoS page..But I don't know what to choose, and what value to fill in for those empty spaces. Please help!

 

[Ma$termind]

Instead of buying a new router you could alternatively install custom firmware to your current router. DD-WRT firmware should be able to everything you need it to do using it's built in QoS features. With that, you could prioritize traffic by IP or MAC addresses – setting your own and your brothers to Exempt levels, and your tenants to Express or Standard. That way your traffic is given priority over theirs, giving them only 10% to 15% of total traffic when needed.

Also, if your router is compatible (Linksys models WRT54G versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, and WRT54GS version 1.0, or other DD-WRT compatible routers with the ADM6996L chipset), you can prioritize traffic by ethernet port, instead. That would probably be easier then distinguishing all the different IPs or MAC addresses on your network.

This link has a tutorial on how to set up QoS settings using DD-WRT:
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3649346

Hope this helps.

EDIT:
Typed all that before your edit. Looks like you might be able to do what you want with the router's own QoS settings. Just enable QoS and set their ethernet port to low priority, and see if that helps. If you're still having trouble, perhaps you could look into DD-WRT. It has much more room for customization over the standard Linksys firmware.

 

[jumpingisuseless]

you schould be able to just set their ports on low priority.

i used to do it to my mom when i lived with her, her super important work was getting in the way with my super pwnage!!!

>..<

good luck!

 

[KuNai]

Instead of buying a new router you could alternatively install custom firmware to your current router. DD-WRT firmware should be able to everything you need it to do using it's built in QoS features. With that, you could prioritize traffic by IP or MAC addresses – setting your own and your brothers to Exempt levels, and your tenants to Express or Standard. That way when your traffic is given priority over theirs, giving them only 10% to 15% of total traffic when needed.

Also, if your router is compatible (Linksys models WRT54G versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, and WRT54GS version 1.0, or other DD-WRT compatible routers with the ADM6996L chipset), you can prioritize traffic by ethernet port, instead. That would probably be easier then distinguishing all the different IPs or MAC addresses on your network.

This link has a tutorial on how to set up QoS settings using DD-WRT:
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3649346

Hope this helps.

EDIT:
Typed all that before your edit. Looks like you might be able to do what you want with the routers own QoS settings. Just enable QoS and set their ethernet port to low priority, and see if that helps.

Thank you for the informative answer. I am on the router page, and when I set the tenant's priority to low, and my brother and I's to high, and check save, I get this: http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9334/bandwidth2.jpg

I think it's for the Upstream bandwidth..I have no idea what to fill in there. Is there anything else I need to do for that?

And what does DD-WRT firmware let me set customized bandwidth usages? (My brother and I 85%, them 15%?)

 

[Ma$termind]

Thank you for the informative answer. I am on the router page, and when I set the tenant's priority to low, and my brother and I's to high, and check save, I get this: http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9334/bandwidth2.jpg

I think it's for the Upstream bandwidth..I have no idea what to fill in there. Is there anything else I need to do for that?

And what does DD-WRT firmware let me set customized bandwidth usages? (My brother and I 85%, them 15%?)

Linksys is not being very descriptive here with their labels, but it seems to be looking for upload speed, not download speed. To find these, stop any internet usage (including the tenant's - disconnect them if you must), and use www.speedtest.net. Note the results, then multiply the upload speed (Mbps) by 1024 to convert it to Kbps. That should be the value you input for the "Upstream bandwidth".

For example, my results from www.speedtest.net yielded an upload speed of 6.54 Mbps. I then muliply that by 1024 to get ~6697 Kbps. That would be the number I input for "Upstream bandwidth".

You should no longer get that error by doing this. After that (with your tenants disconnected), retest at www.speedtest.com – you should still get similar results. If you don't, however, and your download speed is now limited to your previous upload speed, then the "Upsteam bandwidth" your router was looking for must have been your download speed. In that case, use your old download results (multiplied by 1024) for the the "Upsteam bandwidth" requested.

Hopefully with that, you should be good to go, and you'll no longer have any issues with your tenants hogging bandwidth.

 

[KuNai]

Linksys is not being very descriptive here with their labels, but it seems to be looking for upload speed, not download speed. To find these, stop any internet usage (including the tenant's - disconnect them if you must), and use www.speedtest.net. Note the results, then multiply the upload speed (Mbps) by 1024 to convert it to Kbps. That should be the value you input for the "Upstream bandwidth".

For example, my results from www.speedtest.net yielded an upload speed of 6.54 Mbps. I then muliply that by 1024 to get ~6697 Kbps. That would be the number I input for "Upstream bandwidth".

You should no longer get that error by doing this. After that (with your tenants disconnected), retest at www.speedtest.com ? you should still get similar results. If you don't, however, and your download speed is now limited to your previous upload speed, then the "Upsteam bandwidth" your router was looking for must have been your download speed. In that case, use your old download results (multiplied by 1024) for the the "Upsteam bandwidth" requested.

Hopefully with that, you should be good to go, and you'll no longer have any issues with your tenants hogging bandwidth.

I've tested it before, and my upload speed is like 512KBPS or so. I put that in Upstream bandwidth, and it still doesn't work. I'm going to try turning on and off my router right now to see if it works.

 

[Ma$termind]

I've tested it before, and my upload speed is like 512KBPS or so. I put that in Upstream bandwidth, and it still doesn't work. I'm going to try turning on and off my router right now to see if it works.

If that still doesn't work, you can try downloading an official firmware update, here. I've seen other have this problem, which I believe was fixed with the update.

Also, to answer your question before, DD-WRT's QoS works a bit differently than that. Instead of simply limiting bandwidth to 85% and 15% at all times, it's dynamic. If, for instance, you set you and your brother's ethernet port to "Exempt" priority, and your tenants to "Express", they will have access to 100%-15% of the connection, dynamically. If no-one else is requesting traffic, they will have 100% of the network open to them. However, if you need 45% of the bandwidth, and your brother needs 35%, then the tenants will be limited to only the 20% remaining bandwidth. Your traffic would be given priority. It's not always perfect, but in theory, it should work quite well.

 

[KuNai]

If that still doesn't work, you can try downloading an official firmware update, here. I've seen other have this problem, which I believe was fixed with the update.

Also, to answer your question before, DD-WRT's QoS works a bit differently than that. Instead of simply limiting bandwidth to 85% and 15% at all times, it's dynamic. If, for instance, you set you and your brother's ethernet port to "Exempted" priority, and your tenants to "Standard", they will have access to 100%-15% of the connection, dynamically. If no-one else is requesting traffic, they will have 100% of the network open to them. However, if you need 45% of the bandwidth, and your brother needs 35%, then the tenants will be limited to only the 20% remaining bandwidth. Your traffic would be given priority. It's not always perfect, but in theory, it should work quite well.

Thank you so much, Mastermind. I don't know how to use the DD-WRT site, though. When I search my router up along with its firmware to see if it's compatable, it says "yes". And I don't know where to download the file at..Can you give me directions and/or provide a link? It's not a very user-friendly site..

And your name suits you well. You ARE a friggin' Mastermind.

EDIT: After turning it on and off, it did not work. Speeds are abysmal. And I just changed the Upstream bandwidth from 512 (mistake) to 64KB/s. (512KBPS = 64KB/S), with still no effect..

EDIT 2: I am using the firmware upgrade for Version 1.0 routers..Whenever I upload through my router's administration page, it said "Upgrade are failed" (lolwut). x_X

 

[Ma$termind]

This link should walk you through all you need to know for the installation process:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Installation

Make sure you read through all the instructions and warnings carefully. Improper installation can "brick" your router – making it completely useless and largely unrepairable.

The download can be found here. Just type in "WRT54G" and click on the correct revision. Make sure you choose the download version for your revision, however. As I said before, if you install the wrong version, it may result in "bricking" your router.

Also, as a heads up, if you are renting this router from your internet company (paying a monthly router fee), and something goes wrong, they might charge you to replace the router. It might be best to only flash it if you actually own the router you are installing this on.

Other than that, I've heard great things about this firmware. With the correct configuration, it can give your cheap router options only found in corporate level gateways. Hope you have fun with it, and it works out for you.

 

[KuNai]

This link should walk you through all you need to know for the installation process:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Installation

Make sure you read through all the instructions and warnings carefully. Improper installation can "brick" your router ? making it completely useless and largely unrepairable.

The download can be found here. Just type in "WRT54G" and click on the correct revision. Make sure you choose the download version for your revision, however. As I said before, if you install the wrong version, it may result in "bricking" your router.

Also, as a heads up, if you are renting this router from your internet company (paying a monthly router fee), and something goes wrong, they might charge you to replace the router. It might be best to only flash it if you actually own the router you are installing this on.

Other than that, I've heard great things about this firmware. With the correct configuration, it can give your cheap router options only found in corporate level gateways. Hope you have fun with it, and it works out for you.

Link does not work, and this is a router I've paid for. The only thing I'm renting from my ISP is the modem.

 

[Ma$termind]

Woops, sorry about that. I updated the link in my post. And just to clarify, I didn't mean to try to scare you off with that post, just try to make you aware of both the pros and cons. Most upgrades will have no issues, and will be relatively simple, but there's always that small chance that things can go wrong. Hopefully that won't be the case for you.

 

[KuNai]

Last post before I'm done for the night:

Damn. I thought the firmware upgrade was based on the version of the actual firmware itself, not the version of the router. In my case, it was WRT54G V5. The firmware is upgrading without the "Upgrade are failed" text.

Let's also talk about this over Steam tomorrow, Mastermind? You've been a great help, but I am a couple of steps away from fully solving my problem.

EDIT: Firmware upgraded successfully. This problem still needs to be fixed though.

EDIT2: My speed went from this:



to this:



EDIT3: I just did another speedtest. Results are below.



It would appear that the tenant has turned off their computer.. Do you guys think that they may have a virus of some sort, hogging up the bandwidth as well? I am asking tomorrow. Still a possibility, in addition with their excessive streaming, though.

EDIT 4 (10/12/09):



Best I've gotten.

 

[ShadowBlade72]

If you're going to be flashing your router make SURE to FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Do not try to flash the firmware over wireless. If you do and you lose connection you could end up with a new paperweight. If you need someone to walk you through the procedure I'd be happy to. Just click the chat link in my profile and someone can help you out no problem.

Also as far as the DD-WRT goes, I haven't had much luck getting my QoS to work properly. It's all setup and configured but it doesn't allocate bandwidth to my Femtocell unit when I get a call so I have to turn off all my downloads. Maybe I'm just noobing it up? I've heard the QoS in the paid version of DD-WRT is better.

 

[KuNai]

If you're going to be flashing your router make SURE to FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Do not try to flash the firmware over wireless. If you do and you lose connection you could end up with a new paperweight. If you need someone to walk you through the procedure I'd be happy to. Just click the chat link in my profile and someone can help you out no problem.

Also as far as the DD-WRT goes, I haven't had much luck getting my QoS to work properly. It's all setup and configured but it doesn't allocate bandwidth to my Femtocell unit when I get a call so I have to turn off all my downloads. Maybe I'm just noobing it up? I've heard the QoS in the paid version of DD-WRT is better.

If you're looking for a good firmware for strictly QoS, I've heard Tomato has a phenomenal QoS setup.
http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

There is the link if you're interested.

Thank you. I'm going to head to sleep now. It wasn't flashing properly because I thought you had to get the version of the firmware itself..Not the router's (V5). I did that, and it successfully flashed. Good night, and thank you guys so much for the help! (This problem won't be solved for a little while, though..maybe a couple more days.)

 

[ShadowBlade72]

I just realize you said you had V5 and Tomato doesn't work with V5 so I removed the link from my previous post.

Also if you want any 1 on 1 assistance feel free to jump into the chat in my signature.

 

[KuNai]

I just realize you said you had V5 and Tomato doesn't work with V5 so I removed the link from my previous post.

Also if you want any 1 on 1 assistance feel free to jump into the chat in my signature.

The only question I have is how to restrict bandwidth per computer, such as Mastermind had stated earlier (using Quality of Service, but I don't really know how to use it). And I'm wondering if it's time to upgrade from WRT54G to WRT320N (I heard that the only con with this particular model of router is that it has heat problems, which I will try to solve upon purchase and installation).

Earlier in this thread, I posted screenshots of my router page for QoS. I don't know what values to put in, and use and I need you guys' help. I'll try to provide any information needed to properly use QoS.

EDIT: At the time of typing this post, the tenants aren't home. And I'm enjoying the maximum speed I can right now, which is 10MBPS.

 

[KuNai]

I just bought a new router, WRT400N today. I successfully installed it, but my speed won't go more than 1.35MBPS.. But my old WRT54G router is at full speed. My modem is a Motorola SB5100 cable modem.

Any solutions to this?

 

[KuNai]

Guys, please read this. The WRT400N, is somehow inferior to my WRT54G in speed. I don't know why, but it is. I'll be sticking with it for now, until it breaks down. I never had a problem with it for the past 4 years, and it's been on 24/7 in that time period, too.

For DD-WRT custom firmware, which custom firmware is best for V5 of my WRT54G? I see..

Description Filename Date Size
Micro Generic dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin 2009-10-10 1,68 MB
Micro Generic dd-wrt.v24_micro_olsrd_generic.bin 2009-10-10 1,66 MB
VXWorks-killer : WRT54G v5,v5.1,v6 vxworks_killer_v04.zip 2009-01-23 92,50 kB
VXWorks-prep : WRT54G v5,v5.1,v6 vxworks_prep_v03.zip 2009-01-23 1,54 kB

Which one do I get? And what's the difference in them?

EDIT: I'll be returning the WRT400N tomorrow for my refund of $150 (waste of money..) So much for it being faster than my WRT54G!

 

[shadows5631]

You can change the password on the router and make the lady pay for her own internet out of spite

Very weird she's using THAT MUCH. Does she torrent or use Limewire?

 

[KuNai]

You can change the password on the router and make the lady pay for her own internet out of spite

Very weird she's using THAT MUCH. Does she torrent or use Limewire?

She's paying us $50 bucks just to use it. It's good for us I guess, and she doesn't seem to be a tech-savvy person - only streaming stuff like youtube, and some other stuff. However, my brother says the computer is really laggy, even for the specs it carries, which is reported to be P4 3.0GHz, and 512MB of ram (5 min to start up web browser) I suspect a worm might also be hogging the bandwidth too.