RTA15
USER’S GUIDE
61
QUALITY OF SERVICE
QoS prioritizes and guarantees network performance for a
specific IP Address range or MAC Address. QoS is often used
for applications that require steady bandwidth. Common
applications include VoIP phones, video streaming applications
(i.e. DVRs, network cameras, video on demand), online gaming
and servers.
It is important to note that while QoS helps to prioritize and
guarantee bandwidth for a specific device, it does not provide
you with more bandwidth than you currently have. For
example, if your Internet Provider rates your Internet
connection speed at 5Mbps, QoS will not improve that
connection. QoS helps you better manage the 5Mbps that you have so that the bandwidth is prioritized for
devices on your network that may need the provided 5Mbps more than other devices. However, if you have
an application that requires more than 5Mbps of steady bandwidth, the application will continue to experience
“lag” with or without QoS since your available bandwidth is less than the required bandwidth of your
application.