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Limiting bandwidth via wifi

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n0fx

Occasional Visitor
I was wondering, do you guys happen to know any Wifi router that will allow me to limit bandwidth per wireless client? I have a 4G connection that I want to sure via USB but want to be able to limit each wireless user to possibly around 1.5Mbits, so that the other wireless users can get some bandwidth and no one hogs all the bandwidth for themselves.

Is there any out there that isn't an enterprise solution that would work? The only thing I can think of is to set the wifi speed to 802.11b and that would be the easiest way to limit it to 11Mbit or less.
 
Limiting by wireless speed is one of the worst ways to do it.
Doing that way makes sure nobody can access it properly.

How are you going to connect the USB modem?
Does the router need to support a 4g connection over USB?
If this is the case it severely limits the options.

Instead it might be worth getting a router just for the internet connection and an access point for the wifi.
Or second cheap router set up for the wifi.

Either way, it seems like getting the 4G modem working is the first priority.
 
I just tested with a Ubiquiti UAP access point in my office. It can set limits per user.
you need to let the client connect first and then apply a rate limiter in the GUI.

Edit:
The Ubiquiti Unifi UAP will do exactly whats required.
 
Last edited:
I was wondering, do you guys happen to know any Wifi router that will allow me to limit bandwidth per wireless client?
As the OP said, you don't want to mess with limiting connect rate.

Wireless router QoS deals with internet bandwidth shaping. That won't help control local traffic. You'll need to look at access points. Try the Wireless Finder and use the QoS filters. Try both B/W and Both types when you search.

The Cisco WAPs (N class) aren't that expensive and have many QoS options.
 
As the OP said, you don't want to mess with limiting connect rate.

Wireless router QoS deals with internet bandwidth shaping. That won't help control local traffic. You'll need to look at access points. Try the Wireless Finder and use the QoS filters. Try both B/W and Both types when you search.

The Cisco WAPs (N class) aren't that expensive and have many QoS options.
Theres only two there and neither will do what the OP needs.
Do you know if the policy map on the WAP321 when applied to a range of clients will do either A. or B.
A. on a connection with a 500kbps limit and 4 users, each user will effectively get 125kbps totalling 500kbps. If a 5th user connects, this changes to 100kbps totalling 500kbps respectively
B. on a connection with a 500kbps limit and 4 users, each user will effectively get 500kbps totalling 2000kbps. If a 5th user connects, this changes to 500kbps totalling 2500kbps respectively

I know how to do this with Cisco Aeronets WAPS and Routers running IOS . . . as well as a other enterprise level equipment or something else complex(ish, talking about pfsense, untangle, ERlite, Mikrotik etc here). The only one I know for a fact that can do it under $100 out of the box with just a few clicks in the GUI is the Ubiquiti Unifi line.
 
Don't think so. Looks like LAN / WAN bandwidth control
 
Don't think so. Looks like LAN / WAN bandwidth control
True but you can cheat by running it in Non-NAT or Classic mode and set up a static route on the primary gateway and get it working that way.
Or you can just take the easy way out and double NAT (as much as I hate doing it, it will work).
 
I checked with ZyXEL and received this reply
ZyXEL APs do not have WiFi 'client' bandwidth management. They can bandwidth manage and load balance 'total' bandwidth on an SSID for example. But not per client device. That would be handled by a "USG" series firewall-UTM Bandwidth Management or App Patrol/IDP feature for example to do session and bandwidth limiting on specific segment (Say WLAN) and thus could limit WLAN clients down to certain bandwidth.

For example use USG40, enable App Patrol UTM Profiles to create rules to control not only source/destination, but by applications to limit 'video' usage for example. Or they can just use general bandwidth management feature on the USG to create the user profiles and control bandwidth.

But short answer, ZyXEL APs will not do client specific bandwidth limiting.
 
OOOOOH I found something in my little box of stuff.
Its a Meraki mini access point from 2006 or 2007. Plugged it in and logged in to the dashboard . . . it works!
I saw it did per client bandwidth limits.
Tested it . . . and it works.
OK, fine, you can no longer buy these things any more and they are only 802.11g but at least we are getting somewhere.

Now Meraki went corporate and really Really REALLY expensive . . . but something is still alive as a legacy, OpenMesh, with the cloud controller; CloudTrax
Now from this setup FAQ:
Download/Upload Limits: These are the maximum speeds users will get when connected to your network. You may want to set these to between 10 and 25 per cent of the speed of your Internet connection, ensuring that one or two users can’t consume the entire available bandwidth.
Exactly what the OP is requesting.

Check out the models here:
http://www.open-mesh.com/products/access-points.html
 
Thanks. Looks like a relatively inexpensive solution as long as N APs are ok.
 
Guys,

Thanks for the reply backs and I'm going to buy one of those OpenMesh routers and see how well it works. These are going to be used for like a bus and I won't be managing them after it's configure. I'm going to connect the 4G LTE card to a MOFI35003GN router, disable the wireless and plug the openmesh in there as an AP. Having doing N is prefectly fine, since it's going to be shared internet and speeds probably won't go back 20 to 30mbit anyways.
 
TP-Link routers (at least the C7 and I think the C5 and C8 as well. I have to double check my C8) can limit bandwidth per client IP. It'll only apply on the WAN connection though, but since that is what you seem to care about...

It deffinitely does work effectively.
 
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