Quality of Service (QoS) is a technology designed to manage network traffic and prioritize specific devices or services for better connection quality, particularly useful in homes with multiple devices and internet users. QoS can improve various experiences such as online gaming, work from home, and smart home device performance.
While QoS can’t work miracles, it can help reduce buffering and improve connection speed, especially during peak usage periods or on slower internet connections. Prioritizing devices or services ensures they receive adequate bandwidth, even when the overall connection is near its limit.
For online gamers, a QoS optimized for gaming prioritizes the connection to the gaming server, reducing ping times and latency, resulting in a smoother gaming experience. Work-from-home professionals can also benefit from QoS by prioritizing their work devices to maintain a stable connection during video conferencing and remote work tasks.
For those with cloud backups and smart home devices, QoS can help preserve precious upload speed and maintain network performance, respectively. With smart home devices, QoS can prioritize devices that require a stronger connection, such as cameras and sensors, while still ensuring other devices maintain a steady connection.
Setting up QoS may result in reduced raw download speeds, but it can enhance overall connection quality by ensuring that bandwidth is allocated efficiently. Before setting up QoS, it is essential to determine if it is necessary and ensure that the router supports QoS features. A measured approach to QoS prioritization, focusing on the most important devices, is recommended for optimal results.
