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Knowledge document #228

Prioritizing internet access for important network applications and devices

In the FRITZ!Box, you can specify which network devices and applications are treated with high priority or low priority when accessing the internet. This way you can ensure optimal response times for online games even if peer-to-peer services are using the internet connection at the same time, for example. Prioritizing applications this way is also called Quality of service (QoS).

Observe the following information on the FRITZ!Box's different prioritization categories and proceed as described in the subsequent measures.

Requirements / Restrictions

  • The FRITZ!Box must establish its own connection to the internet using its integrated DSL modem.
  • Devices in the guest network cannot be prioritized.
  • Prioritization rules only apply to IPv4 data. IPv6 data from network devices and applications is not prioritized.

Note:All instructions on configuration and settings given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box.

1 The FRITZ!Box's prioritization categories

In the FRITZ!Box, you can prioritize different network devices and applications in various ways. There are three categories to choose from:

Real-time applications

Network devices and applications in the category "Real-Time Applications" are always allocated as much of the internet connection's bandwidth as needed. If other applications are using the internet connection at the same time, data from the real-time applications is sent first.

If several real-time applications use the internet connection at the same time, the bandwidth is distributed equally among them. The application "Internet telephony" (VoIP) is an exception; this real-time application always has the highest priority with respect to other real-time applications.

Note:If a real-time application is using the entire bandwidth, other applications cannot transmit data at the same time.

The category "Real-Time Applications" is especially suited for applications that place very high demands on transmission rates and reaction times such as internet telephony, IPTV, or video on demand.

Prioritized applications

As long as real-time applications are not using the internet connection to full capacity, network devices and applications in the "Prioritized Applications" category can use up to 90% of the upload bandwidth. Thus, devices and applications that are not prioritized are allocated 10% of the upload upload bandwidth when prioritized applications are transmitting at full capacity.

If several prioritized applications use the internet connection, the bandwidth is distributed equally among them. The category "Prioritized Applications" is suitable for applications that require fast reaction times, such as VPN and terminal applications, or online games.

Background applications

Network devices and applications assigned to the category "Background Applications" are always treated with the lowest priority when the internet connection is working at full capacity. If another application requires the entire bandwidth of the internet connection, all background applications must wait until bandwidth capacity becomes available again.
If no other application requires the internet connection, then the background applications can use the entire bandwidth.

For example, the "Background Applications" category is suitable for automatic updates and peer-to-peer services, for example BitTorrent.

2 Setting up a prioritization rule for network devices

If you create a prioritization rule for a network device, it applies to all applications running on that device:

  1. Click "Internet" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Filters" in the "Internet" menu.
  3. Click on the "Prioritization" tab.
  4. Click "New Rule" in the section that corresponds to the prioritization category you want to assign to a device.
  5. Select the corresponding device from the drop-down list for network devices.
  6. Select "All" from the drop-down list for network applications.
  7. Click "OK" to save the rule.

3 Configuring a prioritization rule for a network application

When you create a prioritization rule for a specific network application, you can decide whether to apply the rule to all or only specific network devices running that application:

Adding a network application

  1. Set up access and prioritization rules for network applications.

Configuring prioritization

  1. Click "Internet" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Filters" in the "Internet" menu.
  3. Click on the "Prioritization" tab.
  4. Click "New Rule" in the section that corresponds to the prioritization category you want to assign to an application.
  5. Select the device on which the application is running from the drop-down list for network devices.
  6. Select the application from the drop-down list for network applications.
  7. Click "OK" to save the rule.
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