Port-based rate limiting allows you to limit the speed at which network traffic is sent or received by a device that is connected to a port on your switch. Unlike 802.1p Quality of Service (QoS), port-based rate limiting does not prioritize information based on type. Rate limiting simply means that the switch will slow down traffic on a port to keep it from exceeding the limit that you set. If you set the rate limit on a port too low, you might see degraded video stream quality, sluggish response times during online activity, and other problems.
The best use of rate limiting is to keep low-priority devices that are connected to your switch from using too much of your bandwidth and slowing down your other connected devices. A combination of rate limiting and QoS can help you maximize your network’s efficiency and prioritize devices and activities.
Unless you have networking experience, NETGEAR recommends that you use one of the GS808E S8000 Nighthawk Switch’s preset modes for gaming or media streaming. Preset modes let you configure rate limiting, QoS, storm control, and other advanced features with a single click. For more information about preset modes, see How do I use preset modes for gaming or media streaming on my GS808E Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch?.
Before you manually configure port-based rate limiting, NETGEAR recommends that you first configure QoS on your Nighthawk switch. For more information about configuring QoS on your Nighthawk switch, see What is QoS and how do I configure it on my GS808E S8000 Nighthawk Gaming & Streaming Switch?.
If you already configured QoS on your switch, follow these instructions to manually configure port-based rate limiting.
In rate limits control how quickly network traffic is allowed to arrive at the switch itself, not how fast network traffic arrives at devices connected to the switch. For example, if you set an in rate limit of 128 kilobits per second (Kbps) on port 3, your switch accepts incoming traffic from the device connected to port 3 at up to 128 Kbps, but no faster.
Out rate limits control how quickly network traffic is transmitted by your switch to the device connected to that port. For example, if you set an out rate limit of 64 Kbps on port 4, your switch transmits to the device connected to port 4 at up to 64 Kbps, but no faster.
NETGEAR recommends that you do not set any rate limits on port 8, which is your switch’s uplink (connection to the Internet).
To configure port-based rate limiting on your Nighthawk switch:
- Log in to your switch by typing its IP address into the address bar of your web browser or using a saved bookmark.
- Enter your administrator password.
The PORT STATUS pane displays on the right or the bottom of the Home Page, depending on the size of your browser page.
A port that is in use shows as UP. A port that is not in use shows as AVAILABLE. - Select a port.
The pane displays detailed information about the port. - Click EDIT.
- From the In Rate Limit menu, select a rate in Kbps or Mbps.
- From the Out Rate Limit menu, select a rate in Kbps or Mbps.
- Click APPLY.
Your settings are saved.
After you configure port-based rate limiting on your switch, you might want to change settings for flow control, broadcast filtering, storm control rates, multicast, and IGMP snooping. For more information about these settings, see the following knowledge base articles:
- What is flow control and how do I enable or disable it on my GS808E Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch?
- What are broadcast filtering and storm control rates and how do I configure them on my GS808E S8000 Nighthawk Gaming & Streaming Switch?
- What are multicast and IGMP snooping and how do I configure them on my GS808E S8000 Nighthawk Gaming & Streaming Switch?