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 slows 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, 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.
Ingress 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 ingress rate limit of 50 megabits per second (Mbit/s) on port 3, your switch accepts incoming traffic from the device connected to port 3 at up to 50 Mbit/s, but no faster.
Egress 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 egress rate limit of 100 Mbit/s on port 4, your switch transmits to the device connected to port 4 at up to 100 Mbit/s, but no faster.
NETGEAR recommends that you do not set any rate limits on your switch’s uplink port (connection to the Internet).
To configure rate limits on your NETGEAR XS512EM or XS724EM 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 default password is password. - Select QoS > Rate Limit.
- Select the check box next to each port that you want to set the same rate limit for.
- From the Ingress Rate menu, select an ingress rate.
The default is No Limit. - From the Egress Rate menu, select an egress rate.
The default is No Limit. - Click Apply to save your changes.
- Repeat steps 4-7 to configure rate limits on additional ports.