Understanding MikroTik QoS

MikroTik 101: QoS - Understanding MikroTik QoS

March 11, 2025
Ben Grobler
Technical Tips & Guides
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Quality of Service (QoS) has become a critical feature for network administrators. MikroTik is a leading provider of networking solutions and offers robust QoS capabilities within its RouterOS to ensure optimal network performance. But what exactly is MikroTik QoS, and how does it work?

What is MikroTik QoS?

Quality of Service (QoS) refers to a set of techniques and tools that prioritise and manage network traffic. MikroTik's QoS allows administrators to allocate bandwidth, reduce latency, and ensure that critical applications such as VoIP, video conferencing, and online gaming receive the necessary resources for smooth operation.

Key Features of MikroTik QoS

Traffic Prioritisation: MikroTik QoS identifies different types of network traffic and assigns priority levels. For instance, voice and video data, which require low latency, are given higher priority over file downloads or peer-to-peer traffic.

Bandwidth Management: Administrators can limit data rates for specific IP addresses, subnets, or protocols. This ensures fair distribution of bandwidth and prevents any single user or application from monopolising resources.

Active Queue Management (AQM): MikroTik supports advanced queue management techniques such as Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to handle congestion effectively.

Traffic Shaping: By controlling the flow of data, MikroTik QoS ensures that network resources are used efficiently, reducing packet loss and improving overall performance.

Mangle and Queue Trees: MikroTik’s mangle feature allows for detailed packet marking, which can then be used in queue trees to implement complex traffic shaping and prioritisation rules.

Applications of MikroTik QoS

VoIP Optimisation: Ensures clear and uninterrupted voice communication by prioritising SIP and RTP traffic.

Video Streaming: Reduces buffering and enhances the viewing experience by allocating sufficient bandwidth to streaming services.

Business Networks: Guarantees that mission-critical applications, such as CRM or ERP systems, operate without interruptions.

Why Choose MikroTik QoS?

MikroTik’s QoS is not just about managing traffic; it is about creating a smarter, more efficient network. With its comprehensive set of tools and features, MikroTik empowers administrators to tailor their networks to meet specific needs, ensuring reliability and performance.

Steps to Set Up QoS

Let’s say you have a 10Mbps internet connection. You want to allocate 9Mbps for normal internet use and 1Mbps for VoIP. The internet priority will be set to 8 (Default), and the VoIP priority will be set to 1.

Step 1: Access Your MikroTik Router

Step 2: Identify Connections

Mark the VoIP connection by setting up mangle rules.

Step 3: Identify Packets – Mark the VoIP packets by creating another mangle rule and selecting the VoIP-Connection mark as setup in the previous step.

Step 4: Setup a primary Queue – Create a simple queue that will be used for the entire network and limit that queue at 9M with a priority of 8.

Step 5: Setup a VoIP Queue – Create another simple queue that will be used to prioritize the VoIP traffic. Limit the queue at 1M and select the VoIP-Mark that was created in mangle rules and set the priority to 1.

Step 6: Test and Monitor – Monitor traffic and ensure QoS is working as intended. Adjust rules and settings based on network performance and requirements.

MikroTik QoS is an indispensable tool for anyone looking to optimise their network. Whether you are managing a small office or a large enterprise, MikroTik’s QoS capabilities provide the flexibility and control needed to deliver a superior networking experience.