[WXC/VFX] QOS / Bandwidth Management / VFX

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hairy1

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Topic # 12078 27-Feb-2007 08:06

Good Morning,

I am not using VFX yet but am about to take the plunge. I have a wireless router without QOS and was wondering if anyone is using any bandwidth management software such as http://www.softperfect.com/bandwidth for managing QOS. I have a basic 256 k / 128 k plan and was going to get a PAP2T so I don't have to upgrade my router for now. What sort of data usage does VFX use for (say) a 1 hour call?

Cheers,

Matt.

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sbiddle

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Reply # 62096 27-Feb-2007 08:34

To run that software you would need to route all your internet traffic through a single PC running it that would need to be switched on 24/7. For most home users a router with QoS is the best option.

With a slow internet connection such as yours I would say that QoS would be necessary to provide reasonable call quality. Plenty of bandwidth can reduce the need for effective QoS but on a slow connection such as yours trying to use the internet and make call at the same time would just be asking for trouble!

hairy1

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Reply # 62097 27-Feb-2007 08:50

Yep, not too much of an issue as we only have two computers on the Wireless LAN. I can throttle email with my mail server so it is just the Web browsing and any file downloading which would affect call quality. Just concerned the wife might throw a hissy fit if i either:

A. Buy a QOS router OR

B. interfere with an important phone call she was making!

Like a bunch of other people I am waiting for naked DSL

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grant_k

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Reply # 62103 27-Feb-2007 09:58

hairy1: What sort of data usage does VFX use for (say) a 1 hour call?

About 30 to 35MB.

Regarding a router, I use a ZyXEL P334W Wireless Router with Bandwidth Management at a site which has only a 128kbps Upstream bandwidth. At another site with Full-speed ADSL in both directions, I haven't found that any QoS was necessary.

Before installing the P334W, I just used to make sure that no large file attachments arrived in my e-mail while a phone call was being made. I also used to avoid sending large attachments during phone calls although this was easy to arrange as like you, we have only 2 PCs in the house.

However, I must say it's easier having the P334W installed as I just don't have to worry. There were several times when large e-mail attachments arrived without warning and I had to hurriedly kill Outlook Express using Task Manager. Now I don't have to worry. It was well worth the $200 I spent.

In your case, you might be better to buy one of the Linksys Combo devices as this will give you Voice Ports, Wireless Router and ADSL modem all in one, and would only cost $100 or so more than the PAP2T you are contemplating buying. You could then sell your existing router on Trade Me and recoup a few $.

My 2c worth...

hairy1

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Reply # 62128 27-Feb-2007 12:24

Thanks. I have done a bit more research and by the time I sell my existing router and purchase a QOS router it will cost around $100 which is the price of the PAP2T anyway.... So, that is the way to go and saves mucking around with software solutions.

Cheers.

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Fraktul

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Reply # 62152 27-Feb-2007 15:33

Do WxC provide any QoS for ingress traffic to their PPPoA virual interfaces on their LAC? Through policymaps on DSCP (if they use DSCP in any fashion through their core at all) or similar I presume.

Ovbiously you have no way or determinating a customer line train rate so this would assume some conservative values for the policy maps and be offered to the customer more as a VoIP specific data service... Or a good quality CPE router with RED would probably provide most of the benefit of the above approach depending on the customer ingress traffic composition.

Glazza

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Reply # 63308 10-Mar-2007 10:29

For what it is worth, I dont have any QOS enabled, and I can trash my link, and the VoIP stuff works fine....