In the advanced wireless network settings on ASUS routers, you can find the WMM APSD parameter. What is it and what is it for?!
WMM APSD function is a special energy saving mechanism in WiFi standards. It controls the use of the wireless access point radio module on the one hand, and the Wi-Fi adapter of a laptop, tablet or phone on the other hand, providing longer operation for battery-powered devices. Support for the function is required on both sides.

For mobile devices such as iPhone or iPad, enabling this functionality allows you to save from 10% to 30% of battery charge. To do this on an ASUS router, you need to go to the “Wireless Network” section and open the “Professional” tab. At the very bottom of the list of parameters there will be an item “Enable WMM APSD”, which must be activated.

WMM APSD technology uses a longer beacon interval and a different DTIM period so that whenever the mobile device goes into sleep mode, the ASUS router will keep a data buffer for it.
The function has two subtypes:

U-APSD- unscheduled energy saving mode. S-APSD- Scheduled energy saving mode.

It is worth considering that if your devices do not support this technology, then it is better to disable it on the router. Otherwise, problems with the stability of the WiFi wireless network may occur.

Firmware version: 3.0.0.4.270.26 (Merlin build)

This section allows you to make detailed settings for your wireless network, thereby improving the quality, increasing the speed and increasing the range of the wireless network. In the fields “Date when the radio module was turned on (week days)”(Monday to Friday) and “Date when the radio module was turned on (weekend)”(Saturday, Sunday) you can select the days of the week on which automatic activation of the wireless module will be allowed, indicating in the fields “Radio module turn-on time” on and off times (from 00:00 to 23:59).
When activating the item "Set up an isolated access point" wireless clients and devices will not be able to communicate with each other (for example, they will not be able to transfer files to each other). This feature is useful when providing free access to a wireless network in public places (for example, in a cafe).
In field "Multicast Data Rate (Mbps)" you can select the speed (from to ), which will be reserved for multicast data transmission (for example, IPTV over UDP).
For all modern devices, to improve wireless network performance, in the field "Preamble Type" it is necessary to select . For compatibility with older devices, you must select .
To improve transmission efficiency in conditions of interference, as well as in the presence of a large number of clients, you should reduce "Threshold of readiness for transmission"(RTS signal) – selected experimentally. Default value: 2347.
Field "DTIM Interval" denotes the period of time after which wireless clients wake up from sleep mode. Recommended value is 1. Default value is 3.
Field value "Signal interval" to increase the transmission speed in an unstable environment (for example, the presence of interference, or a large number of access points in the operating frequency range of the router) or for a moving client, it is recommended to reduce (unit ms) - selected experimentally. The default value is 100.
Inclusion "TX Bursting" increases the speed of data transfer from the access point to wireless clients.
Paragraph "Wireless Multicast Forwarding" includes broadcast (multicast) data transmission over a wireless network (for example, IPTV over UDP).
Paragraph "WMM APSD" controls automatic energy saving.
Enabling the option "Enhanced interference management" This will improve the router's performance in a noisy environment, but it may, under some circumstances, reduce the stability of the connection.
In field The transmitter power is set in mW, the higher the value, the greater the range of the wireless network, the better the quality and the higher the data transfer speed (provided the wireless router is operating in an open field). When using a wireless router at home and office, the field value "Setting the transmission power" must be selected experimentally, guided by the rule: more does not mean better.
Field range "Setting the transmission power" varies depending on the country you live in (in this example from 1 to 100 mW).

Recommended values:
« Multicast Data Rate (Mbps)» — [Disable].
« Preamble type» — (increases productivity).
« Threshold of readiness for transmission» - “512”.
« DTIM Interval» - "1".
« Signal interval» - "50".
« Enable TX Bursting» — [Enable] (increases speed).
« Wireless Multicast Forwarding» — if you have IPTV via UDP protocol, [Enable]. In other cases, [Disable].
« Enable WMM APSD» — [Disable] (increases stability and quality of communication).
« Enhanced interference management» — [Disable] (increases communication stability).
« Setting the transmitter power» - for home use, no more than “60-70”. To ensure communication stability over long distances, “100”.

Not all routers have the necessary quality of service, but if a user is looking for a new one in the market, you need to know about the important WMM feature, without which...

From Masterweb

25.07.2018 01:00

Every year, Wi-Fi mobile devices require more and more battery power, as applications for voice, audio and video, which are quite energy-intensive, have become widely used. In order to save the operating time of a laptop or mobile device in this situation, many manufacturers began to use WMM technology. It functionally provides quality of service (QoS) in Wi-Fi networks. Before enabling WMM, configure the router by prioritizing traffic from different applications.

It is now a required feature for 802.11n-enabled devices. More advanced WMM Power Save technology is optimized for latency-sensitive applications and improves the performance of any Wi-Fi device. By using it, the same amount of data can be transmitted in fewer frames in a shorter time, allowing the router to maintain a low-power dispenser state between transmissions.

Basics and priorities

WMM (WiFi Multimedia) supports audio, video and voice priority and consumes less power compared to other similar applications. Using QoS (Quality of Service), WMM ensures that applications that require more bandwidth and performance are queued with higher priority.

For example, video and audio applications are given higher priority than applications such as FTP, so the user does not experience playback lag when making a phone call.

Before enabling WMM, define the following four priority queues:

1. Voice (VoIP), highest priority with minimal latency, making it ideal for voice applications.
2. Video is the second highest priority.
3. Most standard IP applications are routed to a medium priority queue.
4. FTP and other applications that are not time sensitive are placed in the fourth queue when WMM mode is enabled.

Subset of IEEE 802.11e standard

WMM was the predecessor to the 802.11e standard, an improvement on that standard, and has rightly been called an improvement in quality of service (QoS). Even though the original WMM standard and 802.11e are now obsolete, the industry continues to use the old terminology. WMM supports radio profiles as well as corresponding QoS policies that describe access classes. A wireless client using WMM Power Save communicates with the access point using a Radio profile. Before turning on WMM, configure access priorities: voice, video, background.

WMM Power Save is disabled by default on access points, even if it saves battery life, because clients using Power Save must send a separate PSpoll to receive each unicast packet buffered by the access point radio. This can sometimes slow down performance, depending on your network configuration. In addition, applications must support Power Save to inform the client about the requirements of the traffic that is generated.

This technology conserves client battery life, can operate on any Wi-Fi network, and coexists with traditional 802.11 power-saving mechanisms. For example, if you enable WMM Zyxel. What does this mean for the user? This connection will ensure the economical operation of remote devices within the router’s coverage area.

Connecting Quality of Service

Quality of Service is a router feature that helps control how bandwidth is distributed among devices and applications. When a network is congested with too much Internet traffic, Quality of Service prioritizes certain types of traffic over others. Wi-Fi Multimedia - This feature is the simplest form of QoS and only works with Wi-Fi traffic.

Another important quality feature, Bandwidth Control, allows you to set minimum and maximum bandwidth limits using IP addresses and port ranges before enabling WMM. Addresses correlate with devices, while port ranges correlate with applications. This is the most reliable form of quality service. When purchasing a router, you need to make sure that the buyer gets one that supports Bandwidth Control in addition to Wi-Fi Multimedia.

There are several steps to enable QoS on your router, but since each model is different, it's not possible to get universal step-by-step instructions. Luckily, these settings are quite easy to find. WMM should be located in the Wireless section, and Quality of Service (or Bandwidth Control) usually has its own section, which is often located in the additional settings menu; to do this, you just need to enable the Wi-Fi Multimedia WMM mode.

5 Reasons to Enable Quick Settings

Typically, routers process Internet traffic on a first-come, first-served basis. A Netflix data packet arrives, the function transmits it to the TV. A data package arrives to download, she delivers it to the computer. But a router can only process a limited amount of data per second, so sometimes packets get backed up and form a separate line - especially when there are a ton of packets coming in at once. Quality of service allows the router to prioritize, say, Netflix data packets.

Even if there are many downloaded packets "waiting in the queue", as soon as a Netflix data packet arrives, the router switches its attention and processes it immediately. To do this, you just need to know how to enable WMM ad hoc qos. This can have a very positive impact on a home network, especially when there are multiple users and devices trying to do high-capacity intensive work. Here are some use cases where QoS can come in handy:

1. Reduce lag in online games.
2. Improve your Skype, Google Hangouts, Discord or any other Netflix Stream video chat without interruption.
3. Minimize heavy loading.
4. Prioritize PC traffic over other traffic.
5. Due to the quality of service, you can set some devices to be faster; to do this, you need to enable the Wi-Fi Multimedia WMM mode.

Battery Saving

Power Save products designed for mission-critical applications such as mobile phones, smartphones and other portable power devices typically use WMM Power Save. The basic concept of WMM Power Save is that the client triggers the release of buffered data from the access point by sending an uplink data frame. Upon receiving this trigger frame, the access point releases previously buffered data stored in each of the four queues.

The user will be able to enable WMM qos in the settings to help launch the mechanism for dividing traffic into four access categories: background, best efforts, video and voice. The QoS policy defines different treatment for each access category. As a result, different packets are processed differently. Power related parameters:

1. Minimum power consumption. Allows you to use 802.11 power saving mode. This is when the radio or scanning may be temporarily disabled if it is not associated with an access point or the computer is in standby mode.
2. Output power. Sets the transmit power to predefined values: 100, 75, 50% of the rated output power.
3. U-APSD support. This is a WMM-Power persistence feature that provides additional power saving capabilities for client applications if the user has enabled WMM in ad hoc qos mode.

Enable support on your router

Automated WMM service prioritizes multimedia features over the wireless network and significantly increases throughput for devices using these criteria, so less time is spent buffering and more time is spent streaming content. What does it mean to enable WiFi Multimedia WMM mode? Below is the procedure:

1. Login to your account.
2. Open a browser, enter the manufacturer's default IP address, which is usually located on the bottom of the router or in the user manual. Using your username and password, go to the router settings page.
3. Open the Wireless tab to change your wireless network settings.
4. Go to the WMM or equivalent tab.
5. Wi-Fi Multimedia WMM mode will cause the settings to change later.
6. Enable WMM support; its settings will be either in its own category or in a subheading in the wireless network settings menu.
7. Click the drop-down list or button, depending on your router, and select the desired setting. There will likely be other advanced options available in this menu.
8. Click “Apply”, then reboot the router according to the general settings.

Network Performance for Windows 7

Microsoft Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 introduced a new network traffic feature based on QoS traffic management, which allows system administrators to prioritize traffic based on URLs and will be executed immediately after enabling the router's WMM. In earlier versions of Windows, quality of service for outgoing IP packets could only be controlled by IP address and port number.

QoS-enabled routers work in conjunction with Windows to prioritize or throttle traffic. Windows 7 and Vista support two different forms of QoS. The latter's policy prioritizes and expands network traffic based on static parameters set by the system administrator.

Applications that are particularly sensitive to network latency, such as video streaming and Voice over IP, rely on QoS to reserve the bandwidth needed to operate smoothly when networks are heavily congested. To enable WMM apsd and take advantage of QoS in Windows, network routers and switches must support Differentiated Services Code Points (DSCP), which are values ​​(0-63) marked in the IPv4 and IPv6 packet headers using the Type of Service field ( TOS) and traffic (an octet class in IPv4 and IPv6, respectively, that defines the priority assigned to outgoing traffic).

Wireless setup

Even if a user of a home Internet network has a cable laid throughout the house, it still happens that Wi-Fi needs to be distributed. In this case, experts advise investing in a simultaneous dual-band router. These fancy routers provide Wi-Fi on the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.

To ensure that as much data as possible is transferred to your TV or anything else that captures video streams from the Internet, you can split the SSID to create two networks. Place all streamers on the faster 5GHz network and everything else on the slower 2.4GHz network. Many routers have the ability to prioritize media, applications, or devices and give out the most bandwidth, giving the TV or other video recording device top billing on your home network.

Device prioritization typically requests the MAC address. This is a unique number assigned to all devices on the network. You can usually find it near the Ethernet port, in the device settings, or the router will display it for all devices connected to it. This prioritizes both the app and the device to ensure maximum throughput at home.

Benefits of QoS

Network traffic management is often considered the reserve of high-end enterprise routers and switches, but even with consumer-grade Wi-Fi adapters and routers, smaller organizations can benefit from basic QoS with WMM. With Windows policy, it is especially useful for networks with congested WAN links.

Windows QoS provides system administrators with a simple way to implement basic controls over congested networks, helping to ensure that applications sensitive to network congestion, such as VoIP and other business resources, are prioritized. Windows 7's QoS-based traffic control simplifies configuration and ensures that important Internet resources can be accessed in a timely manner, no matter what else might happen on the network.

Setting up a broadband upgrade will require some funding, no one likes to spend extra money, but if the user is really serious about their home network settings, they will have to do it. With 4K internet streaming now truly available to the widest range of consumers, you'll need to upgrade to 20Mbps to truly enjoy crystal clear images. Next, you can't do without the QoS package in Windows 7, as it will help with buffering and provide a great HD stream.

Such capabilities were discovered in a screenshot of the ZyXEL VSG1432-Telus Wireless WMM, which features MAC WPS WMM authentication, enhanced Wi-Fi multimedia. If you enable WMM ZyXEL, what does this mean for the user? The result will be visible within the first minutes of the router’s operation.

WMM APSD enable or disable?

Configuring WMM APSD is a power saving mechanism implemented in Wi-Fi standards. Before you decide to turn this setting on or off, you need to know that it means the power saver will automatically apply. This is basically a feature mode that allows mobile devices to save more battery when connected to a Wi-Fi network by allowing them to go into standby or sleep mode.

APSD enables smooth transition into and out of standby mode by allowing mobile devices to signal the router's status. Similar to how the beacon interval and DTIM period work together to save device power. Whenever the wireless mobile adapter enters power saving or standby mode, the router or access point can buffer data and hold it for the mobile devices.

There are two types of APSD that are included in the battery saving feature. U-APSD (Unscheduled Automatic Delivery with Energy Saving):

1. Client devices signal the router to transmit any buffered data.
2. S-APSD (Power Saving Automatic Scheduled Delivery). The access point sends buffered data based on a predetermined schedule known to the power saving device, without any signal from the station device.

The battery consumption benefit can range from 10 to 30% compared to disabling this option. First you need to check whether the router manufacturer has released new firmware that will solve the problem.

Related router brands: WMM APSD Asus, WMM APSD D-link, WMM APSD Nest. Additionally, AirPlay devices use the Multicast feature to broadcast their presence. This advanced ASUS router may attempt to save power by disabling/filtering some network traffic.

First of all, you need to update Wireless - Professional firmware to version 3.0.0.4.360. Adjust settings:

1. Enable wireless scheduler - "No" (default "Yes").
2. Enable IGMP Snooping - Enable (disabled by default) - edit.
3. The only setting that has a WMM DLS value is “Enable” (the default is “Disable”).

To take advantage of the WMM Power Save functionality, both the Wi-Fi client and the access point must be Wi-Fi certified.

Kievyan Street, 16 0016 Armenia, Yerevan +374 11 233 255

Websites can barely open, YouTube videos are constantly buffered, and WiFi generally works very poorly - sound familiar? Unfortunately, this has been happening more and more lately. The reasons affecting the quality of a wireless network can be divided into three categories:

Poor WiFi performance due to band interference
- Incorrect access point installation
- Problems with the WiFi router or its settings

It is important to correctly identify the cause and then you can quickly eliminate it! In any case, if you have problems with your wireless network and Wi-Fi is working very poorly, try rebooting your router first. And if this simple manipulation does not help, then follow the advice from our article!

WiFi problems due to interference and neighbors

We constantly have to deal with situations where people complain that their WiFi on their phone or tablet doesn’t work well, as soon as they move more than 2-3 meters away from the router, or go to another room. Usually the reason is as simple as five cents. Open the list of available networks on your laptop or phone and count how many Wi-Fi access points are within reach.

If you see a picture similar to the one in the screenshot, then things are bad - your neighbors’ wireless networks are interfering with you. This is the main one 2.4 GHz band problem, which has a maximum of 14 channels. And then - only 3 of them do not intersect, and the rest can also interfere with each other. You can often find advice that you should try to manually set the radio channel you are using - this is all a waste of time. Attempts to amplify the signal using homemade amplifiers made from beer cans and the like will also lead to nothing. You will be constantly playing tug of war with your neighbors over the wireless network blanket. What should we do then? Buy a dual-band router and switch your home WiFi network to the 5 GHz band. Yes, this requires financial costs, but you simply have no other choice.

There are no or few access points in the neighborhood, but WiFi still doesn’t work well - then it’s worth trying to tinker with the settings. First, try changing the radio channel used by the router. This is done quite simply - you need to go to its web interface and find the parameter in the main WiFi settings Channel or Channel.

Click on the drop-down list to see all possible values.

By default, routers are set to either Auto or use channel number 6 (six). Try to put first (1) or eleventh (11). If there is interference somewhere, then it is unlikely to occupy the entire range and on one side the quality of the wireless network will be better.

Incorrect installation of WiFi router

Users pay a lot of attention to setting up an access point, but not to how and where it is installed. Most often, it is left right at the entrance to a house or apartment, where the provider’s cable was installed by the installer. It is not right! You’re not surprised then that Wi-Fi works disgustingly!

Particular attention should be paid to the location of the access point indoors! The quality of reception will depend on this. Look at the example in the picture. As you can see, the WiFi coverage area is shaped like a sphere, the signal spreads in all directions. This means that for the best signal quality, it is necessary that the center of the sphere coincides as closely as possible with the center of your apartment or house.

The quality of the signal is greatly influenced by plasterboard, expanded clay and especially concrete walls. If the signal passes this wall, it will immediately lose at least a third, or even half.

And Wi-Fi really doesn’t like water - water supply pipes, large aquariums and everything like that. As, in fact, large LCD or plasma panels on half the wall. They jam the signal quite strongly and this must be taken into account.

Poor speed over WiFi

Another common problem is that the Internet via WiFi does not work well - low speed with a good signal level. Here it is worth mentioning right away that by the word “low” everyone means completely different meanings. I would like to immediately point out that the speed via WiFi will be lower than via cable. At least now, in 2018. Even though on the box of a regular router like D-Link DIR-300 for 1000 rubles it is written that WiFi 802.11N speed is up to 300 Mbit per second. This is all fake. In practice, even on the most expensive routers in the 5 GHz range, the modern 802.11AC standard cannot accelerate more than 80-85 Mbit/s. Therefore, you need to be serious and don’t expect fabulous speeds from a wireless network.

But if you have very poor speed via WiFi - at best 1-2 megabits and at the same time almost full signal scale - it’s worth thinking about. As a rule, this situation is associated with incorrect configuration of the router.

First, you can play with the channel width - Bandwidth. By default it is set to automatic or 20MHz.

Try changing the radio channel width value to 40MHz and look at the result.

Usually after this it is possible to increase the Wi-Fi speed by 1.5-2 times. But there is a caveat here - fast WiFi will only work at a relatively close distance. If you are far from the access point (say, through 2 or 3 walls), then changing the channel width may adversely affect the quality of the signal. In this case, return the old value back.

Another common mistake newbies make is incorrectly configured wireless network security. Yes, yes, this also affects the speed of Wi-Fi.

Use only WPA2-PSK with AES encryption. If you use the old WPA-PSK, then don’t expect speeds greater than 54 Megabits! And if you use WEP (under no circumstances!!), then the speed characteristics will be even lower.

Wireless MultiMedia

Despite the fact that all modern routers have the quality of service control function enabled by default - WMM or Wireless MultiMedia, there are models where you need to enable it yourself.

To achieve maximum wireless data transfer speeds, enabling this feature is a must!

Transmitter is too powerful

An interesting fact - if the signal strength of the router is too strong, Wi-Fi will also work poorly, and sometimes even worse than with a weak signal. I'm talking about those cases when the receiver and transmitter are located at a distance of no more than 1-1.5 meters from each other. For example, when the laptop and router are on the same table. For normal operation, either move 2-3 meters away from the access point, or lower the transmitter power in the settings:

By default, it is usually turned up to maximum. Within a one-room apartment, medium power is quite enough, and within one small room, you can even set the value to “Low”.

What else is bad for Wi-Fi?

There are a number of other factors that can also lead to WiFi not working well in an apartment or house. They are rarely remembered, but at the same time they can really become a source of serious interference for wireless equipment!

Microwave

Unfortunately, even kitchen appliances can create interference that makes WiFi work very poorly, especially if you have a very old router. The most striking example is microwave ovens. The thing is, microwaves operate at 2.45 GHz, which is incredibly close to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, which actually broadcasts between 2.412 GHz and 2.472 GHz. This is why experts do not recommend placing an access point in the kitchen.

Bluetooth devices

It turns out that another popular type of wireless connection, Bluetooth, also operates at 2.4 GHz. In theory, a properly designed device should be shielded to prevent interference. But this, unfortunately, is not always the case. In modern gadgets, to prevent frequency collision, Bluetooth manufacturers use frequency hopping, in which the signal rotates randomly between 70 different channels, changing up to 1600 times per second. New Bluetooth devices may also have the ability to identify "bad" or currently used channels and avoid them.
However, if you have an older adapter without channel control, interference may still occur. So try moving your Bluetooth devices away from your router. Well, or disable them for a while to see if they are the cause of your problems with Wi-Fi.

New Year's garlands

I would never have thought that ordinary cheap Chinese garlands could become a real obstacle to the normal operation of a Wi-Fi network. As it turns out, these lights can emit an electromagnetic field that interacts with Wi-Fi equipment. Flashing garlands have a particularly strong effect.
In reality, all types of lights can cause interference by emitting electromagnetic fields, but in most cases the effect is close to negligible. However, it is better to keep them away from the router.

Old router firmware

As a rule, a user buys a wireless router, configures it, and then completely forgets that it also needs to be maintained. How, you ask?! The fact is that a router is the same computer with its own operating system. This system is also written by people who tend to make mistakes. Therefore, the manufacturer constantly releases new firmware versions for its devices, in which it corrects found errors and adds new functions. Therefore, if your WiFi router works disgustingly, then try updating its firmware - in other words, you need to reflash the router.

For many models, in addition to the factory software, from the manufacturer, if there are alternative firmware, from third-party specialists. As a rule, they work better than factory ones. Therefore, if you haven’t looked at your router’s settings for a year or more, it’s better to download the latest version of the software for it and install it. It definitely can't get any worse!

In order to provide wireless network clients with a certain level of Quality of Service QOS, a special standard was created Wi-Fi Multimedia — WMM.
Some network equipment manufacturers call it slightly differently - Wi-Fi Multimedia Extensions, WME. The IEEE 802.11e standard is used as a basis, which provides the basic QOS capabilities for WiFi.

Currently, WMM defines four classes of service for wireless network traffic:

This technology does not provide a means of absolute and unconditional prioritization. But nevertheless, it allows packets with priority to be transmitted faster than others due to lower delays compared to lower priority ones.

There are no problems with the compatibility of devices with and without support for the WMM function. If traffic comes from a device that does not support this technology, then it is perceived as best-effort, i.e. with non-guaranteed delivery.

Although now it is quite difficult to find a modern router or access point without WMM QOS support, since it is supported by most manufacturers of network equipment and other electronics. On older devices, support for Wi-Fi Multimedia functionality can often be activated by installing new firmware.

Pros and cons of WMM technology

Pros:
+ widely supported by many equipment manufacturers;
+ increases the efficiency of the wireless network;
+ allows you to increase the battery life of phones and tablets due to U-APSD power management;
+ works for voice traffic and video;
+ allows you to achieve maximum transmission speed over the air;

Minuses:
— not supported in older devices;
— does not provide 100% priority for voice traffic;

How to enable WMM on a router

By default, the wireless traffic prioritization feature on many modems and routers is disabled. In order to enable WMM QOS on the router, you need to go to its web interface (usually by IP address or ), open the wireless network settings and check the appropriate box. This is how it is done on TP-Link routers:

And this is how it is done on the Zyxel Keenetic router:

Roughly speaking, look for the option in the general network settings. If it is not there, look in the advanced settings. In some cases (as on D-Link routers), WMM QOS settings are located in a separate menu item.