My GF and I have a small home network. We have 3 PCs (mine), 2 Macs (hers), and a HP printer connected to it. It’s a peer-to-peer setup using a broadband router for DHCP and internet access through a cable modem.
We use the bandwidth for email and web related activities. I’m also an online gamer. She sometimes does large file uploading and downloading. There’s the snag. When she is doing that, the latency is too high for me to online game effectively. Generally we are adult enough to allow for each other’s needs, but once in a while we both have bad days and sparks can fly.
I have found software such as Netlimiter, to limit bandwidth usage on a PC. That doesn’t help, since my games aren’t what is consuming massive bandwidth. I haven’t been able to find anything for her Macs to do a similar task. However, I know very little about Macs. For all I know, there is something in the OS to help. I have also found a Linksys router (model #BEFSR81) that is supposed to have some QoS capabilities for port based priority. Reviews of this router seem to say that this feature is more theoretical than practical in this router though.
The goal seems to be limiting the amount of bandwidth her Mac uses or allowing a way to prioritize the gaming packets. I’m looking for a router based solution or possibly software for the Mac. As mentioned earlier, PC software is futile, since my PC’s aren’t hogging the bandwidth. I would rather not set up a Linux proxy.
I’d use air-gap method of limiting bandwidth. that is unplug her from the router when you’re gaming.
Seriously though, I don’t think there’s much you can do that won’t limit her so much that it’ll piss her off anyway. But I have limited network experience (my small home network only)
I haven’t taken the time to actually look at the things, but there are new routers being made with VoIP in mind, and the port for the VoIP device is given priority over “mere data” - perhaps one of these might be the sneaky way to throttle your wife’s connection?
There isn’t much here that I can use yet, but thanks for keeping the thread alive.
The air gap method definitely wouldn’t work for more than about 30 seconds. She is way too smart for that, plus I’m trying to find a solution that works for both of us.
Regarding a “mixed marriage”, well, we’re not married yet. We do kid each other about the type of computers we use, but it’s friendly. The one thing that I do think is funny is that even she would admit that she has more problems with her Macs than I do with my Windows/Linux PCs. I think I’ll stop there since I definitely don’t want to get that debate started in this thread.
Many of the next generation of 5 port routers really will have more “real” QoS features, with many of them showing up within the next quarter. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any brands/models to look for.
btw, you imply that you already have a linux machine. Conceivably, you could use it for what it’s doing now, and use it to do your qos. The issue of course would be performance. If you’re just using it as an occasional file server, it should be fine. But if you’re doing your gaming from it, or doing other heavy horsepower things on it, that may not work.
One of my machines has Windows and Linux installed. I don’t think performance would be an issue, but this machine is normally running Windows. It’s sort of my dedicated “work” machine. The other two are mostly for fun. I do have an extra box sitting around that could run a Linux install just fine, but then I run into desk top and room space issues. Hmmm… maybe I could get a little pizza box or cube PC, install Linux, and then disconnect the keyboard and monitor? Of course, a new router would sure be easier if I could find one to do what I need.
I’m guessing that there isn’t any Mac software that will help or someone would have mentioned it (or I would have found it with my searches). With luck my GF and I can make it another 3 or 4 months without having another run in over this. Maybe a new router will be available by then?
Should be. The way these things usually work is that the chip designers make the chips, then the cheap chinese/taiwanese manufacturing houses make reference boards, then they convince the D-Links and Linksyses of the world to slap their label on it, then production runs start in earnest.
Right now, it’s mostly the manufacturing houses peddling their wares, which is why I can’t tell you what brands/models to look for.
I’m trying to remember the name of the company that sells these little 250Mhz Linux boxes with flash for storage, but it’s escaping me at the moment.
Damn… they advertise in the back of the Linux Journal, all of my copies of which are currently sitting on my desk at work. Somebody help me out here…
Anyway, IIRC, they’re in the $200 range, and you’ll need a null modem cable to do the initial setup, but it’ll give you a smaller solution than using an old desktop machine, a cheaper solution than building a new small form factor box, and a more flexible solution than consumer-grade routers.
If somebody doesn’t beat me to it, I’ll post a link tomorrow morning.
As it turns out, doing this on Linux is a bit of effort; iptables is kindof an ugly configuration, and qos is even tougher. If linux projects are your kind of thing, this could be a lot of fun. I would personally enjoy it. But if you have more important things to do, rolling your own could be a big frustrating waste.
As far as disconnecting the keyboard and monitor goes, that’s a pretty standard thing to do with Linux. (Web servers for example. None of the Linux boxes in my life (at least a dozen alive here and there) have keyboards or monitors. Except the one that drives my TV; I guess you could call that a monitor.
By this, do you mean that she’s using a file-sharing app of some kind? Almost every one of those that I’ve seen has a built-in option to limit both upstream and downstream bandwidth.
It’s mostly FTPing files which also seems to put a damper on the software mentioned above since port 21 is only used for the protocol not the actual transfer.
Nah… then neither of us would get anything done.
Thanks for the answers everyone. I know my options now. I think I’m going to wait for a router with new features. If we feud about this again too soon (or if I get bored), setting up a solution like that Linux box might be entertaining and not beyond my capabilities.
(j/k).
We do kid each other about the type of computers we use, but it’s friendly. The one thing that I do think is funny is that even she would admit that she has more problems with her Macs than I do with my Windows/Linux PCs. I think I’ll stop there since I definitely don’t want to get that debate started in this thread.