VI. Feature Setup
ExpiredZoom video conferencing: Prioritise Zoom with Quality of Service (QoS) on a DrayTek router
DrayTek's Quality of Service can help to make the most of an Internet connection. It does so by splitting up the connection into multiple Queues of different levels of importance and time-sensitivity.
Each of the QoS Class groups (Class 1, 2, 3) is assigned priority in order, with Class 1 (and Auto-VoIP) being the highest priority, then Class 2, Class 3 and then Unclassified. Each Class group can have bandwidth reserved for it, ensuring each Class always has sufficient bandwidth available to give the best performance to all services.
Unclassified traffic is treated as the least time sensitive, which is fine for video streaming services and general downloads.
Assigning services like Zoom to a QoS Class and configuring Quality of Service to give the best experience, requires Firmware 3.9.4 or later and only requires a couple of steps to configure:
| 1 | Configure App QoS | Set up the router's App QoS system to prioritise Zoom's traffic |
| 2 | Enable & Tune QoS | Activate Quality of Service for a WAN interface and ensure it's properly tuned to give the best performance |
| 3 | View QoS Statistics | Check the activity of Quality of Service in real time |
Step 1 - Configure App QoS
To prioritise Zoom traffic with Quality of Service, it needs to be prioritised with App QoS.
Go to [Bandwidth Management] > [App QoS] and select the Enable option.
Select the "Traceable" tab and check that your App QoS menu looks the same as this image, with options for "Instant Messaging" at the top. If it only shows options for "Protocol", make sure the firmware on the router is Firmware 3.9.4 or later, which is required for the router to be able to prioritise Zoom traffic.
Once the Enable option is selected, scroll down the Traceable list to the Remote Control section:
In the Traceable > Remote Control section, tick Enable for Zoom and set its priority to QoS Class 1 (High).
Or if you've already got Quality of Service configured with VoIP or other high-priority and low-bitrate services classified as QoS Class 1, set Zoom to QoS Class 2 (Medium) instead.
Scroll down to the end of the page once that's set:
At the end of the [App QoS] menu, click OK to save and apply the App QoS profile:
Zoom Video Conferencing will now be classified by the router with the selected QoS priority.
Step 2 - Enabling and Tuning Quality of Service
Once App QoS is configured to assign Zoom traffic to a QoS Class, go back to [Bandwidth Management] > [Quality of Service].
Tick the Enable checkbox for each WAN interface that you want to apply Quality of Service to:
| WAN Type | Inbound / Outbound Bandwidth | Class 1 / 2 / 3 / Others Bandwidth Reservation % |
|---|---|---|
| WAN1 on DSL Routers | xDSL routers determine the correct speed to use from the DSL sync rate |
Consider the amount of bandwidth that each Class might potentially require and set the reservation % accordingly. The upstream bandwidth is usually the limiting factor, with lower speeds than download bandwidth. Set the reservation to account for the lower amount of upstream bandwidth available. VoIP call audio (including MS Teams) with a high quality codec can use around 100Kb/s per call. |
|
WAN2 on DSL Routers All WANs on Ethernet Routers |
While QoS is not enabled, check the available bandwidth with a speed testing website. Once you've determined the maximum bandwidth, set the Inbound/Outbound Bandwidth values to be maybe 5% lower than that maximum rate. Setting a slightly lower value can give better overall performance, especially with time & latency sensitive traffic. |
Click OK to apply the QoS settings.
The router will now begin to prioritise traffic passing through to the Internet, based on these Quality of Service settings.
Step 3 - Viewing QoS Statistics
To view the status and performance of Quality of Service, go to [Bandwidth Management] > [Quality of Service] and click the Status - Status link for the desired WAN interface:
This shows in real time how traffic is handled by the router.
In this example, a Zoom video meeting is taking place while other users are watching YouTube.
The router allocates all the bandwidth required for the audio and video data of the meeting and sends those important packets out first, while file transfers and video streaming continue to operate at a slightly lower speed:
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- First Published: 06/07/2020
- Last Updated: 22/04/2021