I’m a tech expert – this is how to make your phone the VIP on your Wi-Fi network and beat the buffer!

We’ve all blamed our internet speed on YouTube buffering or low Netflix quality — but the main culprit is often the army of gadgets draining your Wi-Fi.

It might be your spouse streaming three sports games simultaneously, your child downloading a new video game, or your roommate watching his favorite show.

The good news is that there is a simple solution that doesn’t involve unplugging anything.

Enter Quality of Service, the unsung hero that can help you overcome traffic congestion on your wireless network.

What is Quality of Service (QoS), and how does it work?

It is a router technology that controls the bandwidth granted to Internet-enabled devices on the network.

When used with your home Wi-Fi network, certain tools will be marked as “more important” than others.

For example, if you want to prioritize your Smart TV for all your favorite shows, it will prompt you to slow down your Internet speed before it takes care of updating Windows.

This does not mean that Windows Update will freeze completely.

It will still work, but at a much slower rate, along with all the other devices that didn’t get VIP treatment. Yay for no more buffering!

The better your router, the more QoS options you have.

We’ve rounded up some big-name brands to show you how they work.

QoS won’t miraculously make all the devices on your network very fast.

It still depends on the initial speed of your internet package.

Think of service quality as an additional layer of improvement.

Enjoy happy streaming with the help of our guide

Quality of Service on Google Nest routers

Open the Google Home app on your phone.

To set device priority:

● Click Favorites, followed by Wi-Fi.

● Select Devices and choose the device you want to prioritize.

● Now decide how long you want to prioritize the device.

● Click Save.

To set activity priority:

● Tap Wi-Fi, followed by the Settings icon.

● Select favorite activities.

● Choose the type of activity you want to prioritize (for example, video conferencing).

Quality of Service on TP-Link routers

● Using a computer, connect to your router.

● Open a web browser and log in http://tplinkwifi.net/.

To set device priority:

● Click Advanced, followed by Quality of Service.

● Select device priority.

● Set your total internet bandwidth.

● Click Save.

● Find the device you want and turn on the priority switch.

To set application priority:

● Click Advanced, followed by Quality of Service.

● Select application priority.

● Set your total internet bandwidth.

● Click Save.

● Choose from the list of categories (Games, Streaming, etc.).

Quality of Service on NETGEAR routers

● Using a computer, connect to your router.

● Open a web browser and log in https://www.routerlogin.com/.

● Select Advanced.

● Click Setup, followed by QoS Setting and QoS Setting Rule.

● Select Add priority rule.

● Choose the priority category (Applications, Online Games, Ethernet LAN Port, or Mac Address).

● Customize your priority category (which app, game or internet port you want to use).

● Now, under Priority, set the level to High, High, Normal, or Low.

● Click Apply.

Quality of Service on Linksys routers

● Using a computer, connect to your router.

● Open a web browser and log in http://192.168.1.1.

● Select Apps & Games, followed by Quality of Service in the sub-tab.

● Click Enabled in the Internet Access Policy Priority field.

● Set the upstream bandwidth to manual.

● Fill in the bandwidth value.

● Now select the drop-down arrow to choose the appropriate category.

● Name the device you want to prioritize and fill in its MAC address.

● Set the priority level.

● Click Apply.

Are you using a different brand? Search for your router’s QoS to find instructions on the manufacturer’s website or in the digital manual.