How to Limit Internet Bandwidth of WiFi Users with TP-Link WiFi Router

I recently bought a new TP-Link WiFi router for home use and told the WiFI access point password to my next door neighbor Janet and her sisters, thinking it would have no effect on my 8 mbps connection. But I was completely wrong. Only in a few days time, I started to face difficulties opening up simple websites in my browser. I called the ISP, their technician checked everything and there was no fault. Then I turned off the WiFi router and the internet on my PC came back to life again. My neighbors were using my internet connection for downloading torrents and other large files and this resulted in a little bandwidth left for my own use. Finally I figured out how to limit the internet bandwidth in a TP-Link router and shared only 2 mbps with my neighbors, leaving me with a comfortable share of the internet bandwidth.

If you also want to limit the bandwidth in your TP-Link WiFi router (or modem+router combo), then you can follow these simple steps:

  1. Type 198.168.0.1 or tplinklogin.net in your web browser, enter the username and password (both of which are admin by default), and press Enter. You will be shown the web interface for your TP-Link router.
  2. Open the section IP & Mac Binding → ARP List and note down the IP address of the person or device for which you want to limit the bandwidth. In my case, this IP address is 198.168.0.100.TP-Link WiFi Router Bandwidth Control
  3. Open the section Bandwidth Control → Control Settings. Select the checkbox Enable bandwidth control and click on the Save button.TP-Link WiFi Router Bandwidth Control
  4. Open the section Bandwidth Control → Rules List and click on Add New button. Enter the IP address (you do not have to enter an IP range) and the ingress (upload) and egress (download) speeds in the form and click on the Save button.TP-Link WiFi Router Bandwidth Control
  5. It would start limiting the bandwidth immediately. Now you can check the target device and run an internet speed test on it to find out whether the WiFi bandwidth is being limited or not.

Conclusion: TP-Link WiFi routers allow easy internet bandwidth control for all the devices connected through it. You can limit the bandwidth of devices or users that are downloading so much data from your WiFi access point that it is crippling the internet for your own use.

10 comments

  1. Hi, I have a similar problem. The only difference is “blocking the IP” is not a effective method. I am constantly on the move, so my IP is never the same. Say I blocked a 101. By tomorrow that IP ends up being my phone or laptop. Its frustrating. Why can a Mac address not be “limited” instead. That way I don’t end up slowing my own electronics every other day. I use a tp link

    1. how about you bind their devices to the same ip address so that they get the same address everytime you connect to the network.

  2. Sharing your Wifi with a neighbor is a Very Bad Idea!
    If they do something illegal that gets the cops looking for them…

  3. Thank you for the article. Do all of the TP-Link routers have this ability and is this limitation only for Internet connection, not LAN connection?

    1. All the TP-Link routers I have used have this feature. But you can always check the TP-Link website for details for any of their devices. This limits network bandwidth for all types of connection for that IP address.

      1. Thank you for your answer 🙂 I have just tested iptv connection. In the modem’s Web interface, in the PVC settings, I set the Internet connection protocol to Bridge from PPPoE and IPtv works 🙂 The router can dial username@iss and password to connect to Internet. The last night, I had found TL-WR841N router on the website of my favourite store. TP-Link pdf user guide says “The download/upload speed through the WAN port.” Fortunately, the bandwidth limitation limits only Internet connection.

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