How to Limit Internet Wifi Speed Usage (Explained)

There may be moments where limiting the internet speed can stop you from wasting data and end up getting overcharged for your internet usage. That said, there is a way for you to limit your bandwidth. So, how do you limit your internet WiFi speed usage?

You can limit your internet WiFi speed usage through the QoS on your router. Just configure the QoS to set up the priorities for the different types of internet priorities so that there are certain internet uses that are not as prioritized as others. Installing traffic-shaping software also helps.

Of course, there are also ways that are effective at limiting your internet WiFi speed usage. However, using the quality of service or QoS on your router and installing different types of software that can enable you to control your bandwidth.

This is generally the most effective ways you can use it. That said, let us get to know more about how you can use the different ways to limit internet speed usage.

How to Limit Internet WiFi Usage

With internet usage, we all want the best for us in terms of the speed and quality that we get from our WiFi.

You may wonder why we would even think about limiting our internet WiFi use if we all want internet speed that is fast and reliable at all times. At first, it might sound puzzling but there are pretty good reasons for that.

There will be times when too many devices and people are connected to your own Wifi network to where it has actually been slowing down your own connection. That’ll make it difficult for you to work at home, play your games without lag, or even stream movies.

There are also some internet activities that end up eating a good chunk of the bandwidth to where it makes the entire connection slow.

And, sometimes, you just want to limit your internet speed usage to minimize the data use and to prevent your internet bill from spiking.

Now that we have that out of the way, you now know that there actually is a good reason you would want to limit internet WiFi speed usage.

So, in case you want to limit your speed usage, you might wonder how you can do that. Well, we have different methods that you may want to use in case you are looking to limit your internet speeds.

Method 1: Changing the QoS on the router

The first method of limiting your internet WiFi speed usage involves changing the Quality of Service or the QoS on your router.

This is by far the best way for you to limit the bandwidth consumption of your computer or any other device that may be connected to your WiFi connection.

So, the basic premise of the QoS is to allow a small business or a home to control the traffic priority of the different devices that are connected to the router.

By looking at the devices and the different activities done in each device, the QoS can prioritize the speed and traffic depending on how you configured it.

Now, speaking of configuration, here is how you use the QoS to limit your internet WiFi speed connection:

Step 1: Access your router’s dashboard. This can depend on the type of router you have, and that is why it is imperative that you look at your router’s manual first so that you will know how to access the dashboard.

There are some routers that allow you to access the dashboard through an app but the older ones require you to log into its IP address.

Step 2: Look for a tab, section, or option that says Quality of Service or something that’s similar to that. Again, different routers may word this differently but the gist is similar. Also, most routers should have this option in their dashboard.

Step 3: From there, you will see the different devices that are connected to the router. Sometimes, you will have to manually input the device’s MAC or IP address, whichever should apply.

Step 4: After inputting your MAC or IP address, you can set the priority level depending on what you prefer.

You can set your own computer as the highest priority level so that your router will prioritize the internet traffic on your computer while all the other devices are second only in terms of priority.

Step 5: You can also do the same with other devices depending on which ones you want to have the highest or lowest priority levels.

In that case, other computers or devices that you don’t want to hog all the bandwidth can have priority levels lower than your computer.

Depending on the software or router that you are using, there are some options that even allow you to control the download or upload speeds depending on certain factors.

Meanwhile, some routers allow you to use the QoS to implement smart traffic priorities that depend on certain factors as well.

An intelligent QoS can immediately decide different internet activities that it can give priority to such as gaming, video streaming, and file downloads.

This is the best way for you to limit internet WiFi speed usage not only in your device but all the other devices connected to your router as well.

So, in case you want to save money or if you want to make sure that your internet activities such as gaming or streaming are prioritized more than the simple social media scrolling that other people connected to your WiFi are doing, you can simply use QoS to prioritize your computer.

Method 2: Using third-party software

While we do recommend that you use QoS because it is the best way for you to limit your internet Wifi speed usage, you can also make use of third-party software that you can download online to limit your internet bandwidth.

This is in case you are using a router that has limited options regarding what you can do with QoS.

A third-party application that we recommend you use is NetBalancer. This software is free and is quite easy to use. And what we like about it is that it allows you to limit the priority of certain processes that make use of your internet bandwidth.

So that you can maximize the speeds in other processes or limit the speeds altogether if you want to minimize your internet usage bill. Here is a quick overview of how it works:

• Sets a download or upload or network priority limit for certain processes so that they won’t be able to eat up the bandwidth whenever they are downloading large files.
• Manages the priorities and the limits of each network adapter.
• Sets up different network traffic rules that the software should follow.
• Allows you to group different local network computers altogether so that you can balance their traffic.
• Shows you which processes and computers are receiving the highest network traffic.

So, as you can see, a third-party app such as NetBalancer can do a lot for your network traffic. This can be a good alternative for those who cannot use QoS.

Different third-party applications are actually quite effective at limiting certain actions and speeds of the different devices and processes that are connected to your WiFi.

Can I Limit WiFi Usage Per Device?

So, if you are looking to limit the WiFi usage per device and not just your computer or of certain processes that use your WiFi network, you can actually do so by making use of the QoS.

As mentioned above, when you open your QoS, some routers will be able to show you the different devices connected to it. However, if that is not the case for your router, you can manually input the MAC or IP address of the device you want to limit.

After inputting the MAC or IP address of the device, the next thing that you can do is to set their priority to a level lower than your computer.

You can even set them to the lowest priority level in case you want to truly limit the WiFi usage of those certain devices.

By doing so, some computers or devices that tend to eat up a huge chunk of the bandwidth won’t be able to do so.

Can I Set Time Limits on My Wireless Router?

Here is another different scenario. Suppose that your goal now is not to simply limit the internet WiFi speed usage of certain devices but to actually limit the time of their use, is that possible?

After all, doing so can also save you a lot of money because of how some devices won’t be able to eat up data if you have a time limit on it.

So, while this is possible, it still depends on your router. However, most routers actually allow it nowadays because of how certain parents try to limit the internet use of their children.

This is actually an effective way for you to implement parental guidelines in internet usage nowadays.

If you have a good router that isn’t obsolete yet, you should be able to find this in your router’s dashboard. Here is how you do it:

1. Log into your router’s dashboard or control panel.
2. From there, look for something similar to “parental control” or “access restriction”.
3. In the access restriction area, which can be found in most Linksys routers, you can set up a time limit for when your router can be accessed.
4. Newer routers can even allow you to enter time limits per device so that you can actually pinpoint your kids’ devices and limit the time they can spend on their devices.

Being able to put a time limit on your WiFi router can be a good way of parenting your children but it can also be great at disciplining yourself from trying to access the internet during certain time periods.

Whatever the case may be, this option can be handy in certain situations.

How Can I Block Another Computer From Using My WiFi?

Finally, what if you are not simply trying to limit a computer or device in terms of internet speed and bandwidth?

What if you are actually trying to block another computer because someone was able to access your WiFi password and has been leeching off of your WiFi? Is it possible for you to do that?

Yes, it is possible for you to actually block another computer from using your Wifi without having to change your Wifi password. Again, you will have to access your router’s dashboard for you to do so.

And make sure that you have administrator credentials when accessing the router’s dashboard.

1. In the dashboard, look for the list of devices connected to your router.
2. If any of the devices are unfamiliar to you, that is probably the computer or device you want to block. Take note of that MAC or IP address.
3. Look for the router’s access restriction part. Again, this will depend on your router, as some routers may word this differently or may have it under the router security portion. However, all routers should have this option.
4. In the access restriction part, look for the part where you can block a device. Add the MAC or IP address to that and apply the block rule. That device should no longer be able to access your WiFi.
5. So, from there, the next best thing to do is to change your WiFi password in case that person has another device he can use to access your internet connection. Or you can just simply identify that new device and then add it to the block list as well.

Conclusion

Knowing how to limit your internet Wifi speed usage or even restrict other people from accessing your Wifi has a lot of different benefits on your part.

This is important for those who want to make sure that they don’t overspend on their Wifi use and for those who tend to be heavy internet bandwidth users but are constantly frustrated by other devices that eat up the bandwidth as well.

Of course, this can also be great for parenting in a day and age where kids are now on their tablets or pads all day long.

Whatever you may want to use this knowledge for, it still is great that you know how to take control over your router and your internet usage so that you can maximize your speeds and make sure that you get to save a ton of money by not overspending.