Installing SQM QoS on OpenWrt 23.05.0

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I assumed that SQM QoS would come installed out of the box on OpenWrt 23.05.0 so I could follow https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/traffic-shaping/sqm

However, there's no Network → SQM QoS.

Do I need to install SQM QoS on OpenWrt 23.05.0 by following:

?

I'm using openwrt-23.05.0-ath79-generic-tplink_archer-c7-v2-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin

2

Yes. SQM is an optional add-on package.
You need to install it with opkg, like any other new package that you want.

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3

If I want to manage via luci, is this the only command I need to run on the router over SSH?

# using luci:
opkg update; opkg install luci-app-sqm

The guide goes on to mention a list of commands but it might be only for those who don't want to manage via luci?

4

Yes,
and you could also update the package list and install the package via LuCI. In system/software tab.

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5

@hnyman unrelated to this topic but I'm curious about updating your firmware for the R7800

R7800 is supported at https://www.ofmodemsandmen.com/download.html which is just a nice distribution that adds USB modem support but I would like to use your distribution as the starting point

Do you have a GitHub or similar link with your makefiles etc?

Happy to move this to your thread if that's better

6

Well, like I say in the first message of my build thread, the second message of the thread contains instructions on how to easily copy all my changes in a few minutes to your own build repo. All my build downloads contain also the needed patches and a script to regenerate and patch my build env to Ubuntu. Just download the generation script and patch files of the build.

(I actually used that last week to move all my builds from Ubuntu 23.04 to 23.10 and start from a fulyl clean slate.)

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7

If i can mitigate bufferbloat using SQM QoS at 240Mbps bandwidth out of 300Mbps, what will happen if I upgrade to a 1Gbps connection? Does that mean I would have to lower bandwidth same amount (20%) on the 1 Gpbs connection and have same good results, or I would need to go much lower?

8

It depends on where that 240 Mbps limit is coming from:
a) you are running out of CPU cycles at around 240
b) 240 Mbps is the rate your ISP delivers reliably and hence the rate you selected

In case you are limited by a) without replacing the router you likely well still be limited to 240 Mbps even when changing to a 1000Mbps plan.
In case the limit was b) you likely will be able to set the shaper rate somewhat higher.

But note traffic shaping in the 500-1000Mbps class is pretty CPU intensive, so you likely will need a x86 or recent and beefy ARM cpus to pull this off.

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9

In simple terms, If i limit the "Download speed (ingress)" from 300000 to 240000, does it mean that if I'm downloading, others still have 60.000mbps to do their stuff?

Also, if I only use WiFi devices on the router, should I also enable another SQM on the Wifi interface (apart from SQM instance related to WAN)?

11

It depends... if you put SQM on the wan link (as recommended if you want to address bufferbloat) 240 will be the gross rate limit for all wan traffic. But if you instantiate SQM say on LAN1 then it will only affect traffic to/from LAN1, but it will not control bufferbloat on your wan link.

Only if you want to have separete traffic limits for WiFi. I note though that for WiFi it would be better to use a WiFi SoC that supports airtime fairness, then you likely need no additional traffic shaper for WiFi.

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