Understanding MikroTik queues for bandwidth management

Why bandwidth management matters

Without bandwidth management, a few heavy users can consume all available bandwidth, leaving other subscribers with poor service. Effective queue management ensures fair distribution and consistent quality of service for all users.

Simple queues vs queue trees

MikroTik offers two main queuing mechanisms:

Simple queues

Best for straightforward per-subscriber bandwidth limiting. Each subscriber gets a queue with defined upload and download limits. Easy to understand and configure, and what LALABill uses for hotspot users.

Queue trees

More flexible but complex. Used for hierarchical bandwidth management where you want to set a total bandwidth limit for a group of subscribers and distribute it among them. Useful for advanced QoS scenarios.

How LALABill handles queues

When a subscriber connects through LALABill (via hotspot or PPPoE), the system automatically creates a simple queue on the MikroTik with the speed limits defined in their package. No manual queue creation needed.

Best practices

• Set reasonable speed limits that match your backhaul capacity
• Monitor queue utilization to identify bottlenecks
• Use burst settings for better perceived performance on web browsing
• Regularly review and adjust speed tiers based on usage patterns