Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate — the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given period of time. Network bandwidth is commonly expressed in bits per second (bps), Kilobits per second (Kbps), Megabits per second (Mbps), or Gigabits per second (Gbps).

Bandwidth management is the process of measuring, prioritizing, and controlling communications (traffic, packets) on a network link. It ensures critical applications (VoIP, enterprise software, video conferencing) receive adequate throughput while limiting non-essential downloads and high-consumption torrents. Learn more about bandwidth management vs speed limits.

Bandwidth control is the mechanism of sharing existing internet connection bandwidth and distributing it fairly among all users and servers according to preset administrator rules. Netwall implements an integrated approach to monitoring and limiting corporate or campus internet traffic, controlling employee productivity and protecting network performance.

In corporate networks sharing an unmanaged internet line, bandwidth hogs in non-critical departments often saturate the connection with heavy video downloads, P2P torrents, or gaming. This results in executive and critical emails stalling. Instead of continuously upgrading to expensive leased lines, deploying Netwall with QoS (Quality of Service) controls traffic dynamically. Everyone gets a fair share, high-priority packets jump the queue, and IT spending remains under control.

Move to Intelligent Cloud / Centralized Routing: Avoid decentralized, redundant appliances across branches.
Use Virtualized Infrastructures: Run Netwall software on scalable VMs or dedicated commodity servers rather than purchasing expensive proprietary hardware.
Deploy the Right Hardware First: Matching the correct MikroTik or x86 server hardware prevents costly emergency replacements.
Automated Subscriber Lifecycles: Use self-care portals and automated billing renewals to eliminate manual technician overhead.

Netwall Software provides continuous real-time monitoring of bandwidth utilization. Through the intuitive web console, administrators can set download/upload limits per user, group, IP subnet, or VLAN, and restrict specific heavy protocols such as FTP or torrent traffic.

Netwall provides an Online Active Users page and real-time MRTG/graph telemetry. You can view user names, assigned IP/MAC addresses, current instantaneous transfer rates, and cumulative session data transfer (upload/download MBs) with a single click.

Burstable bandwidth allocation temporarily allows a user or subscriber to exceed their committed information rate (CIR) for a specified number of seconds when spare network capacity is available. This accelerates initial page and video loads without saturating the overall pipe.

Netwall provides two main deployment architectures:

Server-Based Application (NetwallExpert Core): High-throughput x86 server software running FreeRADIUS AAA, integrated billing, and direct packet inspection.
Router-Based Central Controller (Netwall Central): Cloud-based or on-premise management orchestrating remote MikroTik, Fortinet, and Cisco NAS routers via native APIs.

Netwall software manages and controls bandwidth while blocking unauthorized or adult websites that degrade productivity in offices, schools, and campuses. It prevents non-critical background downloads from ruining core network applications. A one-time purchase reduces ongoing recurring IT expenses for buying unnecessarily oversized bandwidth pipes.

For entry-level or test deployments, Netwall requires as little as a standard x86 dual-core system with 2 GB to 4 GB of RAM, a 40 GB+ hard disk, and at least two Gigabit Network Interface Cards (WAN and LAN). For carrier-grade multi-gigabit ISP deployments, modern quad-core/multi-core Xeon/EPYC processors with 16 GB+ RAM and 10G SFP+ NICs are recommended.

You can request an evaluation build through our contact page. Our engineering team provides a bootable ISO or cloud image. The automated installer partitions the drive, sets up the hardened kernel, initializes database schemas, and displays the initial IP setup prompt.

You can configure the system through the secure web administrator console or via the terminal shell prompt. Simply enter your WAN IP, LAN IP ranges, default gateway, and DNS servers to start shaping traffic.

Policies are assigned to users, subscriber tiers, or departmental groups. Netwall allows restriction policies based on:

Time Schedules (Off-peak vs Peak) Static / DHCP IP Pools Port & Protocol Rules Network Zones / VLANs Data Transfer Quotas (GB Limits) Account Expiration Dates

Netwall monitors bandwidth utilization via real-time and historical graphs. You can analyze graphs by user, IP address, zone, or interface port to isolate latency spikes and packet losses immediately.

A firewall is a network security system that inspects incoming and outgoing network traffic passing through it, and permits or denies packets based on a predetermined set of security rules. Netwall includes integrated stateful packet inspection (SPI) and integrates with enterprise firewalls like Fortinet, Sophos, and MikroTik.

Content filtering evaluates requested web addresses and packet payloads to block or permit access based on policy. This allows schools and corporate networks to block adult sites, abusive domains, gambling, and peer-to-peer trackers automatically.

A Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack attempts to make a server, router, or network resource unavailable to legitimate users. Attackers saturate target gateways with massive communication requests (e.g. SYN floods, UDP amplification). A notable real-world example occurred in 2009 when Michael Jackson passed away; traffic surges caused major portals like Twitter and Google to slow or crash because security filters flagged the requests as automated attacks. Netwall includes connection rate-limiting and SYN flood guards to absorb such surges.

Web hosting is an infrastructure service that houses your website files, databases, and assets on secure servers connected to high-speed internet backbones, making them accessible across the World Wide Web 24/7. Netwall provides enterprise VPS, shared hosting, and dedicated mail hosting solutions.

Advanced traffic shaping optimizes and guarantees network performance, improves latency, and manages usable bandwidth by delaying lower-priority packets rather than dropping them indiscriminately. When a link approaches saturation, contention causes bufferbloat and latency spikes. Traffic shaping prevents bufferbloat by regulating peak throughput and enforcing token bucket pacing.

A Fair Usage Policy (FUP) ensures that a small percentage of heavy downloaders do not degrade connectivity for the rest of the network. Under an unlimited plan, once a subscriber consumes their primary quota (e.g. 100 GB), Netwall automatically throttles their speed to a reduced fallback tier for the remaining billing cycle.

A router is a network device that inspects header addresses of incoming data packets and forwards them between different IP networks using routing tables and policies. For example, an edge router connects an ISP subscriber's local network to the broader Internet.

BGP is the protocol that manages how packets are routed across the global Internet through the exchange of routing and reachability information between Autonomous Systems (AS). ISPs with multiple upstream telecom links use BGP peering to ensure high routing efficiency and seamless link failover.

PPPoE stands for Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet. It encapsulates PPP frames inside Ethernet packets, allowing ISPs to authenticate subscribers via username and password, assign static or dynamic IP addresses, and measure individual bandwidth usage securely over shared broadband cables or fiber.

This is almost always a DNS resolution failure or an MTU/MSS clamping issue:

Ensure valid DNS server IP addresses are specified in your router profile (in RouterOS: /ip dns or in the PPPoE profile parameter).
Ensure TCP MSS clamping (Change MSS to 1440 or 1452) is active in your firewall mangle table to prevent packet fragmentation.

A Virtual LAN (VLAN) partitions a physical network switch into multiple distinct logical broadcast domains. Standardized under IEEE 802.1Q, each VLAN uses an associated VLAN ID tag, allowing corporate, student, guest, and surveillance traffic to share physical cables while remaining strictly isolated.

The primary purpose of a VLAN is to segment broadcast domains, improve network security, and simplify administration. By preventing broadcast storms from traversing the entire building or campus, VLANs keep networks fast and secure.

A Network Access Server (NAS) is a gateway router that serves as the single point of entry for remote subscribers. It communicates with Netwall's central RADIUS AAA server to verify user credentials before granting Internet access.

Load balancing splits internet traffic across two or more ISP connections simultaneously. Combining multiple WAN links increases aggregate bandwidth and provides seamless failover if one provider goes down.

In modern RouterOS versions (v6.43+ and RouterOS v7), MikroTik implemented a new authentication algorithm that removed backwards compatibility with legacy plaintext hash handshakes. Upgrading your client API library to support the modern challenge-response hashing or updating router firmware resolves the authentication failure.

An Over-The-Top (OTT) media service delivers streaming entertainment (movies, live television, web series) directly to viewers over the Internet, bypassing traditional satellite or cable providers. Netwall offers pre-integrated OTT bundle billing options for ISP broadband plans.

Launched by the Government of India in December 2020, the Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) framework proliferates affordable broadband across the country via public Wi-Fi hotspots, forming an essential pillar of Digital India.

Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that uses radio frequencies (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) to transmit high-speed data packets without physical cabling, connecting smartphones, laptops, and IoT devices to the Internet via wireless Access Points (APs).

Under PM-WANI, a Public Data Office (PDO) is a local store owner, entrepreneur, or entity that establishes, maintains, and operates physical Wi-Fi Access Points to deliver last-mile internet connectivity to nearby users.

A PDOA aggregates multiple PDOs and provides central authentication, accounting, captive portal authorization, and payment settlement mechanisms. Netwall Expert is an officially certified PM-WANI PDOA provider.

Netwall Expert develops and licenses certified PM-WANI software platforms compliant with Department of Telecommunications (DoT) specifications (Certificate No: E0B817E5-7ECB-4180-8CEE-9BF589BED353). Explore PM-WANI details.

Netwall Expert provides specialized high-density Wi-Fi management platforms for Smart Cities, rural zones, and premier academic institutions like CMS School Lucknow, Nitra Campus, and RKGIT. Learn more about Campus Wi-Fi.

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