QoS in the Xiaomi Redmi router: what is it and how to properly set traffic priority

Have you noticed that YouTube videos start to slow down during online games and your voice in Discord is interrupted even though the Internet speed is consistently high? Or maybe you have a family that simultaneously makes video calls to Zoom, downloads torrents and runs a smart home, causing the network to stall? These are classic signs that your Xiaomi Redmi router lacks the “intelligence” to distribute traffic. This is where QoS (Quality of Service) technology comes to the rescue.

QoS is not just a tick in your settings, but a mechanism that analyzes network traffic and prioritizes it. In Xiaomi Redmi routers (for example, in Redmi Router models). AX6S, AX5 or AC2100) This feature is often hidden in the depths of the menu or disabled by default, but its correct setting can dramatically improve the stability of communication for critical tasks, from online battles to online battles. CS2 Before Microsoft Teams Conferences.

In this article, we will discuss:

• 🔍 What is QoS and how does it work at the router level (no complicated terms).
• ⚙️ Where to find QoS settings in Xiaomi Redmi firmware (including hidden menus).
• 🎮 How to Set Priorities for Games, Streams, and Video Calls.
• ⚡ Common Errors That Make QoS Not Working (and How to Fix Them).

If you think that QoS is only for advanced users, you're wrong. Even basic customization can help you avoid lags in the most important moments. And if you have multiple devices competing for channel width at home, you just can't do without QoS.

QoS in a router – what it is in simple words

Imagine that your Internet channel is a highway with a speed limit of 100 Mbps.

• 🚑 Ambulance (video call in Zoom) - it needs to get there quickly.
• 🚗 Cars (movie download) - can wait.
• 🚛 Truck (Windows Update) - it is not critical to go slowly.
• 🏎️ Racing car (online game) – requires minimal delays.

Without QoS, all these machines move in the same stream, creating traffic jams, and with QoS, the Xiaomi Redmi router becomes a “regulator”: it lets critical traffic (games, calls) ahead and limits the background (torrents, updates), as a result:

• 🟢 Ping in games is downgraded 20-50 miss.
• 🟢 Video in the video 4K Does not “break” when downloading files on another device.
• 🟢 Voice in Discord or Skype is not interrupted.

QoS works at the packet level, and the router analyzes what traffic is going through it, and assigns priority to the packets, such as:

It's important to understand that QoS doesn't increase Internet speed, it just distributes the available channel width more intelligently. If your 50 Mbps tariff, even with QoS you won't get 100 Mbps. But you can avoid situations where the torrent eats up the entire channel and the game starts to lay.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi Redmi routers with MiWiFi firmware (Chinese version), QoS may be called Smart QoS or Traffic Optimization. Global firmware commonly uses the term Bandwidth Control or QoS Settings.

Where to find QoS settings in Xiaomi Redmi routers

Depending on the router model and firmware version, the path to QoS settings may vary, and we'll look at the three most common options:

1. Standard firmware (global version)

For most models (Redmi Router) AX6S, AX5, AC2100):

1. Open your browser and type 192.168.31.1 (or miwifi.com).
2. Log in (login and password from the router, by default often admin/admin).
3. Go to Advanced Settings → QoS (or Bandwidth Control).

2. Chinese firmware (MiWiFi)

If you have a router with MiWiFi firmware (for example, Redmi Router) AX6 for the Chinese market):

1. Go to miwifi.com or via the Mi WiFi app.
2. Select (Advanced Settings) → (Traffic Management).
3. Look for QoS (Smart QoS)

3. Alternative firmware (Padavan, OpenWRT)

If you have flashed Xiaomi Redmi router to Padavan or OpenWRT:

1. In Padavan: Advanced Settings → QoS.
2. In OpenWRT: Network → QoS (requires installation of sqm scripts).

If you don’t find the QoS item on the menu, you may:

• 🔴 Your router model does not support QoS (e.g. budget Redmi Router) 4A or 4C).
• 🔴 The function is hidden in “power user mode” (you need to include in System Tools). → Expert Mode).
• 🔴 Firmware is outdated – update it through System Status → Firmware Upgrade.

💡

If your router does not have QoS, but there is a Game Acceleration feature (in models) AX6S or AX3000T), It can be used as a simplified analogue – it automatically prioritizes game traffic.

How to set up QoS on Xiaomi Redmi: step-by-step instructions

Now, let's get to the practice, we'll set up QoS for a typical home scenario: priority for games, video calls and streams, and send the downloads to the background.

Step 1. Include QoS

In the QoS Settings (or Bandwidth Control) menu:

1. Activate the Enable QoS switch.
2. Select the type of connection: Automatic - the router will determine the speed. Manual - specify the download / rebound speed (for example, 90 Mbit / s instead of 100 Mbit / s to avoid overload).

Step 2: Selecting a Prioritization Rule

Xiaomi Redmi routers usually have two options:

• 📊 By type of traffic (By Application) - the router itself recognizes games, streams, calls.
• 🖥️ By Device – You manually prioritize specific gadgets (like a gaming PC).

We recommend using a combination of both methods:

1. Enable By Application and tick the boxes: 🎮 Games (games). 📹 Video Calls (video calls). 🎥 Streaming (streaming).

By Device

PS5

Step 3: Set up restrictions for background traffic

To prevent torrents or updates from eating up the entire channel:

1. In Bandwidth Limit, set limits for non-critical devices (e.g. 10 Mbps for a torrent client).
2. Activate Enable Upload/Download Limit and specify maximum values (e.g, 80% total speed).

Step 4: Preservation and testing

After settings have been applied:

1. Reboot the router (System Tools) → Reboot).
2. Check the ping in-game (e.g., via ping google.com) -t into CMD).
3. Run streaming to YouTube and downloading the file at the same time – if the video doesn’t “slow down”, QoS works.

In Xiaomi Redmi settings, be sure to limit upload for background tasks (like backups).

4. Incompatibility with IP-TV

If you use IP-TV From a provider (for example, Rostelecom or MTS), QoS can block multicast traffic, which will cause TV to break».

Solution: add IP-address TV-Prefixes except QoS or disable prioritization for multicast in settings.

5. Conflict with VPN double NAT

If you use VPN on the router or you have a double NAT (For example, if the router is connected to the provider's modem, QoS may not work smoothly, because the data packets are "filmed" into additional headers, and the router cannot properly classify them.

Solution: Turn off QoS on the router and set it up on the main modem (if possible).

QoS for gaming: how to reduce ping and avoid lags

If you're playing in CS2, Valorant, Call of Duty or other multiplayer shooters, you know how important low ping is. Even with QoS, you can further optimize your network for gaming:

Priority by port

Many games use specific ports, and you can add them to the QoS rules manually, for example:

To add ports to QoS on Xiaomi Redmi:

1. Go to QoS. → Port Forwarding (or Advanced) → Port Management).
2. Create a rule with ports and give it the highest priority.

2. Disabling background updates

Even if QoS prioritizes game traffic, background updates to Windows, Steam or Epic Games can create load.

• 🪟 In Windows: Options → Update and security → Additional parameters → Suspend updates.
• 🎮 On Steam: Settings → Downloads. → Limit download speed (set 100 KB/s).

3.Use of game mode

Some Xiaomi Redmi models (for example, AX6S or AX3000T) There's a separate Game Acceleration feature that runs on top of QoS and further optimizes packet routing for games.

To turn it on:

1. Go to Advanced Settings → Game Acceleration.
2. Select a device (such as a PC or PlayStation).
3. Activate the mode for a particular game (the router will determine it by traffic).

💡

For maximum effect, combine QoS with Game Acceleration and manual port additions. 10-30% compared to default settings.

QoS for video calls and streams: how to avoid “teared” video

Video calls in Zoom, Microsoft Teams or streams on Twitch/YouTube Very sensitive to jitter (delay variations). QoS helps smooth these fluctuations, but requires special adjustment.

Priority for video services

Add the following domains and ports to high priority:

2. Restriction for other devices

During the video call, limit the speed for non-critical devices:

• 📱 Smartphones in the background: 5 Mbit / s.
• 🖥️ Smart speakers and IoT devices: 2 Mbps.
• 📦 Torrents and cloud backups: 1 Mbps.

Customization of buffering

If the video in Zoom or Teams still “breaks”, increase the buffer in the application settings:

• At Zoom: Settings → Video → Enable"Optimize for full screen video clip".
• V OBS Studio (for streams): Settings → Output → Increase"Keyframe Interval" to 4-5 sec.

If you have a Xiaomi Redmi router AX6S Or, more recently, QoS has a hidden Low Latency Mode option in its settings – turn it on to minimize video call delays.

QoS and smart home: how to prevent the “brakes” of IoT devices

If you have smart light bulbs (Yeelight), robot vacuum cleaners (Xiaomi Roborock), cameras (Xiaomi Mi Home), their traffic also needs to be factored into QoS. Although they consume little speed, their packets are often sensitive to delays (for example, the command to turn on the light bulb must come instantly).

1. Priority for IoT traffic

Add to the middle priority:

• 💡 Smart light bulbs and sockets: protocol MQTT (port 1883 TCP).
• 🤖 Robot vacuum cleaners: domain *.mi.com (port 443) TCP).
• 📷 Surveillance cameras: ports 554 (RTSP) 80 (HTTP).

2.Separate Network for IoT

The best solution is to allocate a separate guest network for a smart home and assign it a fixed channel width (for example, 10 Mbps), which will prevent conflicts with main traffic.

How to create a guest network on Xiaomi Redmi:

1. Go to Wi-Fi Settings → Guest Network.
2. Enter the network name (for example, IoT_Network).
3. Enable Bandwidth Control and set a limit.
4. Connect all IoT devices to this network.

3.Challenges with Xiaomi Cloud Services

If your Mi Home or Aqara devices are running through Xiaomi’s cloud, QoS can block their traffic due to frequent server calls. Solution: add domains to the exceptions:

• *.mi.com
• *.xiaomi.com
• *.aws.amazon.com (used for cloud services)

FAQ: Frequent QoS Questions on Xiaomi Redmi