Kavin Tyler 
Wireless media management, or WMM, is a feature that enables the prioritization of different types of wireless network traffic. This technology is built on the IEEE 802.11e standard, designed to improve the quality of service (quality of service) for wireless networks. This blog post will take a deeper look at WMM tagging and how it can be used to optimize your wireless network.
What is WMM Tagging?
WMM tagging is marking wireless network traffic according to its type and priority. It allows the network to prioritize different types of traffic, ensuring that critical applications and services receive the bandwidth they need to function properly.
WMM tagging is based on four access categories: voice, video, best effort, and background. Each access category is assigned a different priority level, with voice traffic being the highest priority and background traffic being the lowest.
Voice traffic is used for real-time applications such as voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing. This type of traffic is prioritized to ensure that calls are clear and free of interruptions.
Video traffic is used for streaming video and other multimedia applications. This type of traffic is given a higher priority than best-effort traffic but a lower priority than voice traffic.
Best-effort traffic is used for general-purpose data applications such as email and web browsing. This type of traffic is given a lower priority than voice and video traffic but a higher priority than background traffic.
Background traffic is used for low-priority applications such as software updates and file transfers. This type of traffic is given the lowest priority to ensure that it does not interfere with critical applications and services.
Benefits of WMM Tagging
The biggest benefit of WMM tagging is that it allows the network to prioritize different types of traffic, ensuring that critical applications and services receive the bandwidth they need to function properly. This can improve the network’s overall performance and provide a better user experience.
WMM tagging can also help to reduce the impact of network congestion. By prioritizing critical applications and services, WMM tagging can help prevent the network from becoming overloaded, leading to slowdowns and other issues.
Additionally, WMM tagging can help to improve the quality of voice and video calls by ensuring that these types of traffic are given priority over other types of traffic. This can reduce interruptions and improve the overall quality of the call.
Implementing WMM Tagging
WMM tagging can be implemented on both wireless access points and wireless clients. On the access point side, WMM tagging is typically enabled by default and can be configured through the access point’s web interface. On the client side, WMM tagging is typically supported by modern wireless devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
It’s important to note that WMM tagging will only work if both the access point and the client support it. Additionally, WMM tagging will only work on a network if all the devices on the network support it.
FAQs
What is WMM tagging?
WMM tagging marks wireless network traffic according to its type and priority. It allows the network to prioritize different types of traffic, ensuring that critical applications and services receive the bandwidth they need to function properly.
How does WMM tagging work?
WMM tagging works by assigning different priority levels to different types of wireless network traffic. Voice traffic is given the highest priority, followed by video traffic, best-effort traffic, and background traffic.
What are the different access categories in WMM tagging?
The four access categories in WMM tagging are: voice, video, best effort, and background. Each access category is assigned a different priority level, with voice traffic being the highest priority and background traffic being the lowest.
What are the benefits of WMM tagging?
The benefits of WMM tagging include improved overall performance of the network, reduced impact of network congestion, and improved quality of voice and video calls. WMM tagging ensures that critical applications and services receive the proper bandwidth to function properly, preventing network overload, slowdowns, and other issues.
How do I implement WMM tagging on my network?
WMM tagging can be implemented on wireless access points and clients. On the access point side, WMM tagging is typically enabled by default and can be configured through the access point’s web interface.
On the client side, WMM tagging is typically supported by modern wireless devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It’s important to note that WMM tagging will only work if both the access point and the client support it.
Will WMM Tagging work on all devices?
WMM tagging will only work on a network if all the devices on the network support it. It is important to ensure that all the devices on the network support WMM tagging.
