How to Limit VLAN Traffic Speed on a MikroTik router

This guide explains how to control or limit VLAN bandwidth on a MikroTik router using different methods.

Option 1: Use Simple Queues (Easiest)

The Simple Queue method is the most straightforward way to limit bandwidth per VLAN or subnet.

Steps:

1. Go to Queues → Simple Queues → Add (+)
2. In the Target field, enter the VLAN interface name (e.g., vlan10) or subnet (e.g., 192.168.10.0/24).
3. Set the following:
   • Max Limit: Define upload/download speeds (e.g., 10M/50M for 10 Mbps upload and 50 Mbps download).
   • Burst options (optional): Allows temporary speed boosts.
4. Click OK to save.

Example (CLI):

/queue simple add name="limit-vlan10" target=vlan10 max-limit=50M/50M

Option 2: Use Queue Trees (Advanced)

For advanced control—such as managing shared bandwidth between VLANs or setting traffic priorities—you can use Queue Trees along with Mangle rules.

Step 1: Mark Traffic from the VLAN

/ip firewall mangle
add chain=forward in-interface=vlan10 action=mark-packet new-packet-mark=vlan10-down
add chain=forward out-interface=vlan10 action=mark-packet new-packet-mark=vlan10-up

Step 2: Create a Parent Queue (Typically on WAN)

/queue tree
add name="download" parent=ether1 max-limit=100M
add name="upload" parent=ether2 max-limit=100M

Step 3: Add Child Queues for the VLAN

/queue tree
add name="vlan10-down" parent=download packet-mark=vlan10-down max-limit=50M
add name="vlan10-up" parent=upload packet-mark=vlan10-up max-limit=10M

Option 3: Limit Directly on the VLAN Interface (RouterOS v7+)

If you're using RouterOS version 7 or later, you can directly apply speed limits on VLAN interfaces:

/interface vlan set vlan10 ingress-rate=10M egress-rate=50M

Tips and Recommendations

• Use Simple Queues for quick, per-VLAN speed limits.
• Use Queue Trees for shared bandwidth or hierarchical shaping.
• Always test with tools like speedtest.net or iperf3 to verify throughput.
• Ensure limits are applied in the correct traffic direction (ingress or egress).

Example Use Case:
If you want to divide a 100 Mbps WAN connection evenly among VLANs 10, 20, and 30, you can use Queue Trees to allocate ~33 Mbps per VLAN.