Purpose
This document provides a structured procedure to identify, analyse, and mitigate network slowdowns caused by bandwidth saturation during peak operating hours such as lunch service, dinner rush, or special events.
The goal is to protect revenue-critical applications including:
POS transactions
Payment authorization systems
Staff tablets and handheld devices
Cloud-based receipt printing
Back-office access
Even when internet connectivity is technically active, excessive traffic can degrade performance and impact business operations.
Scope
This SOP applies primarily to restaurant, bar, café, and retail environments where:
A single internet circuit supports multiple services
POS, guest Wi-Fi, music streaming, CCTV uploads, and staff connectivity share bandwidth
Device usage increases significantly during peak hours
Cloud-based POS and payment gateways are in use
Symptoms of Bandwidth Saturation
Network congestion during busy hours may present as:
Slow POS transaction processing
Payment authorization delays
Kiosk freezing or disconnecting
Delayed cloud receipt printing
Guest Wi-Fi performance complaints
Slow access to back-office applications
Increased latency during peak service periods
Key Pattern
The network performs normally during off-peak hours but degrades significantly during lunch or dinner rush, indicating likely bandwidth saturation.
Problem Description
Even when internet connectivity remains available, an overloaded link can:
Delay packet delivery
Cause packet drops
Increase latency
Impact real-time applications Ops
During peak customer volume:
Multiple POS devices transmit simultaneously
Secure payment gateway traffic increases
Guest Wi-Fi usage spikes
Background updates or cloud synchronization may occur
If total traffic demand exceeds available bandwidth, congestion occurs and operational performance becomes unstable.
Common Root Causes
Insufficient Internet Bandwidth
Provisioned bandwidth (e.g., 50 Mbps) may be inadequate for:
8–15 POS & Hand Handles tablets
Guest Wi-Fi users
Streaming services
CCTV cloud uploads
When total demand exceeds capacity, congestion appears during peak hours.
Guest Wi-Fi Consuming Excess Bandwidth
Customers may use bandwidth-intensive applications such as:
Video streaming
Social media content
Large downloads
Without traffic control, guest usage can impact POS performance.
Automatic Updates During Business Hours
Devices may perform:
Operating system updates
Application updates
Cloud backups
Security signature downloads
These activities can consume significant bandwidth unexpectedly.
Sudden Increase in Active Devices
During shift changes or full occupancy periods:
Multiple handheld devices connect simultaneously
Traffic demand increases sharply
Network Equipment Performance Limits
In smaller deployments, PC61 routers may approach:
Maximum throughput handling capacity
High CPU or packet processing load
Internet bandwidth exhausted
When device performance limits are reached, even moderate traffic can cause delays.
Detailed Troubleshooting Procedure
Step 1 — Identify Time-Based Pattern
Confirm whether:
Issues occur only during peak hours
Performance degradation aligns with lunch/dinner rush
Problems coincide with events or high customer volume
Time-specific issues strongly indicate bandwidth saturation.
Step 2 — Review Internet Utilization
Check:
Monitoring dashboard statistics (Top 5 clients by Usages under Network Analytics)
Check and identify high usages endpoints from client List
Uplink utilization graph on Router
ISP bandwidth usage reports
Comparison of traffic graphs during peak periods
If utilization consistently exceeds 75–80%, congestion risk is high.
Step 3 — Identify Major Traffic Sources
Analyse network traffic to determine:
Guest Wi-Fi usage volume
Streaming or entertainment traffic
Cloud backup or update activity
Large file downloads
Verify whether non-business traffic dominates usage.
Step 4 — Check Active Device Count
Compare:
Number of POS devices
Number of guest devices
Number of staff devices
Review difference between normal hours vs peak hours.
Step 5 — Evaluate Router Performance
Check PC61 router dashboard for:
Throughput approaching maximum rating
High utilization indicators
If router operates near capacity, hardware upgrade may be required.
Resolution Scenarios
Scenario A — Prioritize Business-Critical Traffic & Limit Guest Wi-Fi Bandwidth
Ensure higher priority for:
POS systems
Payment gateway traffic
Back-office applications
Lower priority for: (by applying QoS on NON-Prod subnets)
Guest Wi-Fi
Streaming services
Per-user/VLAN bandwidth limits
Separate VLAN or SSID for guest traffic
This protects operational systems from customer usage spikes.
Scenario B — Schedule Background Activities
Configure updates and backups to run:
Late night
Early morning
Non-business hours
Scenario C — Increase Internet Capacity
If congestion is confirmed:
Upgrade internet bandwidth
Consider secondary ISP or LTE backup for resilience
Scenario D — Block unauthorized and High usages clients
Block the identified High usages NON-Business clients
Temp Block Business endpoints to resolve the bandwidth usages
Validation After Resolution
During the next peak cycle, verify:
POS transactions complete without delay
Payment authorization times normalize
Guest Wi-Fi remains usable but controlled
Latency remains stable
No freezing or buffering on operational tablets
Target condition:
No packet loss during critical transactions
Preventive Best Practices
Perform annual bandwidth capacity planning
Monitor monthly utilization trends
Configure alerts for high-usage thresholds
Limit guest Wi-Fi bandwidth by default
Schedule automatic updates outside business hours
Review device count after expansions or renovations
Gradual increases in device usage often lead to hidden congestion risks if bandwidth is not upgraded.
Escalation Guidelines
Escalate to ISP if:
Persistent packet loss occurs
Latency exceeds service agreement
Bandwidth upgrade required
Escalate to Network Engineering if:
Saturation persists after traffic optimization
Router performance limitation suspected
Recurring peak-hour degradation continues
Provide the following information:
Site name
Internet bandwidth provisioned
Peak utilization percentage
Time of degradation
Approximate number of connected devices