IGMP Proxy On or Off – Which One?

IGMP Proxy On or Off – 

All of us use proxies but none of us knows what it actually means and what is its function? IGMP is actually an internet group management protocol by hosts and routers on the IP network. This is done for creating multitask group memberships. You use it with internet streaming. 

What is an IGMP proxy-

This proxy enables multicast routers to read and learn membership information. Moreover, it forwards multicast packets as per the group membership information. It works in particular topologies and most of them are the ones that don't demand routing protocols. These protocols are PIM-SM, DVMRP, PIM-DM. 

This proxy has a distinctive upstream and downstream interface. In the case of the downstream interface, the proxy works on the protocol on the router's side. If you talk about the upstream interface, then the proxy works on the protocol's host side. 

The proxy has created a unique mechanism for multicast forwarding based on the membership information. Furthermore, the router is going to line out the forwarding packets. IGMP proxy makes forwarding entries and puts them in the multicast forwarding cache. 

Which one is right, Proxy on or off- 

With no internet group protocol management proxy configuration, the multicast traffic will be treated as broadcast transmission. Moreover, the forward packets will be sent to each port on the network. With this proxy, the traffic is forwarded to the multicast group as per the information. 

With a proxy, no additional traffic can be generated, which leads to a reduced traffic package using a switch. In such a scenario, it is recommended to keep the proxy turned on all the time. By doing so, the multicast traffic will change into unicast traffic. This will provide you better functionality and productivity of your router device. 

You get a few benefits when you turn on IGMP proxy. These benefits include:

• Reports of group membership are sent to the group directly. 
• Whenever the multicast group is left by the host, the group membership report will be forwarded to the router group. 
• When a host joins a group with another host, the report of group membership is sent to the router group. 

In case you are planning to stream on Netflix or any other platform, then you must keep IGMP proxy enabled. This will resolve mirroring issues as well. If you find that the benefits mentioned above are of no use to you, then you must disable the proxy. This is recommended because the router continues to monitor multicast transmissions and it will drain your device's processing power. 

Turning Off the IGMP Proxy

If you find that disabling the IGMP proxy is the right thing to do, then you must carry out the steps below. 

• On your PC, select network connections and then move towards a local area connection. 
• Select "Details" and then enter your IP address. 
• Go to the search bar of your internet browser and then enter your IP address and then the setup page will open up before you. 
• After that, search for the bridging folder and then go to the Multicast menu. 
• Then, you need to go down to IGMP proxy. 
• Remove the tick from the box of "Enable IGMP proxy status".
• Now select Apply.