Patent ID: 8881212

Claim:
A method, comprising: storing, at a first network device configured to communicate with at least one set top box (STB) and at least one digital video recorder (DVR), information identifying a plurality of parameters associated with bandwidth in a home network, wherein the plurality of parameters identify a reserved bandwidth associated with each of a plurality of classes of traffic and a shared bandwidth that can be shared between each of the plurality of classes of traffic and wherein the plurality of classes of traffic include a first class of traffic corresponding to video on demand traffic, a second class of traffic corresponding to traffic between the at least one DVR and the at least one STB, and a third class of traffic corresponding to best effort traffic; receiving, at a first network device in the home network, a request having a corresponding first bandwidth; identifying a class of traffic associated with the request, wherein the identified class of traffic corresponds to the first class of traffic, the second class of traffic or the third class of traffic; determining whether the first bandwidth is less than an available bandwidth associated with the identified class of traffic; approving the request in response to determining that the first bandwidth is less than the available bandwidth associated with the identified class of traffic; modifying the available bandwidth associated with the identified class of traffic in response to approving the request; and determining, in response to determining that the first bandwidth is not less than an available bandwidth associated with the identified class of traffic, whether the shared bandwidth is available to fulfill the request.