How To Port Forward a Router

Port Forward a Router:

While most functions are handled automatically by modern routers, some applications require you to forward a port to that application or computer manually. Fortunately, if you know where to look, it's straightforward.

Some video games and programs require specific ports on your router to function correctly. Although the router has some ports open by default, most of them are locked and can only be used if they are manually opened.

If your online video games, file server, or other networking programs aren't running, log into your router and open the ports that the application needs.

If you're new to networking, there are a few things you should know before diving into the topic of port forwarding. We'll take it easy.

What Is Port Forwarding?

We've covered several projects that use your computer as a server for other devices. Most stuff will work fine once you're within your network. However, if you want to use any software outside of your network, things get more complicated. Let's start with why this is the case.

What are the Ports?

Information on the Internet passes through ports, which are virtual pathways. There are 65,536 ports available. Ports are similar to extensions on a phone system, which is an excellent comparison.

What are Some of the Most Frequently Used Ports?

Any internet-connected program on your computer is set up to transfer packets through unique ports. The ports are often chosen randomly by the software's programmers, but other times, depending on the software's features, programmers will choose a more common port.

Here are a few examples of how different ports are used in the industry:

• HTML pages: port 80
• FTP file transferring: port 21
• POP3 email: port 110
• MSN Messenger: port 6901 and ports 6891-6900

Let's take a closer look at Port Forward a Router now that you know the basics.

• Any internet-connected device has at least one IP address.
• Every IP address is divided into multiple ports. When one device sends data to another, it does so by sending it from one IP address port to another IP address port.
• At any given time, a port can only be used by one program.

Set Up Port Forwarding

• Log in as an admin to the router. You'll need the IP address, username, and password for the router.
• Look for the options for port forwarding. These can be referred to as Port Forwarding, Port Triggering, Apps & Gaming, or Port Range Forwarding, depending on the router. These may be hidden away in other settings categories like Network, Wireless, or Advanced.
• Enter the port number or set of ports you'd like to forward. Put the same number in both the Internal and External boxes if you're forwarding one port. Use the Start and End boxes to build port ranges.
• Choose between TCP and UDP as your protocol. If required, pick both choices. The program or game that describes the port number should have this detail.
• Fill in the static IP address you selected.
• With an Enable or On choice, enable the port forwarding rule.

Some routers have a port forwarding setup wizard that simplifies the process. For example, the router might show you a list of devices that already have a static IP address before allowing you to select the protocol and port number.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this has helped clear up some of the confusion around port forwarding and still confused? Re-read the details from above a couple more times. If you'd instead not manually configure your forwards, you can do so with just one press.