Port Forwarding - A Simple Guide
Welcome to my tutorial for port forwarding on Windows.
Follow this guide step by step if you are having connection issues.
The port we are forwarding is 50050.
If you already know how to perform a step, move on to the next one.
If you know your gateway, start at step 3.
Step 1 - Opening command prompt
The gateway to a router is the address, or IP, that serves as an access point to your default network.
If you don't know your router's gateway, you can find this out using a simple command through cmd, or command prompt.
To open the Command Prompt, hold down the windows key (next to the Alt key) and press "r". (Windows 7 users can open the start menu and type "cmd" and then enter, bypassing the run entry)
This will bring up a window (called run) that looks like this:
In the text box, type "cmd" (without quotations).
So, now you should have something like this open:
Step 2 - Finding out your default gateway
Now, once we have the command prompt open, we want to type "ipconfig" (without quotations) and hit enter.
Something like this should come up (it's different depending on your network):
If you are on LAN (have an ethernet cable plugged into your PC), you will find your gateway where the first (smaller) red arrow is.
If you are on a wireless connection (say, on a laptop without an ethernet cable plugged in), you will find your gateway where the second (bigger) red arrow is.
The blue arrow is pointing to your IPv4 (or IPv6) address. You will need this later, so memorize or write down whatever numbers come after the third dot (the underlined ones).
For example, since I am currently on a laptop using a wireless connection, I would look where the second arrow is. (192.168.1.1)
Step 3 - Gaining access to your router's settings
After discovering what your default gateway is, go ahead and plug it into your browser's URL bar. I use Nightly/Firefox, so my URL bar looks like this:
After plugging in the gateway:
Now hit enter, and it will ask for a username and password.
If you don't know your router's username or password, try the user being "root" and the password being "admin".
If that doesn't work, check here to search for your router's default username and password combination.
After getting the correct username and password combination, it will take you to your router's settings page.
Step 4 - Port Forwarding
Once in your router's settings, search for "Port Forwarding" or "Single Port Forwarding" under one of the tabs.
Mine happens to be under Applications and Gaming, but once again, this varies per router.
Now, since we want to forward port 50050, put it in the "port" field. (if you have an "internal port" and "external port" field like my router, put it in both)
In the "To IP Address" field, put your IPv4 (or IPv6) address in. (the blue arrow above)
Make sure "Protocol" is set to both and if there is an "Enabled" checkbox, make sure it's checked.
Now, save your settings in your router and you should be good to go.
Thanks for reading my guide, and if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM or come into the chatbox.
-Sherlock