You could set up a Minecraft server, improve your connection speeds, access your files and desktop remotely and much more by a simple thing called port forwarding. It does seem complicated but it actually isn't and here is how you could port forward your router using a Mac or Windows 10 PC.
What is Port Forwarding?
Port forwarding could be defined as the way you could make your router use a specific port to communicate with certain devices. You are telling your router to always accept requests for specific ports for your devices and forward data to a device's private IP address by setting specific ports for your devices.
You could first learn a little bit about how routers work to understand port forwarding better. Your router transmits the internet signals to all your devices over a LAN ( local area network ). For this purpose, a special local IP address is assigned to all the devices by the router. For instance, your phone would have a private IP address like 192.145.0.2 or 10.0.2.
Next, a port number is assigned to the application and services on each of the devices.
The router figures which program or service to send information to with this unique IP address and port number.
How to Port Forward
Log into your router and go to the port forwarding section to begin the port forwarding process. Then, enter the port numbers and the IP addresses of your devices. Then choose a forwarding protocol and save the changes.
It must be noted that, if you do not find a port forwarding option in your browser, maybe it is time for you to upgrade.
- Open a web browser. Any browser would do the job.
- Then, in the address bar type your router's IP address. It would be something like 192.168.X.X or 10.0.X.X. Also, note down your computer’s IP Address as you might need this information later.
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Then just enter the username and password of your router.
- Now, move to the port forwarding settings on your router. The exact steps for this would differ from router to router but in most cases, you could go to the Advanced tab and look for NAT, Security, Gaming, Advanced Setup, Firewall, or Virtual Servers.
- Next, create a new port forwarding rule. It could be to click Add New, Add Custom Service, or something similar.
- Then give the service or application a name. Try giving it a name that identifies with the rule that you have created for convenience.
- Then type in the port number you want to use. You can select a port range separated by hyphens or multiple ports that are separated by commas. The easiest thing is to set the same internal and external port numbers. A number between 0 to 65,535 could be chosen, but the ports 0 to 1023 are reserved for privileged services and are called well-known ports.
- Then select a port forwarding protocol. Depending on the type of connection that is recommended to use for the specific application you can choose from the available options. But, mostly you would want to select the TCP/UDP option, Both, or All.
- Next, type in your computer’s IP address. There are fields provided by most routers, where you can enter the IP address of your device. You might also come across routers that let you choose a device instead of typing its IP address.
It must also be noted that your device IP address might change when you turn off your device, reset your computer, or if your ISP changes your IP address, that is if you have not set a static IP address for your device. For setting a static IP address on a device you need to go through the settings of that device.
- Finally, save your settings. Generally, you will find the buttons Save or Apply. Or you might also come across routers where you have to first click on Enable and then Save.
Securing Your Home Network
You should not forget about the risks after you have set up Port Forwarding. Port scanning tools can find and abuse each port that you open, as it adds another hole past your router's firewall.
You need to make sure that you limit the apps or services for which you need ports to individual ones rather than huge port ranges that could be breached.
You can also boost your network security by adding a third-party firewall if you think that your home network is vulnerable. A software firewall installed on your Mac or PC or a 24/7 hardware firewall could do the job for you and protect all your devices at the same time.
