Your Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A router has a firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted Internet access. The firewall works by blocking all incoming connections that have not been authorized. Some online games and applications run much better if you authorize additional connections. To do this you need to create a port forward.
In this guide we will walk you through each of the following steps to get your ports forwarded on the Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A:
- How to setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding these ports to.
- How to login to the Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A router web interface.
- How to find the port forwarding page in the router's web interface.
- How to setup a port forward for the online game or program of your choice.
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Step 1
It is important to setup a static ip address in the device that you are forwarding a port to. This ensures that your ports will remain open even after your device reboots.
- Recommended - Our free Static IP Setter will set up a static IP address for you.
- Another way to get a permanent IP address is to set up a DHCP reservation.
- Or, manually create a static ip address with our Static IP Guides.
This step is important because you want a permanent IP address in your device. If you do not set up a permanent IP address in your device, then when you device reboots it may get a new IP address.
Use a VPN Instead
Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.
We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.
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TIP: Write this static IP address down. You need it in Step 4.
Step 2
The second step I will show you how to do is logging in to the Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A router interface. This router has a web interface meaning you need to login using a web browser. The web browser can normally be any one of the popular ones out there such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.
After opening the web browser of choice, find the address bar. This is normally at the top of the page like this:
Above is an example of what a web browser address bar looks like. Find the address bar in your router and type in your router's IP address.
The default Actiontec PK5001A IP Address is: 192.168.0.1
Press the Enter key on your keyboard and you should be taken to a login screen like the one shown below:
If you do not see a space for a username and password then the wrong IP address was used. To find out what your router's IP address is, use our How To Find Your Router's IP Address directions.
- The Default Actiontec PK5001A Router Username is: admin
- The Default Actiontec PK5001A Router Password is: password
Click the blue Apply button to login to the Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A router interface.
Having Trouble?
There are a several different reasons the login could of been unsuccessful. Here are a few things you can try:
- First, check all the different Actiontec default combinations. Here is our list of all known Default Actiontec Router Passwords.
- Second, try and guess what the password/username was changed to. Use our Find Password App to make this step easier.
- Finally, if you still are stuck after trying both of the above options, it may be time to consider a factory reset. Learn more about this option on the How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
Now that we are logged in, we need to find the port forwarding page. We begin on the Home page of the Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A router:
Begin by clicking the red Advanced Setup option in the lower right corner.
This takes you to a page like the one above. In the left sidebar click the option of Port Forwarding under the Security heading.
Congratulations, this is the port forwarding page of the Actiontec CenturyLink PK5001A router.
Step 4
Here are the ports to forward for Xbox Live:
- TCP Ports: 3074
- UDP Ports: 3074
If you are looking for the ports for a different application you can find it by either:
- Browsing our List of Games
- Check out our our List of Games by Genre
- See our List of all Applications
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From the Select Device dropdown box choose Manually Enter IP Address.
Enter the IP address that you want to forward these ports to in the Enter IP Address box. You can enter either the IP address of your computer or the IP address of another computer or device on your network.
If you are just forwarding a single port number then you can simply enter that same number into both the Starting Port and the Ending Port boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, usually separated by a hyphen, then you need to enter the lowest number of that range into the Starting Port box and then enter highest number into the Ending Port box.
Use the Protocol dropdown box to select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding.
Make sure that the All IP Addresses radio button is selected.
After you are done click the Apply button.
When you are finished, click the Apply button to save your changes.
Test Your Ports
Are your the ports you just forwarded really open? An easy way to find out is use our free Open Port Checker. It uses a local application to see if the ports are open or not. This guarantees our port checkers accuracy.
More Info...
Check out our other guides here. We have a growing list of free gaming, networking, and software guides here at portforward.com.
Our other site setuprouter.com can help you setup a secure home network with your exact router.
