This Asus RT-AC1200 router uses a firewall to help protect your home network from unwanted Internet access. This firewall does a good job of keeping unauthorized connections blocked. If you notice that while using an online program or playing an online game it lags or completely kicks you out, it is because you need to open some of the blocked connections. This process of unblocking a connection or opening a port is called a port forward.
In this guide we will show you exactly how to setup a port forward on your Asus RT-AC1200 router. We will walk you through the following steps:
- How to setup a static IP address on the device you are forwarding these ports to.
- How to login to the Asus RT-AC1200 router.
- How to find the port forwarding section of this particular router.
- How to configure the router to forward the ports you want unblocked.
We think that forwarding a port should be easy. That's why we created Network Utilities. Our software does everything that you need to forward a port.
When you use Network Utilities you get your port forwarded right now!
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.
Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.
Step 2
After you have setup that static IP address, it is time to login to the Asus RT-AC1200 router. Your router uses a web interface to manage the settings, which means you need to login using a web browser. It doesn't matter which browser you decide to use, simply pick your favorite. Some of the more common options are Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox.
Once you have decided what browser to use, open it up and find the address bar. This is normally found at the top of the page:
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 Asus RT-AC1200 IP Address is: 192.168.1.1
If the default IP address for the Asus RT-AC1200 did not work or you know you changed it in the past but don't remember what you changed it to, you need to find out what it is. This How To Find Your Router's IP Address guide does just that.
Once you have entered the router's IP address into the address bar, simply click the Enter key on your key board. At this point you should be taken to a login screen like this:
Enter the router's username and password into the spaces available and press the blue Sign in button to access the router's user interface.
- The Default Asus RT-AC1200 Router Username is: admin
- The Default Asus RT-AC1200 Router Password is: admin
Having Trouble?
Don't worry this is a very common place to get stuck when trying to login to the router. Here are a few things you can try:
- As a first step, we recommend trying other Asus default username/passwords. If you have a different firmware version you could have a different username or password as well. Here is our list of all the Default Asus Router Passwords.
- If that did not work, it is because you changed it in the past and don't remember what you changed it to. Try guessing what you would of changed it to. Need help? Use our Find Password App. It automates the long process of guessing thousands of different combinations for you. Learn all about it on our Router Password Cracker page.
- Finally if nothing else is working to get you logged in, it may be time to consider a factory reset. A reset like this is going to erase every single setting you have ever changed in the history of this router. To learn how to reset this router, read this How to Reset a Router guide.
Step 3
Now that you are logged into the Asus RT-AC1200 router you need to navigate to the port forwarding section of the router. To help you we begin on the Network Map page:
On this first page, look in the left sidebar. Over half way down the screen pick the option of WAN.
Then click the tab at the top of the page labeled Virtual Server/Port Forwarding.
On this page, pick the Yes option next to Enable Port Forwarding.
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
Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.
You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.
Make up a name to put in the Service Name box. The name does not have any effect on the functionality of the forward, it's simply there so you can know why it was created.
Put the ports to forward into the Port Range box.
You can enter the ports as a list separated by commas, a range separated by hyphens, or a combination of both.
Enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the Local IP box. This is either the IP address of a computer or the IP address of another device on your network.
From the Protocol box select the protocol for the ports that you want to forward.
When you are finished, click the + button.
Finally, don't forget to click the Apply button to save your changes.
Test Your Ports
It is now an excellent idea to test those ports to see if they forwarded correctly. We recommend using our Open Port Checker. It's FREE and part of our trial version of the Network Utilities Bundle. Our port checker is better than the others you find online because we use a local application to see if the ports are open or not. This GUARANTEES a open port verification.
More...
We also recommend checking out our huge selection of free guides. From networking to gaming, portforward.com is your information source.
If you are looking for router specific guides check out setuprouter.com This site shows you how to setup a secure WiFi network, how to change the wireless channel, and much more.
