Your Asus RT-N18U router contains a firewall to help protect your home network from unwanted Internet access. The firewall does this by blocking all incoming and outgoing transmissions to the Internet that are not authorized. Some online games or programs will not run as smoothly as they should unless additional connections are opened in the firewall. To do this you need to create what is normally called a port forward.
This guide should be used to port forward on the Asus RT-N18U router. I will walk you through each of the following steps:
- setup a static IP address on the device or console you are forwarding these ports to.
- login to the Asus RT-N18U router.
- find the port forwarding section in the router interface.
- make a port forward on the Asus RT-N18U router.
Let's get started.
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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.
TIP: Write this static IP address down. You need it a little later.
Step 2
Once you have made a static IP address for the device you are forwarding the ports to, you need to login to the router in order to create the port forwarding rule. Your Asus RT-N18U router uses a web interface, so you need to login to it using a web browser.
Most routers don't care which browser you decide to use, I recommend trying one that you are familiar with such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari.
After picking a web browser, open it up and find the address bar. The address bar should be located 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 Asus RT-N18U IP Address is: 192.168.1.1
Now press the Enter key on your keyboard. If the correct IP address was entered you will see a login screen similar to this:
If the IP address was incorrect, you will get an error message saying something like the page did not load or it took too long to respond. If this happens follow the directions on our How To Find Your Router's IP Address page. It will show you how to find the router's current IP address.
Ultimately you are looking for a page or box that asks for a username and password.
- The Default Asus RT-N18U Router Username is: admin
- The Default Asus RT-N18U Router Password is: password
Having Trouble?
This is a common place to get stuck. If you find yourself here, there are a few things you can try:
- Other default Asus username/password combinations. Here is a list of all the known Default Asus Router Passwords.
- Use our Find Password App to help you guess what the username/password combination has been changed to.
- As a last resort, you may need to reset the Asus RT-N18U router back to factory defaults. Be aware a reset erases all settings you have changed in the past. To learn how to reset a router, follow the directions on our How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
Now that you are logged in, let's find the port forward page. To do this we begin on the Network Map page of the Asus RT-N18U interface.
Click the General option in the left sidebar.
Now, look at the top of the page. You should see some new tabs. Pick the one labeled Virtual Server/Port Forwarding
That's it, you are now on the correct page to make a port forward.
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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Enter the name of the program into the Service Name box. It doesn't really matter what you put into this box, but something that will remind you why these ports are being forwarded is be a good idea.
The Source Target box cab be left blank.
Enter the ports to forward into the Port Range box.
The ports can be entered as a list 23,24,25, a range 500-600, or a combination of both 23,45,500-600.
Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the Local IP box. If you are forwarding ports so you can run a program on a device other than your computer then you can enter your device's IP address into that box.
Use the Protocol dropdown box to select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding.
When you are finished, click the + button.
When you are finished, be sure to click the Apply button to save your changes.
Test the Ports
In order to see if the ports are being forwarded through the firewall with no problems you need to use a port checking tool. We have a free one with our Network Utilities. Our Open Port Checker uses a local application to see if the server is listening, guaranteeing an accurate reading.
More Info...
Did you know we have more than just port forwarding guides? Check them out here.
Router problems? Having trouble navigating the router interface? Need help updating the router's security? Check out the router guides on setuprouter.com.
