Your BT Home Hub 4r router has a very basic firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted Internet activity. This firewall works by blocking incoming connections that you may want opened for an online game or application. In order to open additional connections or ports you need to create what is called a port forward.
In this guide I will show you how to port forward on the BT Home Hub 4r router. The steps I will be covering in this guide are how to:
- setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding these ports to.
- login to the BT Home Hub 4r router web interface.
- find the port forwarding page in the router's web interface.
- 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.
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 for Step 4.
Step 2
Now it is time to login to the router's interface. Your BT Home Hub 4r router has a web interface which simply means you need to use a web browser to open it up. It typically doesn't matter which one you choose so I recommend picking one you are familiar with such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.
Once you have opened the web browser, find the address bar. This is 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 BT Home Hub 4r IP Address is: 192.168.2.1
If everything went right then you will see the home page for the BT Home Hub 4r router:
If you are not shown the home screen for the BT Home Hub 4r router then the wrong IP address was used for the router. To find out what the correct IP address is follow the directions on our How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.
On the Home page, click the Advanced Settings button at the top of the page.
Now you need to login.
- The Default BT Home Hub 4r Router Username is: admin
- The Default BT Home Hub 4r Router Password is: password
Once you have entered the correct username and password, click the OK button to continue.
Having Trouble?
This is a pretty common place to get stuck. If you find yourself here, don't panic, there are a few things you can try:
- First, check all the different BT default combinations. Here is our list of all known Default BT 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
At this point you should see the Advanced Settings Warning page.
Click Continue to Advanced Settings.
You should now see a page like the one shown above. Click the option at the top of the page labeled Firewall.
Then below that make sure Port Forwarding is selected.
On this page, click the link on the right labeled Manage games and applications.
Now click Add new game or application.
You are now on the correct page to make a port forward entry.
Before continuing, be sure to enter a name in the Game/Application Name box or select it from the drop down list below that. This is just so you can recognize it later.
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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Select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding from the Protocol box.
If you are forwarding a single port, enter that port number into both of the Port Range and both of the Translate To boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, enter the lowest number of that range into the left hand Port Range and Translate To boxes. Then enter the highest number of that range into the right hand Port Range and Translate To boxes.
After you are done click the Add button.
After you have completed the entry, click the Add button, then Apply at the bottom of the page.
This should take you back to the Port Forwarding page, but if it does not, click the Port Forwarding option again at the top of the page.
In the Game or Application drop down list choose the application you just created. This is the name of the Game or application you filled out at the end of Step 3.
Then, open up the Device drop down list and select the device you are forwarding these ports to. This is the device that you created the Static IP address for in Step 1.
Finally, click the Apply button to save all 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.
