Most routers including the D-Link DIR-636L router has a firewall to help protect your home network from unwanted Internet access. Your firewall works by blocking all connections to and from your network unless already authorized. In order to authorize a connection (port) for online gaming or other program you need to make a port forward rule that tells the firewall this particular port or group of ports are okay.
In this guide we will be walking you through each of the following port forwarding steps:
- We will show you how to setup a static IP address on the device you are forwarding these ports to.
- We will then show you how to login to the D-Link DIR-636L router.
- Next, we show you how to find the port forwarding section of the router.
- And finally, we will show you what information to enter in your router for the port forward entry.
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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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You'll need this static IP address a little later, so write it down on a slip of paper.
Step 2
It is now time to login to the D-Link DIR-636L router. To do this you need to open a web browser. This can be Google, Internet Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser you want to use.
After you have opened the web browser, look for the address bar. This will typically be 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 D-Link DIR-636L IP Address is: 192.168.0.1
If you changed the router's IP address in the past, then enter that address instead of the one above. If you changed the IP address and don't remember what you changed it to, you need to find out what you changed it to. In order to do this you need to follow the directions on the How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.
Once you have entered the D-Link DIR-636L router's IP address in the address bar, click the Enter key on your keyboard. This should give you a dialogue box that looks like this:
On this page, simply choose the User Name and then enter the appropriate Password.
- The Default D-Link DIR-636L Router Username is: admin
- The Default D-Link DIR-636L Router Password is: password
Having Trouble?
If you are stuck at this point, don't panic there are a few things you can try:
- First, we recommend trying other D-Link username/password combinations. Sometimes if you have a different firmware version you also have a different username and password combination. Here is our list of Default D-Link Router Passwords.
- The second thing we recommend trying is our Find Password App. The number one reason a username and/or password does not work is because it was changed and forgotten. To help you guess use this app. Learn all about it on our Router Password Cracker page.
- Finally if the above two options did not work, it might be time to consider a factory reset. DO NOT reset your router unless you have exhausted all other troubleshooting options first. A factory reset erases everything you or your ISP has changed in the past. If you are a DSL customer you need the DSL username and password before you can reconfigure the router so be aware. If a reset is in your future, learn the basics of resetting a router on this How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
It is time to find the port forwarding section of the D-Link DIR-636L router. To do that we will begin on the Internet Setup page of the device:
First, click the ADVANCED option at the top of the page.
You should now see a page like the one above. Pick the option in the left sidebar labeled PORT FORWARDING.
Congratulations you are now on the correct page to make a port forward entry.
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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Make sure that the Enable checkbox is checked.
Put a name for this forward in the Name box so that you can remember why you set this forward up. The name does not matter so pick something that has meaning to you.
Enter the IP address that you want to forward these ports to into the IP Address box. Note that 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 instead.
Enter the ports to forward into the TCP and UDP 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.
In the Schedule dropdown box select Always.
From the Inbound Filter dropdown box choose Allow All.
When you are finished, click the Save Settings button at the top of the page.
Test the Port Forward
Did the port forward go through? It is always a good idea to check if the ports forwarded properly. To do this we recommend using our Free Open Port Checker. There are a lot of port checkers on the Internet but ours does not make any assumptions on what programs you have installed on that computer. Our port checker uses a local application to see if the server is listening on the desired ports. If it is, your ports are open guaranteed.
More Info...
Are you still having trouble port forwarding? Here at portforward.com we believe port forwarding should be easy. Our Port Forwarding Software troubleshoots, diagnoses, and fixes all your port forwarding issues. Here at portforward.com we make port forwarding easy.
Don't forget to check out what else we have for you. We have a bunch of free guides about networking, gaming, and much more.
Need help setting up your router? setuprouter.com is the best source for setting up your home or business router.
