Linksys E2500 routers include a very basic firewall that helps protect your home network form unwanted access from the internet. Since this firewall blocks incoming connections you may need open a port through it for certain games and applications. This process of opening a port is frequently called a port forward, since you are forwarding a port from the internet to your home network.
The basic process to open a port is:
- Setup a static IP address on either your computer or device that you want to forward a port to.
- Login to your Linksys E2500 router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section.
- Click the Applications & Gaming link.
- Click the Port Range Forwarding or the Single Port Forwarding button to forward ports.
- Create a port forward entry.
While these steps might seem difficult at first, we will walk you through each step for your Linksys E2500 router.
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
Now we are going to login to your Linksys E2500 router. Your router has a web interface, so you will login to it using your web browser. This can be either Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Edge. It usually does not matter which browser you choose to use.
Open up your web browser and find the address bar. It should look something 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 Linksys E2500 IP Address is: 192.168.1.1
After entering the IP address of your router you can simply press enter. If all goes well you will see the following screen:
You should see a box prompting you for your username and password.
- The Default Linksys E2500 Router Username is: none
- The Default Linksys E2500 Router Password is: admin
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login button to log in to your Linksys E2500 router.
Linksys Usernames and Passwords
If your username and password do not work then please visit our Default Linksys Router Passwords page.
If you still can't login to your router because you forgot your Linksys E2500 router username and password, use our How to Reset a Router Password guide to set your Linksys E2500 router back to its factory settings.
Step 3
Now we need to find the port forwarding section in your router. Here's how you do it. Starting from the first page in your router:
Click the Applications & Gaming link near the top of the page.
This router has two different sections that allow you to forward ports. One section allows you to forward a range of ports, and the other allows you to forward a single port. To forward a range of ports, click Port Range Forwarding. To forward a single port, click Single 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
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Forwarding a Single Port
Create a name for this forward and put it in the Application Name box. The name is only used as a reminder and has no effect on the port forward.
Enter the port to forward into both the External Port and the Internal Port boxes.
Select the required protocol for these ports from the Protocol dropdown box.
You need to enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the To IP Address box. It's possible for this to be either the IP address of your computer or any other IP address on your network that you want ports forwarded to.
Make sure that the Enabled checkbox is checked.
Forwarding a Port Range
Put a name for this forward in the Application 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.
If you are forwarding a single port, enter that port number into the Start Port and the End Port boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, enter the lowest number of that range into the Start Port box. Then enter the highest number of that range into the End Port box.
Use the Protocol dropdown box to select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding.
You need to enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the To IP Address box. It's possible for this to be either the IP address of your computer or any other IP address on your network that you want ports forwarded to.
In the Enabled checkbox put a checkmark.
When you're finished, click Save Settings near the bottom of the screen to save your changes.
Test if Your Ports are Open
Now that you have forwarded ports on the Linksys E2500 you should test to see if your ports are forwarded correctly.
To test if your port has been properly forwarded, you can use our Network Utilities tool, which includes a free Open Port Checker. Our Open Port Check tool is the only online port checking tool with Guaranteed Results.
