Your router has a firewall that blocks unwanted connections to and from the Internet. Sometimes you want some of these connections (ports) unblocked for an online game or other online application. To unblock these port you need to create a port forward. A port forward opens specific ports for a specific device on your network.
In this guide we will walk you through all the steps involved in getting your ports forwarded on the Linksys WAG54G router. We will show you how to:
- Setup a static IP address on your computer or device that you want to forward a port to.
- Login to your Linksys WAG54G router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section.
- Create a port forward entry.
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.
Don't forget this static IP address. You need it later in Step 4.
Step 2
Now let's login to the Linksys WAG54G router. To do that you need to use your computer and open up a web browser. It usually doesn't matter what browser you decide to use. We recommend just using the one you are the most comfortable with such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.
Open up your web browser and find the address bar. It looks 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 WAG54G router IP address (computer's default gateway) is: 192.168.1.1
Did the default IP address not work? Did you change the router's IP address in the past and don't recall what you changed it to? To find out what the current router IP address is follow the instructions on this How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.
After entering the IP address of your router you can simply press Enter. If you entered the correct IP address you will see a screen similar to the following image:
Do you see an authentication box? If you do you are on the right track.
- The Default Linksys WAG54G Router Username is: admin
- The Default Linksys WAG54G Router Password is: password
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login button to log in to your Linksys WAG54G router.
Having Trouble?
If the above username and password did not work, here are a few things you can try:
- Other Linksys usernames and passwords. If your Linksys is a different firmware version you could also have a different username and password combination. Here is our list of Default Linksys Router Passwords.
- Our Find Password App to help you figure out what you changed the username and password to. Learn more about that on this Router Password Cracker page.
- As an absolute last resort, you could perform a factory reset on the Linksys WAG54G router. This will erase everything you have ever changed on the router including the username and password. We DO NOT recommend doing a reset unless you have exhausted your other options first. A full router reconfiguration will need to be done afterwards. Learn the basics of resetting a router on this How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
Time to find the port forwarding section of the router. To do that we will be starting on the Setup page:
First, select the link at the top of the page labeled Applications & Gaming.
A new menu appears below that one. In this menu you choose from either Single Port Forwarding or Port Range Forwarding depending on whether you are forwarding a single port or you are forwarding a range of ports.
The screenshot above shows the Port Range Forwarding page.
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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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.
Forwarding a Port Range
You need to name this entry in the Application box. The name does not make any difference in the forward; it's just there so that you can remember later why you setup this forward.
If you are just forwarding a single port number then you can simply enter that same number into both the Port Range Start and the Port Range End boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, usually separated by a hyphen, then you need to enter the lowest number of that range into the Port Range Start box and then enter highest number into the Port Range End box.
From the TCP UDP box select the protocol for the ports that you want to forward.
Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the IP Address 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.
Make sure that the Enabled checkbox is checked.
Forwarding a Single Port
Create a name for this forward and put it in the Application box. The name is only used as a reminder and has no effect on the port forward.
Enter the port to forward into the External Port and the Internal Port boxes.
Select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding from the Protocol box.
Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the IP Address 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.
Make sure that the Enabled checkbox is checked.
When you are finished click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the screen to apply your changes permanently.
Testing if Your Ports are Open
Now that you have forwarded ports on the Linksys WAG54G 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.
More Info...
If you are struggling with the port forward, we recommend using our Port Forward Software. We believe port forwarding should be easy and with our software it is. We will troubleshoot, diagnose, and fix any port forwarding issues you are having.
Don't forget to check out our full list of guides here. We have networking, gaming, and software guides. portforward.com is your computer information source.
Need router help? Check out the different guides we have for setting up your router here at setuprouter.com.
