On this page, I will be showing you how to port forward on the Linksys WRT1900AC router. This router has a firewall and in order to some games and applications run smoother you may need to forward a port through that firewall.
We will walk you through each of the following steps:
- Settings up a static IP address on the device you want to forward these ports to.
- Logging in to your Linksys WRT1900AC router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section.
- Click the Security link.
- Click the Apps and Gaming link.
- Click the Port Range Forwarding or the Single Port Forwarding button to forward ports.
- Create a port forward.
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
In order to login to the Linksys WRT1900AC router you need to use a web browser. It doesn't matter which web browser you use, I recommend using the one you used to find this website.
After opening the web browser, you need to locate the address bar. It looks 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 WRT1900AC 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:
Do you see the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Sign In page? This is the correct page to be on in order to login to the Linksys WRT1900AC router.
- The Default Linksys WRT1900AC Router Username is: admin
- The Default Linksys WRT1900AC Router Password is: admin
Simply enter your password and username in the appropriate boxes and click the blue Sign In button in order to have access to your Linksys WRT1900AC router.
Having Trouble?
If you find yourself stuck, don't panic. This is a common place to get stuck. Here are a few ideas to try:
- First, why not try other Linksys passwords. It is possible you have a slightly different firmware version and those might have a different username and password. Here is our list of Default Linksys Router Passwords.
- If that did not work, it is probably because you changed the username and password in the past and have forgotten what you changed it to. You could try to crack the password yourself. In order for us to help you do this you can use our Find Password App. It automates the process of trying thousands of different combinations. Learn more on our Router Password Cracker page.
- Finally, if that did not help it might be time to consider a reset. A factory reset erases all changes you have made in the past. We do not recommend doing a reset unless you have exhausted all other troubleshooting methods. Learn more on our How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
It is now time to find the port forwarding section of your router. To do that, let's start on the home page of the router:
First, select the Security link in the left sidebar of the page.
Now select the Apps and Gaming tab in the center top section of the page.
This particular router has two different ways to forward ports. There is single port forwarding and range port forwarding. If you are forwarding a range of ports then choose the option of Port Range Forwarding. If you are forwarding a single port or more than one port but not in order, then choose Single Port Forwarding
The page above shows the Single Port 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 Single Port
Click the Add a new Single Port Forwarding button.
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.
Put the same port number into both the External Port and the Internal Port boxes.
The protocol that you want to forward is selected from the Protocol box.
You need to enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the Device IP# 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 are finished, click the Save button.
Forwarding a Port Range
Click the Add a new Port Range Forwarding button.
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 just forwarding a single port number then you can simply enter that same number into both the Start Port and the End Port 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 Start Port box and then enter highest number into the End Port box.
Select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding from the Protocol box.
Enter the IP address of the device that you want to forward ports to into the Device IP# box. This can be either the IP address of your computer or the IP address of another device on your network.
Put a checkmark in the Enabled checkbox.
Click the Save button when you are all done.
When you are finished, be sure to save your changes before you exit.
Test if Your Ports are Open
Once you have finished forwarding the ports on the Linksys WRT1900AC router you should test them to be sure they forwarded properly. In order to do this we recommend using our Open Port Checker. This can be found in our Network Utilities free trial. Our Port Checker uses a local application to see what ports are listening. This guarantees whether the ports are forwarded or not.
