You probably know that the Netgear FVS318 router has a basic firewall that helps protect your home network. Do you know how this firewall works? Very basically it works by blocking all incoming and outgoing connections that have not been authorized. By default the router has authorized a few so you can surf the web and check your email, but most connections are blocked. Some online games or programs do not work very well if you don't open additional connections through the firewall. This opening of connections is frequently called a port forward because it takes the specified port and sends it directly through the firewall to a specific device on your network.
In this guide we will walk you through every step in the process of getting your ports open on the Netgear FVS318 router. These steps include:
- How to setup a static IP address on the device you want to forward these ports to.
- How to login to the Netgear FVS318 router.
- How to find the port forwarding section of the router.
- How to make 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.
It is important to know that opening a port (port forwarding) does not open the port for your entire network, just one device. So that device needs a static IP address, an address that does not change every time you shut it off.
I highly recommend writing this static IP address down. You will need it again in Step 4.
Step 2
Now let's login to the Netgear FVS318 router interface. To do this you need to open a web browser. It normally doesn't matter which browser you decide to use. I recommend picking one you are comfortable with such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.
Upon opening the web browser, find the address bar. It will 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 Netgear FVS318 IP Address is: 192.168.0.1
After entering the IP address of your router you can simply press enter. If all goes well you will see the following screen:
IMPORTANT: If you are not given an authentication window like the one above, or are told the site cannot be reached the IP address that was entered was incorrect. It is possible you changed the router's IP address and don't remember what it was changed to. In order to find out what the correct IP address is follow the instructions on this page.
You should see a box prompting you for your username and password.
- The Default Netgear FVS318 Router Username is: admin
- The Default Netgear FVS318 Router Password is: password
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login or OK button to login to your Netgear FVS318 router.
Are You Stuck?
This is a common place to get stuck. Here are a few things you can try:
- Most likely the username and password are incorrect. If you have a slightly different firmware version then the username and password could be different. Try other Netgear username/password combinations. Here is our list of Default Netgear Router Passwords.
- If that did not work, the password was probably changed in the past for security reasons. This is a good idea and highly recommended when setting up a wireless home network, however problems arise when you forget what you changed it to. Our Router Password Cracker will help you with this. Go ahead and give it a try, it makes owning a router a lot easier.
- Finally if all else fails you may need to consider a factory reset for your Netgear FVS318 router. This is not recommended unless you have exhausted all other troubleshooting ideas. A factory reset erases all your previous changes. A full reconfiguration is required after a factory reset. To learn more about resetting a router, read this How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
You should now be logged into the Netgear FVS318 router interface and ready to find the port forwarding section of the device. Here is how you do it. We begin on the Basic Settings page.
From this page we are going to jump right into entering the port forwarding data. On to step 4.
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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Click the Add Service link near the left of the page.
Near the center of the page click the Add Custom Service button.
Make up a name to put in the Name box. The name does not have any effect on the functionality of the forward, it's simply there so you can know why it was created.
In the Type box select the protocol that you want to forward these ports over.
If you are forwarding a single port, enter that port number into the Start Port and the Finish 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 Finish Port box.
Near the left of the page click the Ports link.
Click the Add button.
Select the service you created from the Service dropdown box.
Choose ALLOW always from the Action dropdown box.
You need to enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the Send to LAN Server 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 WAN Users dropdown box select Any.
Choose Never from the Log dropdown box.
After you are done click the Apply button.
Congratulations, you did it.
Test if Your Ports are Open
Now that you have forwarded ports on the Netgear FVS318 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 Information
Port forwarding should be easy, that's why we have created the Port Forwarding Software. Our software troubleshoots, diagnoses, and fixes any port forwarding issues you have. Our port forwarding software is the easiest way to get your ports open.
Check out setuprouter.com for more router specific guides. Simply find your router and model number and look at the guides we have written specifically for that router.
