Netgear FVX538 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 Netgear FVX538 router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section.
- Create a port forward entry.
While these steps might seem difficult at first, we will walk you through each step for your Netgear FVX538 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 Netgear FVX538 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 Netgear FVX538 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:
You should see a box prompting you for your username and password.
- The Default Netgear FVX538 Router Username is:
- The Default Netgear FVX538 Router Password is: password
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login button to log in to your Netgear FVX538 router.
Netgear Usernames and Passwords
If your username and password do not work then please visit our Default Netgear Router Passwords page.
If you still can't login to your router because you forgot your Netgear FVX538 router username and password, use our How to Reset a Router Password guide to set your Netgear FVX538 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:
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 Services link near the left of the page.
Near the center of the page click the Add Custom Service button.
You need to name this entry in the Name 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.
From the Type box select the protocol for the ports that you want to forward.
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 Rules link.
Click the Outbound or Inbound Services Add button.
Choose the service you created from the Service dropdown box.
Choose ALLOW always from the Action dropdown box.
Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the Send to LAN Server 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.
Select Any from the WAN Users dropdown box.
Use the Log dropdown box to select Never.
Click the Apply button when you are done.
Your ports should now be open. It is time to test them.
Test if Your Ports are Open
Now that you have forwarded ports on the Netgear FVX538 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.
