The TP-Link Archer C3150 router uses a firewall to help keep malicious threats from reaching your home network. The firewall works by blocking connections or ports. When you have a program or game that does not run as smoothly as it should you may need to unblock or open a port. The process of opening ports is frequently referred to as a port forward because you are forwarding ports through your firewall to a specific device on your home network.
In this guide we will walk you through each of the following steps. We will show you how to:
- Setup a static IP address on the device you want to forward the ports to.
- Login to the TP-Link Archer C3150 router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section of your router.
- Create a port forward on the TP-Link Archer C3150.
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
Step Two involves logging into the TP-Link Archer C3150 router. Your router uses a web interface. This means in order to access the router setup menu you need to use a web browser. It really should not matter which browser you decide to use. Some of the more common options are: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari.
Open up the web browser you picked and find the address bar. This is normally at the top of the page 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 TP-Link Archer C3150 IP Address is: 192.168.0.1
After entering the router's IP address, click the Enter key on your keyboard. This should send you to a login page like this:
Enter the appropriate username and password for your router in the given spaces.
- The Default TP-Link Archer C3150 Router Username is: admin
- The Default TP-Link Archer C3150 Router Password is: admin
Having Trouble?
This is a very common place to get stuck. If you find yourself here, there are a few things you can try:
- First, we recommend trying other TP-Link usernames and passwords. If your router has a different firmware version you might also have a different username and password. Here is our list of Default TP-Link Router Passwords.
- If that did not work, it is because you changed the username and password in the past and do not remember what you changed it to. We suggest trying to guess what you changed it to. If you use our Find Password App it will automate the process of guessing thousands of different combinations for you. Learn more about it on our Router Password Cracker page.
- Finally, if nothing else helps, it might be time to consider a reset. A reset like this one erases every single setting you have ever changed in the past. We strongly recommend exhausting your other troubleshooting methods before you use this option. Learn how to reset a router in our How to Reset a Router guide.
Step 3
It is now time to find the port forwarding section of your router. We begin on the Basic Home page.
First, click the option at the top of the page labeled Advanced.
Now, click NAT Forwarding in the left sidebar.
Then, choose Virtual Servers under that.
Finally, click the green +Add link in the center section of the page, near the right side of the 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.
Create a name for this forward and put it in the Service Name box. The name is only used as a reminder and has no effect on the port forward.
Enter the same port number to be forwarded into both the External Port and the Internal Port boxes.
Enter the IP address of the device that you want to forward ports to into the Internal IP box. This can be either the IP address of your computer or the IP address of another device on your network.
Select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding from the Protocol box.
Put a checkmark in the Enable This Entry checkbox.
Click the OK button when you are finished.
Make sure you click the green OK button after you finish each entry.
Make Sure to Test Your Ports
It is a very good idea to check your ports after you have finished forwarding them. We offer the use of our Open Port Checker. It is completely FREE as part of our trial version of the Network Utilities. This Port Checker works differently than others on the Internet. We make no assumptions about what program you have on your device, we use a local program to listen for the designated ports. This way our Port Checker is guaranteed to work.
Anything Else?
Are you interested in learning firewalls, IP addresses, uTorrent, Wireshark, etc... Check these out and more in our Guide section.
If you are interested in learning how to setup your WiFi or change the wireless channel on your exact router model, then check out our other site called setuprouter.com.
