Simple TP-Link Archer C9 Router Port Forwarding Steps

In this guide we will be showing you how to port forward on the TP-Link Archer C9 router. We will walk you through each step in the process.

Your TP-Link Archer C9 router comes with a firewall that by design blocks incoming connections to your home network. If you want some of these connections unblocked or opened for a game or application you need to create a port forward.

We will walk you through each of the following steps:

Setting up a Static IP address on the device you want to forward these ports to.
Login to the TP-Link Archer C9 router.
Find the port forwarding section of the TP-Link Archer C9 router.
What information to enter in your router in order to 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.

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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 TP-Link Archer C9 router you need to use a web browser because your router uses a web interface to make setting changes. It should not matter which browser you decide to use, simply pick your favorite. Some of the more common options are:

Internet Explorer
Firefox
Chrome
Safari

Once you have opened the web browser, find the address bar at the top of the page. It looks similar to this:

Image of a browser address bar — Browser address bar

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 C9 IP Address is: 192.168.0.1

After entering the proper IP address, click the Enter key on your keyboard. The following image should appear on your screen:

If you see the image above you are doing great. Simply enter the router's username and password in these boxes. This is not the WiFi username and password, this particular password and username combo are for the router interface only.

The Default TP-Link Archer C9 Router Username is: admin
The Default TP-Link Archer C9 Router Password is: admin

Go ahead and enter the username and password for the TP-Link Archer C9 router and click the Login button.

Having Trouble?

This is a common place to have trouble. If you find yourself here, there are several things you can try:

First, why not try other common TP-Link username/password combos. Sometimes if you have a slightly different version of the router the password will be different as well. Here is our list of Default TP-Link Router Passwords.

If you are still unable to login to the TP-Link Archer C9 router interface then it is probably because you changed the username and password in the past and don't remember what you changed them to. To remedy this we recommend using our Find Password App. This helps you to find out what you changed your router password and username to. This app will only work on your local home network, not over the Internet. Learn more about this app and how it works on our Router Password Cracker page.

Finally if you are still stuck, it might be time to consider a reset. A reset like this erases every single setting you have ever changed in the past. Please be sure you exhaust other troubleshooting methods before you continue. Learn how to reset this router on our How to Reset a Router page.

Step 3

Once you are logged into the TP-Link Archer C9 router you need to find the port forwarding section. To help you do this follow these steps, starting on the Network Map page of your router:

On this page, click the tab at the top labeled Advanced.

Next, click the option in the left sidebar labeled Forwarding.

Then, under that choose Virtual Servers.

You should now see a page like the one seen above. Click the option in center section labeled Add New...

Congratulations, you have reached the port forwarding section of the TP-Link Archer C9 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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Enter the port to forward into the Service Port and the Internal Port boxes.

Enter the IP address that you want to forward these ports to in the IP Address box. You can enter either the IP address of your computer or the IP address of another computer or device on your network.

From the Protocol box select the protocol for the ports that you want to forward.

Use the Status dropdown box to pick Enabled.

Click the Save button when you are all done.

Make sure to click the Save button after each entry.

That's it, congratulations.

Are Your Ports Forwarded?

It's hard to tell sometimes if the ports you just forwarded did so correctly. It is always a good idea to check them to be sure they forwarded as they were suppose to. In order to do this we recommend using our Open Port Checker. It is part of our Network Utilities free trial. Our port checker uses a local application to listen for the server trying to connect. This way we can confirm that your port is actually forwarded.