Simple TP-Link TL-WR842N Router Port Forwarding Steps

Your TP-Link TL-WR842N router has a very basic firewall. This firewall helps to protect your home network from unwanted access from the Internet. Your firewall blocks incoming connections you may want or need opened for a game or application. The process of opening a port for a game or application is called a port forward because you are forwarding a port through the firewall and sending it directly to a device on your network.

In this guide we will show you how to:

1. Setup a static IP address on the device you want to get these ports forwarded to.
2. Login to your TP-Link TL-WR842N router.
3. Navigate to the port forwarding section.
   • Click the Forwarding link.
   • Click on Virtual Servers.
   • Click the Add New button.
4. Create a port forward entry.

These steps may sound difficult. Don't worry, we will be walking you through each step in order to get your ports forwarded.

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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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

It is now time to login to the TP-Link TL-WR842N router. Your router has a web interface, which means you need to login using a web browser.

The web browser you choose to use doesn't matter. As long as it can browse the Internet it should work. Some of the more common options are:

• Internet Explorer
• Chrome
• Edge
• Firefox

Open up the web browser and locate 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 TL-WR842N IP Address is: 192.168.1.254 If you have changed the router's IP address in the past and don't remember what you changed it to, we can help you find it. Check out our How To Find Your Router's IP Address guide.

Once you have entered the right IP address in the address bar, just click the Enter key on your keyboard. You should see something similar to this:

You should be asked for authentication at this point. You are on the right page if you are asked for a username and password.

• The Default TP-Link TL-WR842N Router Username is: admin
• The Default TP-Link TL-WR842N Router Password is: admin

After entering the username and password just click the OK button to login to the TP-Link TL-WR842N router.

Problems with Passwords

This is where most people get stuck. If you find yourself in the majority then here are a few troubleshooting ideas to help:

• If the default username and password did not work, we first recommend trying other Default TP-Link Router Passwords. Sometimes a slightly different firmware version of a router has a different username and password.
• If our list of TP-Link passwords did not help, it is probably because you changed the router's username and password in the past and don't remember what you changed it to. Why not try to crack the password. We have a app that will help automate this process. We call it our Find Password App. This is a great app for finding lost passwords. It cannot work over the Internet, it will only work on your local network to prevent illegal activity. Learn more about this app on this Router Password Cracker page.
• Finally, if nothing else has worked, it may be time to contemplate a reset. A reset like this one erases all your personal data on the device. We strongly advise you to exhaust other troubleshooting methods before deciding to reset the TP-Link TL-WR842N router. 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 Status page of your router:

Click the Forwarding option in the left sidebar. (It's about half-way down the page)

This opens up a new set of options. From this new menu pick the Virtual Servers link.

You should now see a page similar to the one above. Select the option of Add New in the middle section 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

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

Enter the port to forward into both the Service Port and the Internal Port boxes.

Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the IP Address 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.

In the Protocol box select the protocol that you want to forward these ports over.

From the Status dropdown box select Enabled.

When you are all done click the Save button.

Make sure to click the Save button after each entry.

Test if Your Ports are Open

Did your ports open correctly? One way to find out is to use our Open Port Checker. This can be found in the Network Utilities free trial version. Our Open Port Checker is not only free but is guaranteed to work.

More Info

If you enjoyed this guide, we have more you may like. Check these out:

• Here are more guides written specifically for your TP-Link TL-WR842N router.
• Learn more about WPS.
• Here's a guide to Understanding Binary Numbers.
• Can you Port Forward Behind Two Routers?