Do you use online programs or play online games? Do you keep getting kicked out of the game or experience lag? If you do, then you need to make a port forward for that game. Your ZyXEL C1000Z router has a firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted Internet threats. The firewall does this by blocking all incoming and outgoing connections that are not recognized. Your game or program ports are being blocked. This process of opening ports is called a port forward.
In this guide we will show you exactly how to port forward the ZyXEL C1000Z router. We will walk you through the following steps:
- We will show you how to setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding the ports to.
- We will show you how to login to the ZyXEL C1000Z router.
- Then we'll show you how to find the port forward section of the ZyXEL C1000Z router.
- Finally, we will show you how to setup a port forward entry on this 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
This second step is to get you logged into the ZyXEL C1000Z router. Your router uses a web interface which means to change settings you have to open a web browser. It does not matter what web browser you decide to use. I recommend using one you are most comfortable with. Some of the choices out there are Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Edge.
Once you have opened the web browser, you need to 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 ZyXEL C1000Z IP Address is: 192.168.0.1
After typing the router's IP address into the address bar, press the Enter key on your keyboard. This should give you a login page like this:
This page shows an Administrator Username and an Administrator Password. Enter the username and password in these spaces and press the blue Apply button to access your router's setup pages.
- The Default ZyXEL C1000Z Router Username is: admin
- The Default ZyXEL C1000Z Router Password is: password
Having Trouble?
This is where a lot of us get stuck. Don't worry there are a few things you can try:
- First, we recommend trying other ZyXEL usernames and passwords. A different firmware version sometimes comes with a different username and/or password. We have a list of the Default ZyXEL Router Passwords right here.
- If the first option did not work it is probably because you changed the values in the past and don't remember what they were changed to. You could try and guess what you changed it to. Time to pick your own brain... Need help? Use our Find Password App. It automates the guessing of thousands of different password combinations. If you are interested but want to learn more about it, read this Router Password Cracker page.
- As a last resort you could do a factory reset of the ZyXEL C1000Z router. It erases everything you have changed and reverts it all back to factory default. We don't recommend this unless you have exhausted your other troubleshooting options first. To learn the basics of resetting this router, take a look at this page.
Step 3
At this point you are logged into your router and need to find the port forwarding section. We begin on the Home page.
Click the red option on the far right labeled Advanced Setup.
This brings you to the page you see above. Looking in the left sidebar, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Under Security click the link labeled Port Forwarding.
You are now on the correct page to make a port forward.
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.
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.
Pick Manually Enter IP Address from the Select Device dropdown box.
Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the Enter 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.
If you are only forwarding a single port number then enter that number into both the Starting Port and the Ending Port boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports separated by a hyphen then enter the lowest number of that range into the Starting Port box and the highest number of that range into the Ending Port box.
Use the Protocol dropdown box to select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding.
Be sure that there is a dot in the Remote Port and IP All IP Addresses radio button.
Click the Apply button when you are done.
Don't forget to click the blue Apply button after you have completed each entry.
Test Your Ports
Now that you have finished forwarding the ports, let's check them. In order to do this you need to use a Open Port Checker. We (of course) recommend using ours. It is FREE if you download the trial version of the Network Utilities. A lot of port checkers rely on you having a specific program downloaded on your computer. Ours does not, our port checker uses one of your local applications to see if the server is listening on those ports. That is why our port checker is better than most of the others out there.
Need More Info?
If you were not able to get your ports forwarded on the ZyXEL C1000Z router then try our port forwarding software. Our Network Utilities suite includes everything you need to diagnose, troubleshoot, and fix port forwarding issues.
If you are interested in learning more about networking or software, check out our growing list of guides in our guide section.
If you are looking for more router specific guides such as how to changed the router's IP address, how to setup a secure WiFi network, how to change your DNS settings, and much more. Take a look at our site: setuprouter.com.
