Actiontec MI424WR Router Port Forwarding Instructions

The Actiontec MI424WR router has a basic firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted access to the Internet. A firewall blocks connections by default, but sometimes you want these connections unblocked for a game or application. To unblock a connection, you need to create an open port which is more frequently called a port forward because you are forwarding the port through the firewall to a device on your network.

To create an open port you must:

Have a Static IP Adress setup on the device you plan to have these ports forwarded to.
Login to your Actiontec MI424WR router.
You then need to navigate to the port forwarding section. To do this:
- Click the Firewall Settings button.
- Click the Port Forwarding link.
- Click the Add link.
- Enter the IP in to the Network Computer / Device box.
- Click the Protocol Add link.
- Enter a name in the Service Name box.
- Click the Protocol Add Server Ports link.
Make a port forward entry.

Don't panic if these steps seem difficult, we will be walking you through every step in the forwarding process.

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

This is the login step. Your Actiontec MI424WR router uses a web interface meaning you have to login through a web browser. It doesn't matter what web browser you choose to use, it can be Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, or Firefox. Simply pick your favorite browser and open it up.

Once the web browser is opened, look for the address bar. Normally this is located at the top of the page, like 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 Actiontec MI424WR IP Address is: 192.168.1.1 After entering the router's IP Address in the address bar, just click the Enter key on your keyboard. If you entered the right IP Address you will be directed to the following page:

If you see a space asking for your Login information (username and password) then you are in the right spot.

The Default Actiontec MI424WR Router Username is: admin
The Default Actiontec MI424WR Router Password is: password

Upon entering the username and password, click the the OK button.

Having Trouble?

If you are having trouble logging into the Actiontec MI424WR router, there are several possible reasons. Here are three things you can do:

Try other default Actiontec usernames and passwords. Sometimes a new firmware update changes the username and password. Check out our list on the Default Actiontec Router Passwords page.

If none of the Actiontec passwords worked, it is probably because you changed the username and/or password in the past and have forgotten. How about trying to figure it out yourself? To automate the process we have a Find Password App. It is completely safe to use as it will only work on a local home network, it will not and cannot communicate over the Internet.

Are you still locked out of your router? You may need to consider a reset. A factory reset like we are suggesting is not recommended unless you have exhausted all other troubleshooting options. This reset erases every personal setting you have ever changed in the lifetime of the router, including ISP settings you may be unaware of. If this is something you must consider read our How to Reset a Router guide.

Step 3

After you have logged into the Actiontec MI424WR router you need to make your way to the port forwarding section of the router. To do this we start on the first page after logging in:

1. Select the tab at the top of the page labeled Firewall Settings

2. Click the Port Forwarding option in the left sidebar.

3. Choose Add link in red, near the center of the page.

4. You should now see a page like the one above. In the box labeled Network Computer / Device enter the IP Address you want to forward these ports to.

(This should be the Static IP Address you setup in Step 1.)

5. Click the red Add link to the right of Protocol.

6. In the box labeled Service Name enter the name of the program you are forwarding these ports for. This is not a crucial step but advisable so you don't forget why you are forwarding these steps.

7. Click the red link titled Add Server Ports under Protocol in the middle of the page.

Screenshot of Actiontec MI-424-WRv2 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

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The protocol that you want to forward is selected from the Protocol box.

Use the Source Ports dropdown box to pick Any.

If you are forwarding a range of ports then you need to enter the lowest number into the left Source Ports box and the highest number into the right Source Ports box. If you are only forwarding a single port then you can enter that same port number into both the left Source Ports and the right Source Ports boxes.

If you are only forwarding a single port then you can enter that same port number into both the left Destination Ports and the right Destination Ports boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports then you need to enter the lowest number into the left Destination Ports box and the highest number into the right Destination Ports box.

Make sure to click the Apply button between each entry, and to make a new entry, click the red Add button next to Protocol and then the Add Server Ports under Protocol in the middle of the page.

When you are completely finished, click the Apply button near the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Checking Your Open Ports

Once you have finished the port forwarding process, we recommend testing the ports before assuming they are open.

To test that the ports have opened correctly, we recommend using our FREE Open Port Checker. This is part of our Network Utilities tool. Not only is this free but it has Guaranteed Results.