There are many reasons why you may want to set up port forwarding to an IoT (Internet of Things) device. Many IoT devices need a port forward in order to allow you to connect to them from outside your network. For instance, if you want to connect to your MQTT server from the internet then you need to set up a port forward in your router.
Reasons IoT Devices May Need Port Forwarding
If you want to access your device from the internet, you need to set up a port forward pointing at your device's IP address.
Also, if you use any sort of internet-based polling service that accesses your device and logs data into a database, then it needs a port forward to function.
In addition, many devices include a web management interface. With a port forward you can access that interface when away from home.
Port Forwarding Guides
To use the port forwarding guides below, first, choose the device that you want to forward ports to. Then follow the steps in the port forwarding guide that shows you how to get your ports forwarded to the IoT device on your network. You may need to set up a DHCP reservation for your device. In the guide, you will be asked to choose your router from a list so that you get detailed instructions for forwarding ports in your specific router.
