How to Port Forward a Linksys EA6100 Router

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Port Forward Staff
June 05, 2018 (Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 4 minutes

Your Linksys EA6100 router has a firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted Internet access. Your firewall blocks all connections except a few. In order to open these connections for a program or game to run more smoothly you need to make a port forward.

In this guide we walk you through each of the following steps:

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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.

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.

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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.

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Step 2

Your Linksys EA6100 router uses a web interface so you need to use a web browser to access the router menu. It should not matter what browser you decide to use simply pick a favorite. Some of the more common options are: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Firefox.

After picking a browser, open it up and find the address bar. The address bar is normally 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 Linksys EA6100 router IP address is: 192.168.1.1

Press the Enter key after you have finished and you should be shown a LOGIN screen like this:

Linksys EA6100 Login
Screenshot of Linksys EA6100 Login.

On this screen you need to enter the email address you used when setting up the router the first time. You also need to enter the password you created in the initial setup.

If you have forgotten these values then you can always click the Forgot your password? link.

Another option is using our Find Password App. This automates the process of trying thousands of different username/password combinations. If you are interested in this option, learn more about it on our Router Password Cracker page.

Step 3

In this third step we will guide you to the port forwarding section of the router. We begin on the Home page of the Linksys EA6100 router.

Linksys EA6100 Home
Screenshot of Linksys EA6100 Home.

First, click the option in the left sidebar labeled Security. It should be at the very bottom.

Linksys EA6100 Firewall
Screenshot of Linksys EA6100 Firewall.

Now, check out the three tabs at the top of the page. Select the one labeled Apps and Gaming.

Linksys EA6100 DDNS
Screenshot of Linksys EA6100 DDNS.

In the smaller menu under the tabs choose the option of Single Port Forwarding if you are forwarding only one port or several that are not in order, such as 22,28,56,78. Choose the option of Port Range Forwarding if you are forwarding a range of ports such as 55-58.

Linksys EA6100 Single Port Forwarding
Screenshot of Linksys EA6100 Single Port Forwarding.

The screenshot above is the Single Port Forwarding option. This or the Port Range Forwarding page is the correct page to be on in order 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:

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Forwarding a Port Range

Create a name for this forward and put it in the Application Name box. The name is only used as a reminder and has no effect on the port forward.

If you are forwarding a range of ports separated by a hyphen then enter the lowest number of that range into the Start Port box and the highest number of that range into the End Port box. If you are only forwarding a single port number then enter that number into both the Start Port and the End Port boxes.

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

Enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the Device IP# box. This is either the IP address of a computer or the IP address of another device on your network.

Verify that you have the Enabled checkbox checked.

When you are done click the Save button.

Forwarding a Single Port

Put a name for this forward in the Application Name box so that you can remember why you set this forward up. The name does not matter so pick something that has meaning to you.

Enter the port to forward into the External Port and the Internal Port boxes.

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

You need to enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the Device IP# box. It's possible for this to be either the IP address of your computer or any other IP address on your network that you want ports forwarded to.

Verify that you have the Enabled checkbox checked.

When you are all done click the Save button.

Test Your Ports

It is now time to test the ports you just forwarded. One way to find out if the ports actually forwarded is to use our Open Port Checker. This is part of our FREE trial version of the Network Utilities. Our open port checker uses local applications to see if the ports are open or not. This guarantees you will get a true yes or no answer.

Additional Info

We have more guides for you here.

Also check out setuprouter.com for router setup guides.

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