The **Linksys WRT54G ** has a basic firewall that helps protect your home network. A firewall is designed to keep incoming connections to reach your network. Sometimes you need these connections opened for certain games and applications to work. This is called creating a open port or port forward. In this guide we will show you how to create a port forward for your Linksys WRT54G router.
To open a port on the **Linksys WRT54G **:
- Setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding ports to.
- Login to your **Linksys WRT54G ** router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section.
- Click the Applications & Gaming link.
- Click on Port Range Forwarding.
- Finally, create a port forward entry.
While all this may seem overwhelming, don't worry, we will walk you through the whole process.
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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
Before we continue you need to understand that a router uses a web interface. This means you need to use a web browser to access the router setup pages. Use a web browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Internet Explorer. It should not matter which web browser you decide to use.
Upon opening the web browser you need to find the address bar. It
Open up your web browser and find the address bar. It should look something 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 Linksys WRT54G IP Address is: 192.168.1.1
After entering the correct IP Address, you should see the screen below:
In this new box you should see a space asking for your username and password.
- The Default Linksys WRT54G Router Username is: blank
- The Default Linksys WRT54G Router Password is: admin
Go ahead and enter the username and password associated with the Linksys WRT54G router's interface. Then click the OK button to access the Linksys WRT54G router setup pages.
Linksys Usernames and Passwords
Did the username and password not work? If so, you can try other Linksys passwords. Check out our Default Linksys Router Passwords page.
Are you still stuck? You probably changed the Linksys WRT54G username and/or password in the past and have forgotten. It might be time to consider a reset. A reset will erase every single personal setting on the router including the username and password. Learn more in our How to Reset a Router Password guide.
Step 3
After a successful login you need to navigate to the port forwarding section of the Linksys WRT54G router. We begin on the Home page:
Select the Applications & Gaming option at the top of the page.
A new menu appears below that. Choose the option of Port Range Forwarding.
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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Make up a name to put in the Application box. The name does not have any effect on the functionality of the forward, it's simply there so you can know why it was created.
If you are forwarding a range of ports separated by a hyphen then enter the lowest number of that range into the Start box and the highest number of that range into the End box. If you are only forwarding a single port number then enter that number into both the Start and the End boxes.
Use the Protocol dropdown box to select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding.
Enter the IP address that you want to forward these ports to into the IP Address box. Note that 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 instead.
Make sure that the Enable checkbox is checked.
If you are happy with the data you entered, go ahead and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.
Test if Your Ports are Open
Congratulations on forwarding your ports. It's time to check if they were forwarded correctly. To do this you can use our Network Utilities tool, which includes a free Open Port Checker.
Our Open Port Checker is the only one on the Internet with Guaranteed Results.
Other Guides You May Be Interested In
- Check out more guides for setting up your home router.
- Learn how to port forward through two routers.
