Simple Linksys WRT54G Router Port Forwarding Guide

On this page we explain how to properly forward ports to the Linksys WRT54G router. Before we begin let's discuss the firewall on the Linksys WRT54G router. This router has a basic firewall in place to protect your home network from unwanted access from the Internet. Firewalls are designed to keep connections from getting through to your home network.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to allow some connections through the firewall for a game or application. When you allow a connection through you are creating an open port or port forward. A port forward is literally forwarding a port through your firewall directly to your home network.

The basic process to open a port is:

1. Setup a Static IP Address on the device or computer you are forwarding ports to.
2. Then you need to login to the Linksys WRT54G router.
3. Next, locate the port forwarding section.
   • Click the Applications & Gaming link.
   • Click the Port Range Forwarding or the Port Forwarding option.
4. Finally, you need to create a port forward entry.

This might sound difficult, but don't worry, we will walk you through the entire 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.

Get Started Now!

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

It is now time to login to the Linksys WRT54G router. This router uses a web interface meaning you need to use a web browser to access it. This can be Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer or even Safari. It should not matter which browser you decide to use.

When opening a web browser you need to find the address bar. This will look like the image below.

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 in the address bar click the enter key on your computer. You should see a screen like the one below:

This screen should have two boxes asking for your username and password.

• The Default Linksys WRT54G Router Username is: root
• The Default Linksys WRT54G Router Password is: admin

Go ahead and enter your username and password, and then click the OK button to log in to your Linksys WRT54G router.

Linksys Usernames and Passwords

If the username and password did not work, then we recommend trying other Linksys usernames and passwords. Check them out here on our Default Linksys Router Passwords page.

If those usernames and passwords did not work it is most likely that you changed them in the past and forgot. It might be time to consider a Linksys WRT54G router reset. Resetting the router reverts all settings back to factory, including the router username and password. If this is something you may be interested in doing check out our How to Reset a Router Password guide.

Step 3

Now we need to find the port forwarding section in your router. Here's how you do it. Starting from the first page in your router:

First, select the Applications & Gaming link at the top of the page.

Under that is a secondary menu where you need to choose which type of port forwarding you are going to be doing. One section allows you to forward a range of ports and the other allows you to forward a single port. If you plan on forwarding a single port, click the option of Port Forwarding. If you are forwarding a range of ports, click 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

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

Forwarding a Port Range

Create a name for this forward and put it in the Application 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 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.

Select the required protocol for these ports from the Protocol dropdown box.

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.

In the Enable checkbox put a checkmark.

After you are done click the Add button.

Forwarding a Single Port

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.

Enter the same port number to be forwarded into the Port from and the Port to boxes.

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

Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the 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.

Put a checkmark in the Enable checkbox.

When you are finished, click the Add button.

When you are finished,c click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

Test if Your Ports are Open

Finally, let's check to see if the ports were forwarded correctly for the Linksys WRT54G router. 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 online that has Guaranteed Results.

Here are some other guides you may be interested in:

• More guides about how to Setup Your Router.
• Learn if Port Forwarding is Safe.