Linksys WRT54GS Router Port Forwarding

The **Linksys WRT54GS ** router has a firewall that helps protect your local network from unwanted Internet activity. The firewall does this by blocking incoming ports that you may actually need opened in order for online games or applications to run more smoothly. The process of opening ports is frequently called a port forward.

In this guide we will show you exactly how to open ports on the **Linksys WRT54GS ** router. I will show you how to:

Create a port forward entry.

setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding these ports to.
login to the **Linksys WRT54GS ** router web interface.
find the port forwarding page in the router's web interface.
setup a port forward for the online game or program of your choice.

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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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

Now we are going to login to your Linksys WRT54GS router. Your router has a web interface, so you will login to it using your web browser. This can be either Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Edge. It usually does not matter which browser you choose to use.

Open up your web browser and find the address bar. It should look something 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 WRT54GS router IP address is: 192.168.1.1

After entering the IP address of your router you can simply press enter. If all goes well you will see the following screen:

You should see a box prompting you for your username and password. If a login screen did not appear after you entered the router's IP address in the address bar, you need to find out what the router's IP address has been changed to. I recommend following the directions on the How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.

The Default Linksys WRT54GS Router Username is: admin
The Default Linksys WRT54GS Router Password is: password

Enter your username and password, and then click the OK button to log in to your Linksys WRT54GS router.

Having Trouble?

This is a pretty common place to get stuck. If you find yourself here, don't panic, there are a few things you can try:

First, check all the different Linksys default combinations. Here is our list of all known Default Linksys Router Passwords.

Second, try and guess what the password/username was changed to. Use our Find Password App to make this step easier.

Finally, if you still are stuck after trying both of the above options, it may be time to consider a factory reset. Learn more about this option on the How to Reset a Router page.

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:

Select the Security option at the top of the page.

Next, remove the checkmark from the Block Anonymous Internet Requests box.

Then, click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

Looking back at the top of the page, click the option of Applications & Gaming.

A new menu appears at this point, click the option of Port Range Forward.

That's it, you found the port forwarding page.

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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Put a name for this forward in the Application 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.

If you are just forwarding a single port number then you can simply enter that same number into both the Start and the End boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, usually separated by a hyphen, then you need to enter the lowest number of that range into the Start box and then enter highest number into the End box.

Use the Protocol dropdown box to select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding.

You need to enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the IP Address 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.

In the Enable checkbox put a checkmark.

When you're finished, click Save Settings near the bottom of the screen to save your changes.

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Linksys WRT54GS you should test to see if your ports are forwarded correctly.

To test if your port has been properly forwarded, you can use our Network Utilities tool, which includes a free Open Port Checker. Our Open Port Check tool is the only online port checking tool with Guaranteed Results.