Linksys WRT54GS routers have a very basic firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted access from the Internet. The firewall blocks incoming connections. You may need open a port through it for certain games and applications. This process of opening a port is frequently called a port forward, since you are forwarding a port from the internet to your home network.
In this guide we will walk you through each of the following steps:
- Setup a static IP address on the or device that you want to forward a port to.
- Login to your Linksys WRT54GS router.
- Navigate to the port forwarding section.
- Create a port forward entry.
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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.
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TIP: Write this static IP address down. You need it in Step 4.
Step 2
Now we are going to login to the **Linksys WRT54GS ** router. Your router has a web interface, so you need to login 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:
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 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:
If you don't see the login screen at this point you should find out if the IP address has been changed. To do this follow the directions on our How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.
You should see a box prompting you for your username and password.
- 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 Login button to log in to your Linksys WRT54GS router.
Linksys Usernames and Passwords
If your username and password do not work then please visit our Default Linksys Router Passwords page.
You can try to guess what the router username and password has been changed to. Use our Find Password App to make this easier.
If you still can't login to your router because you forgot your Linksys WRT54GS router username and password, use our How to Reset a Router Password guide to set your Linksys WRT54GS router back to its factory settings.
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:
Begin by clicking the Security option at the top of the page.
Remove the checkmark from the Block Anonymous Internet Requests checkbox.
Now click the Save Settings button near the bottom of the page.
Then click the Applications & Gaming link near the top of the page.
Finally, you should now see a new menu. In this new menu, click Port Range 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:
- Browsing our List of Games
- Check out our our List of Games by Genre
- See our List of all Applications
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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 single port, enter that port number into the Start and the End boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, enter the lowest number of that range into the Start box. Then enter the highest number of that range into the End box.
Select the required protocol for these ports from the Protocol dropdown box.
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.
Put a checkmark in the Enable checkbox.
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.
More Info...
Check out our other guides. We have a growing list of free gaming, networking, and software guides here at portforward.com.
Our other site setuprouter.com can help you setup a secure home network with your exact router.
