When you use OpenPCTV you may need to forward ports in your router. By forwarding ports you allow connection requests coming from the internet to be directed to OpenPCTV.
Routers generally do not allow incoming connection requests from the internet. By forwarding ports you can work around this limitation.
Before Forwarding a Port Checkoff This To Do List
You need to know the following things before you can forward a port:
- Your router's IP address.
- Your media server's IP address.
- A list of TCP and UDP ports that need to be forwarded.
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.
When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:
- Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
- Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
- Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
- Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
- Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.
This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.
Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.
Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.
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.
Locate Your Router's IP Address
The easiest way to locate your router's IP address is to run our free Router Detector utility. The software is part of our Network Utilities suite of tools and it is completely free to use.
You can also follow our Find Your Router IP Address article.
Forwarding a Port for OpenPCTV
A smart way to forward your ports is to use Network Utilities. Network Utilities lets you manage port forwards by putting them in when you need them and also removing the ones that you no longer need which maximized network security.
Another option is to go through the process of forwarding ports one step at a time. The way to forward a port is:
- Start by logging in to your router.
- Look for the port forwarding section in your router.
- Type your media server's IP address into the correct box in your router.
- Put the TCP and UDP ports for OpenPCTV in the corresponding boxes in your router.
You probably will need to reboot your router for the changes to take effect.
You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for OpenPCTV:
List of Routers - Customized for OpenPCTV
Set Up a Port Forward for OpenPCTV
The incoming ports that need to be forwarded for OpenPCTV are:
OpenPCTV - Default
- TCP: 1084, 1131, 1308, 8080, 9090
- UDP: 1900, 9777, 12374
That is the process required to forward ports in your router for OpenPCTV.
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