When you use a QNAP TS-409U device you might need to forward some ports in your router. A port forward allows incoming connection requests from the internet to go straight to a QNAP TS-409U device.
By default routers do not allow incoming network requests. A port forward can overcome this limitation.
Before Forwarding a Port
You need to know the following things before you can forward a port:
- Your router's IP address.
- Your NAS's internal IP address.
- The list of the TCP and UDP ports that you need to forward.
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.
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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
To find your router's IP address the easy way you can use our free Router Detector software. Our Router Detector tool is free to use and is part of our Network Utilities software.
If you do not want to run the software, you can follow our Find Your Router IP Address guide.
How To Set Up Port Forwarding for a QNAP TS-409U device
A smart way to forward your ports is to use Network Utilities. With Network Utilities, you can easily forward ports and also un-forward ports quickly so that you can keep your network up to date with the ports that you need forwarded and maximize your network security.
Another option is to go through the process of forwarding ports one step at a time. The normal process for forwarding a port is:
- You can start by logging in to your router.
- Locate your routers port forwarding section.
- Put your NAS's IP address in the proper box in your router.
- It is now time to type the TCP and UDP ports that you are forwarding for a QNAP TS-409U device in the correct 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 a QNAP TS-409U device:
List of Routers - Customized for QNAP TS-409U
Forwarding Ports for a QNAP TS-409U device
The following ports need to be forwarded for a QNAP TS-409U device:
QNAP TS-409U - PC
- TCP: 21-22, 25, 80, 443, 445, 873, 3306, 6881-6999, 8080, 9000, 13131, 55536-56559
- UDP: 6881-6999
Those are the steps to take in order to forward ports in your router for a QNAP TS-409U device.
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