When you use Source-Connect you might need to forward some ports in your router. Forwarding ports is used to allow incoming connection requests from the internet to Source-Connect.
Routers do not generally allow incoming connection requests from the internet. By forwarding ports you can work around 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 computer's IP address.
- Each 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.
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
You can run our free Router Detector software to locate your router's IP address. Our Router Detector tool is free to use and is part of our Network Utilities software.
We have a guide you can follow Find Your Router IP Address if you don't want to run the software.
How To Forward Ports for Source-Connect
You can use our Network Utilities software to automatically forward ports for you. 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.
Alternatively you can do it by hand. The way to forward a port is:
- Log in to your router.
- Locate your routers port forwarding section.
- Type your computer's IP address into the correct box in your router.
- Put the TCP and UDP ports that you are forwarding for Source-Connect in the correct boxes in your router.
Some routers need to be rebooted in order for the changes to be saved.
You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for Source-Connect:
List of Routers - Customized for Source-Connect
Forward Ports for Source-Connect
The ports that need to be forwarded for Source-Connect are listed here:
Source-Connect - PC
- TCP:
- UDP: 6000-6001
Those are the steps to take in order to forward ports in your router for Source-Connect.
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