Your TP-Link TD-W8980 router has a very basic firewall that helps to protect your home network from unwanted Internet activity. The firewall works by blocking all incoming and outgoing connections that have not been authorized. Some online games and programs will run much smoother if you allow additional connections through the firewall. To allow more connections through your router's firewall you need to create what is called a port forward.
In this guide we will be showing you how to create port forward on the TP-Link TD-W8980 router. These steps include:
- How to setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding these ports to.
- How to login to the **TP-Link TD-W8980 ** router interface.
- How to find the port forwarding page in the router's web interface.
- How to setup a port forward for the online game or program of your choice.
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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 will need it again in Step 4.
Step 2
Now we are going to login to your TP-Link TD-W8980 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:
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 TP-Link TD-W8980 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 you do not see a screen like the one above you need to find out if the router's IP address has been changed. To do this follow the directions on our How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.
- The Default TP-Link TD-W8980 Router Username is: admin
- The Default TP-Link TD-W8980 Router Password is: password
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login button to log in to your TP-Link TD-W8980 router.
TP-Link Usernames and Passwords
If your username and password do not work then please visit our Default TP-Link Router Passwords page.
Another idea is try and guess what you changed the login username and password to. If you need help with this step, use our Find Password App.
If you still can't login to your router because you forgot your TP-Link TD-W8980 router username and password, use our How to Reset a Router Password guide to set your TP-Link TD-W8980 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 Device Info page of your router:
Start by clicking the Forwarding link in the left sidebar.
A new menu appears at this point. In this new menu click the option of Virtual Servers.
Next, click the Add New button in the center of the 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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Type the port to forward into the Service Port box.
Enter the IP address to forward these ports to into the IP Address box. If you are forwarding ports so you can run a program on a device other than your computer then you can enter your device's IP address into that box.
From the Protocol box select the protocol for the ports that you want to forward.
Choose Enabled from the Status dropdown box.
When you are finished, click the Save button.
Your ports should now be open. It is time to test them.
Test if Your Ports are Open
Now that you have forwarded ports on the TP-Link TD-W8980 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.
