The TP-Link TL-WR842ND router has a very basic firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted Internet activity. The firewall does this by blocking incoming and outgoing connections that are not authorized. Your online games and programs may run much smoother if you allow additional connections through your firewall. To do that you need to create what is called a port forward.
In this guide I will show you how to port forward on the TP-Link TL-WR842ND router. The steps we will go through are:
- How to setup a static IP address on the device you plan on forwarding these ports to.
- How to login to the TP-Link TL-WR842ND 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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When you use Network Utilities you get your port forwarded right now!
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.
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.
TIP: Write this static IP address down. You need it in Step 4.
Step 2
Now we are going to login to your TP-Link TL-WR842ND 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 TL-WR842ND IP Address is: 192.168.1.254
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 don't see a screen similar to the one above, you need to find out what the address has been changed to. Follow the instructions on our How To Find Your Router's IP Address guide.
- The Default TP-Link TL-WR842ND Router Username is: admin
- The Default TP-Link TL-WR842ND Router Password is: password
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login or OK button to log in to your TP-Link TL-WR842ND router.
TP-Link Usernames and Passwords
If your username and password do not work then please visit our Default TP-Link Router Passwords page.
You can also try and guess what your router username and password were changed to. If you need help with this step, check out our Find Password App to make this step easier.
If you still can't login to your router because you forgot your TP-Link TL-WR842ND router username and password, use our How to Reset a Router Password guide to set your TP-Link TL-WR842ND 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 Forwarding option in the left sidebar.
A new menu appears, click the new option of Virtual Servers.
Click the Add New option in the center section 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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Enter the same port number to be forwarded into the Service Port and the Internal Port boxes.
Enter the IP address that you want to forward these ports to into the IP Address box. Note that 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 instead.
Select the protocol type of the ports you are forwarding from the Protocol box.
Use the Status dropdown box to pick Enabled.
Click the Save button when you are done.
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 TL-WR842ND 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.
