Your ZTE MF286 router uses a firewall to help protect your home network from unfriendly Internet access. The firewall does this by blocking all incoming and outgoing connections unless otherwise specified. If you are playing an online game or using an online program you may need some of these blocked connections opened up. This is typically called a port forward.
Use this guide to get your ports forwarded on the ZTE MF286 router. We will walk you through the following steps:
- How to setup a static IP address on the console or device you are forwarding these ports to.
- How to login to the ZTE MF286 router.
- How to find the port forwarding section.
- How to create a port forward entry.
We think that forwarding a port should be easy. That's why we created Network Utilities. Our software does everything that you need to forward a port.
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.
Step 2
It is now time to login to the ZTE MF286 router. This router uses a web interface to make setting changes. This means you need to login using a web browser. Pick the browser you are most comfortable with. Some common browser options are Internet Explorer, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
Once you have opened up the web browser of your choice, locate the address bar. This is normally at the top of the page 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 ZTE MF286 IP Address is: 192.168.1.1
If the above IP address does not work or you have changed the router's IP address and don't remember what you changed it to, you need to find it. To do this follow the instructions given on this How To Find Your Router's IP Address page.
After entering the router's IP address in the address bar just click the Enter key. You will be given a Login page. It may look something like this:
Enter the appropriate username and password for the ZTE MF286 router in the spaces available.
- The Default ZTE MF286 Router Username is: none
- The Default ZTE MF286 Router Password is: same as default wifi, printed on router
Having Trouble Logging In?
This is a common place to get stuck. Here are a few things you can try:
- Other ZTE username/password combinations. If you have a different firmware version you could also have a different username/password combination. Here is our list of Default ZTE Router Passwords.
- Try to guess what you changed it to. If the above option did not work, then there is a good chance you changed the username and/or password in the past and have forgotten about it. Do you need help? Check out our Find Password App. It does the guessing for you. If you want to learn more about this handy little application, read this page.
- If neither of the above options worked, it may be time to consider a factory reset. A factory reset erases all configured data. It reverts all settings back to factory defaults. After the reset is complete you can login using the default values above. We strongly recommend exhausting your other options first. Do not reset the ZTE MF286 router unless you have no other choice. To learn the basics of resetting a router check out this How to Reset a Router page.
Step 3
You should now be logged into the ZTE MF286 router. Your next task is to find the port forwarding section of the router interface. To do this we begin on the Home page:
On this page, click the option of Advanced Settings. It is the button with a picture of a gear.
On this new screen, click the Firewall option at the top of the page.
Then below that pick the link titled Port Forwarding.
Make sure the Virtual Server Settings are Enabled.
Congratulations. You can now begin the port forward entry.
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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You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.
Enter the IP address that you are forwarding ports to in the IP Address box. This is either the IP address of a computer or the IP address of another device on your network.
If you are forwarding a single port then you can enter that port number into the left Port Range and the right Port Range boxes. If you are forwarding a range of ports, enter the lowest number of that range into the left Port Range box. Then enter the highest number of that range into the right Port Range box.
From the Protocol box select the protocol for the ports that you want to forward.
You need to name this entry in the Comment box. The name does not make any difference in the forward; it's just there so that you can remember later why you setup this forward.
When you are finished, click the Apply button.
How To Tell If Your Ports Are Open
One way to absolutely be sure your ports forwarded correctly is to use a Port Checker. We have a FREE Open Port Checker you can use to see if the ports you just opened are truly open. There are a lot of port checkers on the Internet. Most make an assumption about what applications you have installed. Our port checker doesn't do this. Our Open Port Checker uses a local application to see if the ports are open or not. This guarantees a true result.
Additional Information...
Still unable to port forward on the ZTE MF286? Try our PortForwarding Software. Our software takes all the guessing out of getting your ports forwarded and it's 100% guaranteed. Our software includes everything you need in order to diagnose, troubleshoot, and fix port forwarding issues. Forwarding a port should be easy.
We also have a large selection of free guides. We have guides on alternatives to port forwarding, port forwarding behind two routers, configuring static IP addresses, and much more.
If you are looking for router specific guides we have those as well. Learn how to configure a strong secure WiFi network, how to change the DNS settings, learn the difference between WEP and WPA and which one to use, and much more on setuprouter.com.
