Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Port Forwarding Made Easy
The Linksys router features a basic firewall that protects your home network from unauthorized access from the internet. This firewall does this by blocking incoming connections. However, to effectively run certain apps and games, you need to port forward specific ports from the internet to your home network. We give you a step by step guide on Linksys Smart Wi-Fi port forwarding for a fast and stable connection while running your apps, programs, and games.
Static IP Address Set Up
To start with, set up a static IP address of the device you are forwarding the ports to ensure a stable connection in case of a power outage or your device reboots.
Log in To Your Router
Your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi features a web interface. This implies that to log in and access your router pages, you need a web browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Open your choice browser and find the address bar. Replace the address on the address bar with your router’s IP address and press Enter. This action will open a box, prompting you to enter your login details. Use the default Linksys Smart Wi-Fi router, Username: username and Password: password, to log in if you have not changed them yet.
Find The Port Forwarding Section
From the first page on your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi router, you can find the port forwarding section by following the steps below:
- Click the Security Link
- Click the Apps and Gaming link.
- Click the Single Port Forwarding when forwarding a single port. For a range of port forwarding, select Port Range forwarding.
Set Up the Port Forward Entry
Creating a port forward entry for your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi router comprises the following steps:
- Click Add New Single Port Forwarding tab for single port forwarding. If you are forwarding a range of ports, click the Add a new Port Range Forwarding tab.
- Enter a name in the Application Name box. The name is a reminder as to why you are creating this entry.
- Enter the ports you are forwarding in the External and Internal Port boxes for single port forwarding. For a range of port forwarding, enter the lowest number of that range into the Start Port box and the highest into the End Port box.
- Select the protocol from the Protocol box
- Input the IP address you are forwarding the ports to into the Device IP # BOX.
- Check the Enable checkbox.
- Click the Save tab
