There are several reasons that may lead to port forwarding not working. However, before arriving at certain conclusions, you should troubleshoot port forwarding failures by checking the following:
- Ensure the server is accessible from the internal network. To check the accessibility of your server, start the application or service to which you are performing the port forwarding to see if it is “open.” Failure to start the server makes it visible as “closed”’ during the check.
- Check the port forwarding settings in your router.
- Check the WAN IP address on the status page. When setting port forwarding, have a public IP address on your router’s WAN interface to allow connection to the internet. Port forwarding will not work if the WAN interface is using an address from a private subnet.
Reasons Why Port Forwarding Is Not Working
Port forwarding may not work even after you configure the settings accordingly. The following are the reasons for this failure and some corrective measures you can take to solve the issues.
- Wrong selection of the incoming interface in the port forwarding rule. You should check your choice in the Input field and ensure you select the right interface and network through which you have connected your router.
- Your PC uses special software or firewall to protect the Internet. In this case, temporarily disable these features and check whether port forwarding is working properly.
- Your network has a hidden NAT. For successful port forwarding, ensure the IP address given by your ISP, which is also on your router’s WAN interface, is the same one you are using to access the internet.
- Your ISPs use standard protocols and ports to filter inbound traffic. If your ISP uses standard ports like 21/FTP and 1723/PPTP, among others, to filter traffic, you need to change these port numbers and manually set them to another number, which your ISP cannot block.
- Check to ensure the host receiving the forwarded ports has the default gateway’s IP address equal to the router’s default address.
- Verify that the appropriate ports are open on the client by testing them.
Finally, if you try the above recommendations and port forwarding still fails, consult with the support team for further guidance.