Mikrotik Port Forwarding 101

A solid router with solid features at a customer-friendly price, that’s Mikrotik for you! From bandwidth management to easy network firewall customization, the Mikrotik router has every feature you need. That being said, there are times your connection might not be ideal.

Certain requests, from unknown sources, are often blocked for security reasons. To handle this, you need to do Mikrotik Port Forwarding. By the end of this guide, you will know exactly how to Port Forward the Mikrotik router.

What is Mikrotik router Port Forwarding?

To define it simply, Port Forwarding is a way through which you can allow your device to connect to other online services outside your network. It helps to create a freeway for data to travel through without getting blocked by your network’s firewall. This way, Mikrotik Port Forwarding will help you maintain stable connections and improve your online experience.

Is Port Forwarding your Mikrotik router even necessary?

It is actually necessary if you encounter subpar performance with certain online apps and games. Generally, a router will have only certain points open for specific services. These services can thus easily send and receive data without getting blocked by Mikrotik’s firewall.

However, any other external connection request will get blocked and hence your system will not be able to connect to it. That is where Port Forwarding comes into play. Port Forwarding Mikrotik for specific services can help them gain direct access to your local network through your firewall. 

How to do Mikrotik Port Forwarding?

Port Forwarding is a widely adopted solution used mainly by gamers to help them connect to gaming servers. 

If you are confused about where to begin, just follow the procedure below for Mikrotik Port Forwarding:

Step 1- Know your router’s IP address

First off, you will need your router’s IP address. Why? Well, to actually do Port Forwarding for the Mikrotik router, you need to add a new rule. To do this, you will need to first log into your router’s dashboard by inputting your router’s IP address on your web browser.

The process is simple for Windows machines:

1. Go to the Start Menu and type cmd.
2. Open the Command Prompt.
3. In the command prompt, type ipconfig.
4. Hit Enter.
5. Locate the Default gateway section among the information displayed.
6. Note the IP address beside it.

Step 2- Get a static IP address for your system

For Port Forwarding Mikrotik, you need to set up a static IP address for your system. This step is quite necessary as a conventional dynamic IP address doesn’t work with Port Forwarding.

To set up a static IP for your system, follow the steps below.

1. Open a web browser.
2. In the URL, type in your router’s IP address.
3. After entering, you will be directed to your router’s login page.
4. Log into your router’s dashboard using your user credentials
5. Now locate the DHCP reservations tab.
6. Enter a static IP address against your system’s MAC address. 

Step 3 – Mikrotik router Port Forwarding

Now it is time to forward some ports! Just follow along with the steps below for Port Forwarding the Mikrotik router:

1. Open a web browser.
2. In the URL, type in your router’s IP address.
3. After entering, you will be directed to your router’s login page.
4. Log into your router’s dashboard using your user credentials
5. After you are logged in, navigate through IP (left panel) > Firewall. 
6. Now select the NAT tab from the menu at the top of the Firewall section.
7. Select + to add a new Port Forwarding entry.

Move to the General Tab:

8. In the General tab, select dstnat from the chain dropdown.
9. Enter the IP address you wish to forward requests from in the Dst. Address field.
10. Now select the protocol type for the entry.
11. Now enter the ports to be forwarded in the Dst. Port Field.

Now move to the Action tab.

12. In the Action tab, select dst – nat from the Action dropdown.
13. Type the IP address towards which all requests are to be forwarded in the To Address field.
14. Type the port numbers to be forwarded in the To Ports field.
15. Save changes.

Is Mikrotik Port Forwarding even safe?

This is a general concern regarding Port Forwarding. Opening up a few ports on your router’s firewall can lead a door open to hackers. However, if you have the proper security measures configured on your network, there’s nothing to worry about. Your network’s security can be easily managed by a reliable VPN service, such as PureVPN.

That’s all you need to know about the Port Forwarding Mikrotik router. If you ever face connectivity issues regarding any other game or router, check out our comprehensive guides.