Posted by Every person who uses a wireless connection is well aware of the importance of port forwarding. It helps the person to enable the rules on the router. It also aids with the passage of data through the gateway firewall or router. But many Linksys router users report of the Linksys port forwarding not working problem. It can occur due to many things. The main problem is with your IP address. You require a static IP address to your device. It may be that you haven’t set the static IP address correctly on the router, or you simply do not have it. Don’t worry. In this article, you’ll find various ways to resolve the port forwarding problem.
Why Do You Find Linksys Port Forwarding Not Working?
People desire to set up port forwarding for many reasons. It allows them to access video game servers or applications. Therefore, having this option available is essential. Setting the port forwarding is a very straightforward process. You need to ensure that your system possesses a static IP address and then log into the admin settings of the Linksys router. After that, input the port that you wish to forward into the section of port forwarding.
Thus, the most important thing you need to inspect is whether you have a static IP address. In its absence, the port forwarding does not work. But at times, you’ll need to do more than that. In the subsequent section, you’ll find what you can do to make the port forwarding work.
How to Resolve the Linksys Port Forwarding Not Working Problem?
There are several ways by which you can troubleshoot the problem of port forwarding on Linksys smart Wi-Fi. Given below are some of the most effective ways to fix it.
Configure static Wi-Fi on your system
First, you need to check your device settings. The process of port forwarding needs your network devices to possess static Wi-Fi. It helps to allocate a particular IP address to the port that you will use for the purpose of port forwarding. You should do it on a system and not on the Linksys smart Wi-Fi router.
It’s an important step for the working of the port forwarding rules you’ve set on the Linksys router. Follow the steps below to do it on your system.
- Go to your device’s ‘Network adapter settings‘ to set the IP address manually.
- By default, in the ‘IP Settings,’ you will find it configured to ‘Automatic (DHCP).’ Choose ‘Manual.’
- Type in the IP address that you desire for your device then go to ‘Subnet mask,’ then to ‘Default Gateway,’ and then to the ‘DNS Server.’
- Tap ‘Save‘ for setting the IP address of your device to static.
- There is no requirement for rebooting your device because the IP address is set in your present network.
Inspect the port forwarding rules
If the troubleshooting technique mentioned above does not enable the Linksys smart router port forwarding, you’ll have to inspect the port forwarding rules in the local access interface of your router. The steps to access the rules in the software of Linksys router are as follows.
- Through any browser, access your router.
- Go to the port forwarding section. For it, navigate to the ‘Router Settings.’
- Tap the ‘Security‘ tool and then locate the tab of ‘Apps and Gaming.’ Tap it.
- Choose ‘Single Port Forwarding.’ Then see the rules that you’ve configured.
- Add the rules by choosing ‘Add a new Single Port Forwarding.’
- Fill in the required details like the IP address.
- Tick the checkbox of ‘Enabled.’ Tap ‘Save.’ You should find the port forwarding issue resolved.
Test the ports
Another cause of port forwarding not working is that the ports may not be open on the client due to the firewall settings. You can test Linksys smart Wi-Fi open ports by following the steps below.
- Begin to test the ports by entering in ‘telnet‘ and then go to ‘Hostname IP Address,’ and then the port to be tested.
- In case there’s an open port, it will link. If the ports are not open, you’ll view a message of ‘Connection failed.’
- Your system’s Firewall can well block ports. So ensure to check it.
- In case the port is closed, then disable the Firewall and test it again.
Reboot the smart Wi-Fi router
There’s yet another fix for you if you are still wondering about how to port forward on Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. Rebooting the router will get you the desired result. When you refresh it by rebooting it, it’s quite possible that you will resolve this problem. Follow these steps.
- Unplug the router. Then wait for a period of 30 seconds.
- Plug the router back in and let the start-up process complete.
- You’ll have to wait for two to five minutes.
- Now see if the problem has been resolved.
Reset the smart Wi-Fi router
Although you might think that resetting is the same as rebooting, but that’s not true. You’ll notice the process is different. Resetting will change the router to its prior factory settings. So, you will lose the changes you earlier made. Resetting will help you to begin again and find the real reason for the issue. Go through the following steps.
- Locate a reset button on your router’s back.
- Hold and press it for about 10 seconds. After this time period, release it.
- Wait for some time till your router starts up.
- Type in the port forwarding rules and then verify if they work.
Read Also- How To Fix Linksys Router Blinking Orange Light?
Final Words
Now you can effortlessly troubleshoot the issue of Linksys port forwarding not working. Configure the static Wi-Fi on your system as it’s the main cause of this problem. After that, you can check the port forwarding rules. Rebooting the router also works to fix this issue. Lastly, you can try resetting your Linksys router if you find that none of the methods works. Get Linksys technical support if you cannot find a solution to this issue.