What is the Port Forwarding option on your ZyXEL Router?
Port forwarding is a method of routing connections over the internet to a device on a local network. By configuring port forwarding on your ZyXEL router, you can enable a variety of services such as remote access to a media server, hosting a game server, or self-hosting a website.
Article Summary
- Log into your TP‑Link router using its default gateway address (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
- Navigate to Forwarding → Virtual Servers in the router menu.
- Click Add New, then enter the service port, internal port and the internal IP address of the device.
- Select “All” for Protocol (or individually set TCP/UDP), enable the rule, then click Save.
- After saving, test the connection using your hostname (e.g., http://yourhost.ddns.net:8000).
Summary
- Log into your ZyXEL router via its default gateway address.
- Go to Network → NAT in the router menu.
- Within NAT settings, click Application or Port Forwarding.
- Add a new rule: enter a Service Name, the Port Number you wish to forward, and the internal Server IP address.
- Apply/save the rule and test by entering http://yourhostname.ddns.net:port in a web browser.
Step 1: Login to the ZyXEL router via the default gateway address.
Step 2: Click on “Network” and then “NAT.”
Step 3: Once on the “NAT” page click “Application” or “Port Forwarding”, depending on your router.
Step 4: Click on “Active.” Enter a Service Name, Port Number and Server IP Address. Then click “Apply.”
You should now be able to connect to your device via a web browser. Simply enter your hostname followed by the port number into the address bar. For example http://hostname.ddns.net:8000
Please Note: If you are using a mobile application, you will simply need to use your hostname to connect. The application should already specify the port when attempting to make the connection.