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Forum Discussion
Port forwarding ports closed
I have all my portforwarding options set up and have been doublechecking and troubleshooting that everything is correct for the past several hours and whenever I use a port checker it says they are closed (both TCP and UDP). I have UPnP disabled and the only other reason I would think this is happening was something one youtuber said: "...if your friends can't join off of your public IP address? Well, you need to enable it in Windows Defender, your Firewall on your computer, or a Firewall on your router." (BTW I am trying to self host an MC server and this is my first time doing this.) I have no idea what he is talking about because he just says enable "it". Is he talking about the Public IP address because I don't understand how that could be disabled in the first place? If you know what he's talking about or any other potential fixes lmk. Thanks in advance!
4 Replies
VenomBoiiii wrote:I have all my portforwarding options set up and have been doublechecking and troubleshooting that everything is correct for the past several hours and whenever I use a port checker it says they are closed (both TCP and UDP).
When a port checker insists that ports are closed, it typically means one of two things:
- The computer that is supposed to be hosting those ports (the IP address that the ports forward to) does not have them open.
This is part of the computer firewall. The default setting is, "do not accept ANY connections". - The public IP address that the port checker is looking at is not the IP address of the Orbi router.
This usually happens when the Orbi is connected to an ISP device that is not "just a modem".
i.e. it is a combination modem/router. The common description of this is a "Double NAT":
https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
The quick way to check this is to open the Orbi web interface and click on the Advanced Tab.
The box "Internet Port" will show the WAN IP address of the Orbi. If it is a "private IP address", then there is work to be done.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_network
What do I do if it is private? Should I simply change the WAN IP to the same as my router's?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too? If there is a built in router at the modem, This would be a double NAT (two router) condition which isn't recommended. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
https://kb.netgear.com/30187/How-to-fix-issues-with-Double-NAT
Couple of options,
1. Configure the modem for transparent bridge or modem only mode. Then use the Orbi router in router mode. You'll need to contact the ISP for help and information in regards to the modem being bridged correctly.
2. If you can't bridge the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, configure the modems DMZ/ExposedHost or IP Pass-Through for the IP address the Orbi router gets from the modem. Then you can use the Orbi router in Router mode.
3. Or disable all wifi radios on the modem and connect the Orbi router to the modem, configure AP mode on the Orbi router. https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop
VenomBoiiii wrote:What do I do if it is private? Should I simply change the WAN IP to the same as my router's?
- The computer that is supposed to be hosting those ports (the IP address that the ports forward to) does not have them open.
