Port forwarding on a NETGEAR router

Nighthawk and R-series, through the web interface at routerlogin.net.

This opens a door into your own network and you are responsible for what comes through it. Read the warnings first if you have not.

Before you start, it is worth knowing that from firmware 1.2.2 the board can ask your router to set this up by itself. If your router answers, there is nothing on this page for you to do. Let the board ask your router.

Log in

Connect a computer to the router, wired or Wi-Fi.
Go to www.routerlogin.net, or routerlogin.com, or the router's address, which NETGEAR gives as 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.
User name admin. The password is the one set during first-time setup. Older routers shipped with the factory password password. Both are case sensitive.

Forgotten the password? Enter wrong credentials three times and the Router Password Reset screen appears. It asks for the router's serial number and the answers to the two security questions chosen at setup, so it only works if password recovery was switched on beforehand. Otherwise hold Reset for 15 seconds, which erases every setting including your Wi-Fi name and password.

The router's own address is shown under ADVANCED, in Router Information.

Give the board a fixed address

A forward points at an address. If the board gets a different one from DHCP later, the rule quietly stops working.

Find the board under BASIC > Attached Devices. Match on MAC address.
Go to ADVANCED > Setup > LAN Setup. Some models label the first menu Settings rather than ADVANCED.
In Address Reservation, click Add.
Enter the IP Address you want, inside the router's own range, for example 192.168.1.50, and the board's MAC Address.
Click Apply.

The reservation applies the next time the board asks for a lease, so reboot it.

Add the rule

Go to ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Port Forwarding / Port Triggering.
Leave Port Forwarding selected.
Port 6400 has no predefined entry, so click Add Custom Service.
Fill the form in as the table below sets out.
Click Apply.

Field	Value
Service Name	`BBS`
Service Type	`TCP`
External Starting Port	`6400`
External Ending Port	`6400`
Use the same port range for Internal port	leave ticked
Internal IP address	the address you reserved

Rules are matched from the top down and the first match wins, so keep specific rules above broad ones.

The Nighthawk app

NETGEAR's port forwarding articles describe the web interface only, and none of them covers the Nighthawk app. Treat this as a job for the web interface.

Older genie firmware

The BASIC / ADVANCED layout is genie, and the path above is the same. On NETGEAR's DSL modem routers the equivalent is Firewall Rules, under Security in the menu on the left (Content Filtering on older ones). Define the port first under Services > Add Custom Service, then add it as an inbound service. If you see Firewall Rules instead of Port Forwarding / Port Triggering, use that.

When it does not work

Double NAT and CGNAT stop any router's forward, and both are explained on the main port forwarding page. What NETGEAR adds:

Double NAT. NETGEAR lists port forwarding among the things it breaks. If the NETGEAR sits behind an ISP gateway that is also routing, bridge the gateway or forward on it instead.
Testing from inside. Many routers do not loop back, so your own public address may fail from your own network while working fine from outside. Test from a phone on mobile data. NETGEAR also notes its anti-port-scan feature can make external scanners report a working port as closed.
A changing address. Unless you pay for a static one, your public address moves. Use dynamic DNS, or let the directory listing track it for you.
The board itself. Check it is answering on your own network first.