Show me how to forward my ports please! [Full Wired Tutorial]

Setting up a static IP

Start up your PlayStation like normal and connect to the network if you haven't. Navigate to the settings tab and from there to the network settings tab. Here in network settings, let's click on "Settings and Connection Status List." Grab your pen/paper and take note of the IP address, the subnet mask, the default router and both DNS strings. Before we continue, let's consider something very important. What our static IP will be.

All IP addresses on a router follow the same scheme. E.g. 192.168.X.XXX. Many times the XXX set will be a relatively low number like 101 to 103 and the single X can range anywhere from 0 to 3+. The inherent function of a router is that it assigns IP addresses to new electronics as they connect to the router. With that in mind, our logical choice here is to pick something your router wouldn't normally assign any device connecting to your network. You don't need to go above 150, and most definitely do not need to go above 200+. Let's use 130 for now, you can always change this IP at any time, as I'm sure you'll never have 30 items connected to your router at once. Go ahead and use your router's single X it provided when you wrote your information down. We've got our IP of choice. Lightly scratch out the one you wrote down just now and write our new one, 192.168.X.130, next to it. Now let's move on.

There is a special case scenario regarding changing a static IP. We cover that in "I need to change my static IP. What do I do now?"

If you haven't already, back out of the "Settings and Connection Status List."  Scroll down to "Internet Connection Settings" and select it. It's going to tell you that you need an Ethernet cable for a wired connection, acknowledge this to get to our next panel. Here we're going to select custom and then wired connection on the following panel. It'll give you the option to select the operation mode for the router, go ahead and select manual settings. On the "Speed and Duplex" panel select Auto-Detect and then manual on the "IP Address Setting" to finish this string of panels.

In front of us now is a list of required information we wrote down a bit ago. Put everything in as normal except for the IP address. Remember that we selected 192.168.X.130 earlier. That IP address must go in as this is the critical point in setting it all up. Once you're done, move on to the next panel. Our MTU settings should be set to Automatic, our Proxy Server set to "do not use," and our UPNP disabled. We're at the end page after disabling UPNP, go ahead and review everything and click X. It'll ask us if we want to test our connection. Now, you could do this but you'd be puzzled as to why it may have just failed. Remember, our ports aren't forwarded yet. We have to do that next. Go ahead and leave that screen up for the moment and let's move on to the router settings.

Forwarding your ports.

This step is actually the harder of the two. Luckily we have a great website that will make handling this portion a lot easier. Grab your pen and pencil though, we'll need it again.

Let's identify the router we're using. Normally the make and model is written on the device itself. This information can be found usually on either the bottom or back of the device. If you're lucky, it'll be located on the top in plain view. You're looking for a brand name and a model number. Write it down once you've found it.With our router model in hand it's time to visit portforward.com. I've taken the liberty to provide you with two links. The first is specific to the PlayStation and the other is the master list which will house your router and all available guides for that router. You'll want to start with the first link and see if your router is there. I'm not positive on how often they update that page, so if you can't find your router use the master list. In the master list, you'll want to search for "PlayStation Network" after you've located your router and click on it. After you've followed either tutorial, look below for an additional list of ports that you need to forward to also. These ports have been collected via Sony's knowledge base and Activision's. Unfortunately, these additional ports will not be listed until they are released. Check back often. We'll address later on if you can't find your router in "My router isn't listed at the site you provided. What do I do?"

Also take note that portforward.com is a real site. It lives off of advertisements just like many other sites. If you run into a page notifying you of a program available for purchase, skip it by selecting the link at the top. A screenshot of that page will be located below as well.It's okay if you don't know how to access your router. Remember all the information we wrote down? The one titled "Default Router" is the IP you'll want to put into your browser's URL bar. The password and username are what you issued when you first setup your router. If your router is brand new, look up the information online or in the manual you received on purchase. Google is your friend!

PlayStation Specific

Master List

Advertisement - If presented with a page similar to this image, please click the link to skip it and proceed to instructions and listings.

I for one like to double check things though, so I've grabbed the links you need to verify the ports and I'll also list them below. Make sure you double check these! They contain additional ports to forward than what the guide has given you!

Provided by Sony

• 80 (TCP)

• 81 (TCP/UDP)

• 443 (TCP)

• 3074 (TCP/UDP)

• 3075 (UDP)

• 3478 (UDP)

• 3479 (UDP)

• 3658 (UDP)

• 5223 (TCP)

• 10070 - 10080 (TCP/UDP)

Provided by Activision

• 80 (TCP) + [Duplicate]

• 443 (TCP) + [Duplicate]

• 5223 (TCP) + [Duplicate]

• 3074 (TCP/UDP) + [Duplicate]

• 3478 (UDP) + [Duplicate]

• 3479 (UDP) + [Duplicate]

[Duplicate] - You need not enter these again. These are simply for verification purposes.

What are the firewall (TCP and UDP) port numbers to connect online with PlayStation® products? (Sony Knowledge Base)

Cannot connect to server. (Activision Knowledge Base)

So, you should be done. Give your router/PlayStation a power cycle and then test your connection. If everything went to plan you should have an open NAT when you enter your game of choice and should connect immediately to the network when signing in. Enjoy!

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Take me back to the index.

I want to know what port forwarding is.

Luckily, our website of choice, Portforward, has an excellent article on this subject.

What is port forwarding?

Truthfully, this is the simplest article that you can find on this subject.

Take me back to the index.

I don't need explanations and all I want is a refresher.

Setting up a static IP

[1.] Start up Playstation 3

[2.] Navigate to the settings tab.

[3.] Scroll down to Network Settings

[4.] Click X on "Settings and Connection Status List"

[5.] Write down the IP address, default router, the subnet mask, the primary and secondary DNS.

[6.] Click O, and scroll to Internet Connection Settings. Select Ok.

[7.] Select custom on the first panel, wired or wireless on the second and manual settings on the third.

[8.] If wired, on the "Speed and Duplex" panel, select Auto-Detect on the next. When done, or if wireless, select Manual on the IP settings panel.

[9.] Determine a proper static IP address to use. (192.168.X.XXX - Make XXX above 110, but not above 150. I use 149. Keep the X value the same.)

[10.] Here we'll need the information we collected earlier. Instead of the original IP address, use the one we decided on and fill in the rest like normal. Move the analog stick to the right when done.

[11.] Select "automatic" on the MTU panel, "Do not use" on the Proxy Server panel, and finally "Disable" on the UPNP panel.

[12.] Click X to enter and your settings are now saved. You can attempt to test your settings but they'll fail if you haven't forwarded your ports. Do that next.

Forwarding your ports.

[1.] Identify your router.

[2.] Visit portforward.com using the following links.

PlayStation Specific

Master List

Now, the guides should provide you with the needed ports. I for one like to double check things though, so I've grabbed the links you need to verify the ports and I'll also list them below. Make sure you double check!

Provided by Sony

• 80 (TCP)

• 81 (TCP/UDP)

• 443 (TCP)

• 3074 (TCP/UDP)

• 3075 (UDP)

• 3478 (UDP)

• 3479 (UDP)

• 3658 (UDP)

• 5223 (TCP)

• 10070 - 10080 (TCP/UDP)

Provided by Activision

• 80 (TCP) + [Duplicate]

• 443 (TCP) + [Duplicate]

• 5223 (TCP) + [Duplicate]

• 3074 (TCP/UDP) + [Duplicate]

• 3478 (UDP) + [Duplicate]

• 3479 (UDP) + [Duplicate]

[Duplicate] - You need not enter these again. These are simply for verification purposes.

What are the firewall (TCP and UDP) port numbers to connect online with PlayStation® products? (Sony Knowledge Base)

Cannot connect to server. (Activision Knowledge Base)

You should be done. Give your router and PS3 a power cycle if needed.

Take me back to the index.

What is DMZ? It seems easier...

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Disclaimer

I generally don't approve of people using the DMZ. It's obviously an option you have, but there's risk if you don't consider it all.

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In the real world, DMZ typically stands for demilitarized zone. Applying that to networking terminology, it translates into something which is not part of the existing firewall. Don't take my word for it. Here is an article on Wikipedia [LINK]. Be warned that it is a very technical piece.

The basics still stand though. Anything you put into the DMZ is going to be exposed to the Internet. Now, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can be though and because I don't know the personal setup that most members have for a home network I advise you to consider a few things.

• A static IP in the DMZ needs to be relatively high.

• Your PS3's network settings must be manually configured.

• Anything you put into the DMZ will be exposed to the Internet.

If you're sure you want to do this, please visit "I want to understand routers. Teach me more."

Take me back to the index.

My ports are open, but I'm still not happy.

Maccabi has been a valued and vocal part of the Call of Duty: Black Ops community. His thread, Optimizing your connection on the Xbox - The Elagaphant Strikes Back, on the Modern Warfare 3 forums is a treasure trove of additional information that will certainly bolster any information you've learned here.

I totally understand a reaction you might have just had. "Xbox? Why should I care about an Xbox thread?!" The answer, silly, is because as much as the two consoles differ, the Internet handles much the same. Browse this thread to learn about:

• DNS server optimizations

• Notes on Listen Server vs. Peer-to-Peer topologies

• Discussion of ISP data traffic, bandwidth and ping

• Notes on the difference in quality of ISP given equipment and third party possibilities.

I can't stress enough how much you could benefit by reading his thread. It is a great balance of opinions, facts, resources and humor that will both keep you interested and informed. I'm not sure if at any point that Maccabi will create a PlayStation variant of his thread, but if you have any questions you might want to discuss there. Feel free to bring me into the discussion by name and I can help as well. The goal here is to optimize the quality of our gaming, not ignite platform wars. Those will be stopped, the posts purged and the participants eligible for a free vacation off the forum courtesy of the Moderation team.

Disclaimer: Any changes made with advice taken from Maccabi's thread are not subject to my "factory reset" statement. This isn't to say that Maccabi's thread is intentionally harmful, just that I am not responsible for anyone else's actions or input. Maccabi himself does a quality job of warning you of any potential harm that could be encountered as well. I wouldn't endorse him if I didn't have full trust in him.

Take me back to the index.

My ports aren't open anymore. What could have happened?

Don't fret, this can happen for any number of reasons. It's more than likely not your fault either. If you've suffered a fairly powerful power surge, updated your firmware to the latest version or simply have aging technology, there's a very likely chance that your configuration was wiped. It's also possible that you decided to forego creating a static IP, or didn't create one high enough, and your router assigned your console's previous IP to another device.

The solutions are obvious.

• Ensure your equipment is working properly.

• Reconfigure your router to your previous settings.

• Create a proper static IP or change its designation.

You may not like that you must do this again, but at least it can be considered practice. You should consider investigating your router's manual for any discussion of saving your configuration settings. This will save time in the future if issues arise and will get you back in the game faster.

Need help with your router? Check out "I want to understand routers. Teach me more." and read the last note. It has some tips and general observations that'll help in the long run.

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[Pending.]

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[Pending.]

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[Pending.]

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Updated with ports from Activision. Luckily, they're using the standard PSN ports. Yay!