How to Use Port Forward With Verizon

Depending on the area and type of service purchased, many Verizon customers will receive a VersaLink or Actiontec brand gateway to use on their local networks. While not required for general activities such as Web browsing, port forwarding is necessary for users who need to connect through other devices or those who want to host servers. Since using a gateway on your network will result in your computers and devices having a local Internet protocol (IP) address, you will need to forward the ports to the gateway, since it contains your real IP address. Configuring port forwarding will allow the gateway to accept traffic on behalf of the IP address and tells it to forward the data to you through the local address.

Instructions

VersaLink Gateways

1. Open a Web browser.

2. Type "192.168.1.1" in the address bar and press "Enter." This opens a dialog box asking for a user name and password.

3. Enter your user name and password and click "OK." This loads the configuration interface for your Verizon device. If you did not create a user name during installation, the default user name is "admin." The password is the password you were required to create during installation.

4. Click the "Firewall Settings" icon. This populates a list of settings in the left pane.

5. Click the "Port Forwarding" option. This populates the "Port Forwarding" settings in the center.

6. Click "Add" under the "Name" column. This loads a "New Port Forwarding Rule" screen. You can click in the drop-down menu in the "Select an existing rule..." section or create a new one in the "Create a new..." field.

7. Click "Apply" to save your changes.

Actiontec Gateways

1. Open a Web browser.

2. Type "192.168.1.1" in the address bar and press "Enter." This opens a dialog box asking for a user name and password.

3. Enter your user name and password and click "OK." This loads the configuration interface for your Verizon device. If you did not create a user name during installation, the default user name is "admin." The password is the password you were required to create during installation.

4. Click the "Security" icon. This loads a list of settings in the left pane.

5. Click "Applications" in the left pane. This loads the forwarding options in the center.

6. Click next to the type of rule you want to create in the "Category" section. This loads a list of preconfigured rules in the "Available Rules" section. If you want to create your own rule, click the "User" category.

7. Click to highlight a rule and click "Add." Click "Apply" to save your changes.

References

• PC Magazine: Port Forwarding Definition
• Westell: Versalink Gateway User Guide
• Verizon: How do I Set Up Port Forwarding on my Verizon Hardware?