Port forwarding is one of the many ways you can improve your experience on the internet, and setting it up when you have access to a router is easy. However, how do you set it up when you don’t have router access? You can still get it done if with the right methods. Therefore, this article will share three easy methods to port forward without access to a router.
You can easily set up port forwarding if you have router access; however, it gets trickier without router access. This is because you can’t use the regular procedure to set it up then. Luckily, even though you can’t use the normal procedure for this, the techniques in this article aren’t difficult to do.
3 Easy Methods to Port Forward Without Access to Router
When you can’t remember your router password or don’t have a router available, you can try any of the following methods to set up port forwarding.
1. Via UPnP
UPnP is short for Universal Plug and Play. It is a router protocol that lets users open ports automatically. But this protocol is relatively new and isn’t compatible with all routers yet. But if yours is compatible with UPnP, then you can use it to port forward even when you do not have router access.
Firstly, you need to do is to enable UPnP; do this through the web interface. Sometimes, this protocol may be activated by default. Or if you’ve had your router for a while, then you most likely had activated the protocol before now. Once UPnP is enabled, the ports open automatically.
2. Via Network Connections
Another way to port forward without router access is via network connections. Simply do the following steps to set up port forwarding via network connections:
Step 1: Open your control panel and click on Network and Internet.
Step 2: Find your router on the list of devices linked to the PC network and then right-click on it.
Step 3: Select Properties from the menu.
Step 4: Select Settings, then Services, and then click on Add. Another window will open; here you can open ports and also configure your router port forwarding.
Step 5: Add a description for the port.
Step 6: Put in your local IP address.
Step 7: Now, type in the port number. Repeat this process for UDP and TCP.
Step 8: Click on Ok.
If you had done everything correctly, the port forwarding would be successfully set up and everything will go back to the way it was. But if you did not do it right, then you would get an error pop-up message.
3. Via Third-party Apps
One very popular way people port forward without access to a router is via 3rd-party apps. However, to properly use these applications, you need more technical knowledge than what is needed for the other methods. They also require the UPnP protocol to be on before you can use them. So, if your router is not compatible with UPnP, then you can’t use this method.
If your router is compatible with UPnP, then you just need to enable the protocol. Once you do this, the app will use different methods to get the needed data from your device. It will then use the data to open the ports.
There are several 3rd-party apps that you can use for this process; some are better than others. Therefore, before you download and install one, check all the available options and evaluate them properly. Read reviews; this way, you can pick the one that suits you best.
Conclusion
You can port forward without access to a router via UPnP, network connections, and 3rd-party apps. These methods are not hard to do, and you can easily do them within minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Forwarding Dangerous?
No, port forwarding isn’t dangerous. Most people think it is because the firewall often keeps ports closed, and when you port forward, these ports get open. However, this doesn’t mean port forwarding is dangerous.
But you should also be careful when port forwarding. Make sure that only the correct ports are used. Also, ensure that malicious apps do not have access to the network. This often happens when the port forwarding configuration isn’t done in the right way.
Does Port Forwarding Slow Down the Internet?
No, port forwarding does not slow down your internet speed in any way. Most people who port forward are gamers and they do it because their gaming servers can only let them communicate when port forwarding. If port forwarding slows down internet speed, the majority of the people who use it won’t consider it at all.
Also, other people using the network too won’t notice a change in their network speed due to port forwarding.
