How to Port Forward ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100?

How to Port Forward ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100?

Networking is of course not an easy topic to understand and with such a sheer volume of acronyms, it is really difficult to have an appropriate knowledge about this space. It could only be made possible when you have got enough experience, and has done quite a good amount of study on the same. However, that doesn’t mean that you can access it only when you have done that much of homework. To be aware of just the basics, you will need to have a clear understanding of the concept and the networking impacts, and you are done! We are here to help you through! Please, read on…

What is port forwarding?

Port forwarding, often known as port mapping is basically a process that allows the PCs or services within the private networks to connect with various other private and public PCs or services over the internet. It creates a map or an association between the router’s public IP address, Wide Area Network or WAN and that of the local are network or LAN for a device within that particular private network.

 

Port forwarding auto attendant

Let us consider the router of your private network to be a switchboard, or that of an auto attendant. The voice that you usually hear when you call up somewhere and they give you options to choose for whom you want to speak to, is what is the job of an auto attendant. As the auto attendant receives a call, it is supposed to be redirected. The auto attendant will use your input and the extension to identify and thus, redirect the call to the right target. Consequently, in case of an outbound call made to a different number, the external phone number mask protects the internal phone number and the extension from getting shared, and the internal phone number is used as the switch’s phone number. As the call goes out, the receiver will only be able to see the switchboard number.

Port Forwarding: Well Explained

Whether it is your office Wi-Fi, free wi-fi at the coffee store, or the one at your home, a private LAN usually requires a password to connect. Once authentication is done, you can connect your laptop, tablet or cell phone to the network. An IP address is therefore, assigned to that device on that network via Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, commonly abbreviated as DHCP. This address is absolutely unique and is meant to assist the router in identifying that particular device correctly. As you go ahead to check your social media, access your email or may be your cloud file storage, the details of your device’s IP address alongside the associated port for your request is sent to the router.

In a nutshell, it is basically a process through which you can make your router access a particular port to communicate with the other devices. This is meant to ensure that your router is always supposed to accept the requests coming from those specific ports and thus, forward the data to the private IP address of a device. There is a unique IP address which will give the access to the router for identifying which service or program it is supposed to send the information to!

The router typically masks the IP address and port of your device with a relevant port and a public facing IP address and then sends the same connection request back to the destination. Well, there is a small trick in sending the connection request and that’s when the Network Address Translation or NAT comes into the picture. It is typically meant to store all the information about the maps that are made while establishing a connection. As the request reaches the destination, it is against sent back to the device by mentioning the router’s IP address alongside a specified port. The router will then check the NAT table to ensure if there is an open connection. In case there is one, the request will then be passed on to the right device on that same internal network. The entry of that connection on the NAT table gets deleted once the connection is closed.

Importance of Port forwarding

In order to establish remote access to different devices on the private network, port forwarding comes into the scene. The firewalls typically exist to get rid of all the unwanted visitors. It isn’t just enough to know the IP address correctly but at the same time, it is important to direct the request through the right port too. This extra information is meant to keep all the unwanted visitors away and thus, add an additional layer of security against the DDoS or Direct Denial of Service attacks. As the technology has been advancing rapidly over the years keeping the privacy and security of the users in mind, multi factor authentication, single sign on solutions, various identity management software and port forwarding functions are all getting even more popular day by day.

Port forwarding has turned out to be absolutely essential and is greatly meant to improve the efficiency and productivity of both the clients and organisations in the very same go! Here are a few uses of port forwarding which can no way be ignored:

·   Virtual desktops: In several large scale technical implementation scenarios such as that of the universities and hospitals, the PCs are usually not stored locally but they are effectively stored in the cloud environments. With the use of port forwarding, the users can now choose to access their own VDI from any device that is present on the site.

·  Backups: Port forwarding has made it easy to access the backups of the servers, files or any hard drive clones from any place around the globe with just an internet connection and nothing else. It has even made it possible to access the hard-to-reach backup files with proper authentication to be used from anywhere!

·  Game servers: The merits of port forwarding is not just confined to the business industry alone, but it is equally amazing to deal with, when it comes to hosting the private game servers.

How can you port forward? (General Steps)

Whether you are trying to set up a Minecraft server, trying to access desktop or files remotely, or want to improve your connection speeds, port forwarding can do miracles for you. Initially, it might appear to be quite challenging for you, but once you know that how it works, things can become pretty easy! In order to port forward on your router, here is the step by step guide through which you can easily follow the method and do it for yourself without having to be a tech freak at all! Read on…

·  At first, log into your router.

·  Now, go to the port forwarding section.

·  Now, enter the port numbers. Also, enter the IP address of your device.

·  Next, choose a forwarding protocol. Once done, save the changes that you have made.

P.S: In case you are not able to find a ‘port forwarding’ section in the settings of your router, it is time for you to upgrade it!

Moving ahead…

·  At first, you will have to open a web browser that you prefer to use, be it Safari, Firefox, Chrome or anything that you wish to!

·  Now, type the IP address of your router in the address bar that appears! It will basically be a series of number with ‘.’ in between. Make sure that you are copying it as it is! Also, keep a note of your PC’s IP address as you may require it later on, so it is always better to keep it handy with yourself.

P.S: In this step, if you are receiving a privacy warning showing you that it is unsafe to visit the IP address of your router, simply click on the Advanced option and then click on the Proceed option to continue further.

·                     Next, you will have to enter the username and password of the router correctly into their respective panes. Click on Sign In button.

·                     Now, go to the port forwarding settings on the router. Based on the router you own, the steps to go to this section may vary a bit! Well, in general cases, you will just need to go to the Advanced tab and then Security, NAT, Advanced setup, gaming, Firewall or Virtual servers.

·                     Then, you will have to set a rule for port forwarding. You may find options such as “Add New,” “Add Custom Service,” or something else of the same kind.

·                     Now, enter a name for the application of service. This is totally based on your choice and there is no thumb rule for it!

·                     Type in the port number which you want to use. Use hyphens while you select a port range, or you can even select multiple ports separated by commas. It is usually easy to set the same sort of internal and external port numbers.

·                     Next, select the port forwarding protocol. You will see options such as UDP, TCP, TCP/UDP, Both or All as the service type. Based on the type of connection that you will be using for a specific application will device the one that you must be choosing among all of these!

·                     Now, type the IP address of your PC. You can also opt to select a device instead of typing the IP address of your device if your router gives you that option likewise!

·                     Lastly, save the settings, by clicking on Save or Apply. In case your router gives you an option to Enable the changes first, do it before you hit the Save button.

Port forwarding ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100

If you are using ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100, you may need to forward ports in your router. This is done to establish a direct connection from the internet to ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100. This is because routers usually do not permit incoming network requests by default, while port forwarding can actually work around this restriction and get it done for you!

Port forwarding ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100 Requirements:

·                     IP address of router

·                     Device’s IP address

·                     UDP and TCP port numbers of ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100

ACTi ENR-1000 & ACTi ENR-1100: Step by step guide

Port forwarding can be really easy and simple once you are aware of the IP addresses and the port numbers. Here is how you can do it:

·                     Open any web browser of your choice and type the IP address of the router in the address bar

·                     Enter the login credentials of your router to view and then alter the firmware settings of the same

·                     Now, navigate to the port forwarding section

·                     Click on Port Forwarding

·                     Next, enter the IP address of your gaming device appropriately in the box

·                     Once you have put the UDP and TCP ports, you can now click on the Apply button

·                     In order to allow the changes to occur smoothly, restart your router all over again.

Frequently asked questions about Port Forwarding (FAQs)

·                     What IP address to use for port forwarding?

You need to have a static internal IP address (ipv4) on your device for the port forwarding to work! It usually is dynamic by default and thus, you will not be able to pin down your gadget on your home network. So, you need to change that to static prior to port forwarding.

·                     Will port forwarding work on multiple devices?

There is a bottom line to this! Port forwarding will be eligible only with a given port and you can connect that to just one IP address to your local network. Therefore, even if you have multiple devices on the network which would intend to use the same ports, you can only port forward the required ports to one of those nodes.

·                     How will you check if a port is forwarded?

Once you have forwarded the port successfully, you will now want to check whether or not it is done correctly. Well, you can use the tool as www.portchecktool.com to find out the open ports and figure out if there is any service that is responding to that port.