Some devices and applications may be restricted by the default settings of the firewall. Customers typically report issues with online gaming services such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Nintendo Online.
To access your wireless routers management interface, open a new browser tab and navigate to the network address.
You can log into your wireless router’s management interface by opening a browser and inserting the network address.
Once the management page opens up you need to insert the user name admin and the password that is on the sticker on the reverse of your router.
Firewall Settings
Firewall settings can be accessed by clicking Advanced, choosing the Security option and selecting Firewall from the drop-down menu.
You will be able to see this screen:
The default setting for your router firewall is normally High Security. Changing your "Security Level" will leave your home network open to security threats. To enable access to the desired service, follow these steps:
- Set the security level to Medium and test the service. Keep this setting if it has started working.
- Set the security level to Low and test the service. Keep this setting if it has started working.
- Set the security level to Security Off and check the service is working.
Once you've found the level of security required for your service to run correctly, you can re-enable blocks to improve the security of your home network again. This can be done by:
- If your level is set to Security Off, set it to Low Security
- Click the arrow next to the Blocked Services label, showing a list of services and ports (See image below).
- Enable blocks on individual services, ensuring your target service is still working correctly each time a new block is added. If a adding a block disables a service, leave this one disabled.
Port Forwarding
Port forwarding for specific games and services can be done through the Port Forwarding option under Advanced, Security and Port Forwarding on the router management page.
On this management page, you'll see a list of current port forwarding options (By default, this will say No Entries Defined) and the New button that will allow you to define a new port forwarding setting.
Once you've clicked the New button, you'll now see the options and settings to define port forwarding for a game or service.
- Select the All IP Addresses option in the Remote Port and IP section.
- In the Local Port and IP section, either select your specific device from the Device drop-down menu (e.g. Xbox One, PlayStation 4) or select the IP Address option and enter the IP address of the device running the game or service (This can be found in the devices' network setting, this varies by product and manufacturer).
- The next step will vary depending whether you're opening one or multiple ports:
- If you're opening one port, in the Local Port and IP section write the port number into both Port Startand Port End text boxes. EXAMPLE: The Xbox One Xbox Live service requires port 3074 to be open, you would enter that into both Port Start and Port End boxes.
- If you're opening multiple ports, in the Local Port and IP section write the smallest number into the Port Start text box and the largest number into the Port End text box. EXAMPLE: The PlayStation 4 PlayStation Network (PSN) requires ports 3478, 3479 and 3480 open, you would enter the smallest number, 3478, into Port Start and the largest number, 3480, into Port End.
- Click the Apply button to save this setting.
Add further ports if the game or services requires more open. This can be done by following the steps above (e.g. Xbox One Xbox Live needs ports 53, 80, 3074).
Further Reading
Portforward.com - A list of games and required ports to play them.
Portforward.com - A Calix-specific guide for port forwarding. You DO NOT need to buy any additional software to access port forwarding options on your router.
For product-specific advice and guides related to port-forwarding, please visit these websites: