Actiontec PK5000 Port Forwarding Instructions

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 4 minutes

This page will show you how to setup a port forward on the Actiontec PK5000 router.

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN!

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

If you are not sure what port forwarding is you can read our What is Port Forwarding guide to help get started.

Other Actiontec PK5000 Guides

This is the port forwarding guide for the Actiontec PK5000 Qwest. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Configure your Computer to Have a Static IP Address

Port forwarding the Actiontec PK5000 to your computer can be more reliable if you first configure a static IP address on your computer. We have instructions to setup a static IP address for Windows 7, Windows 8, and a variety of other devices on our Static IP Address Settings page.

Please note that while setting up a static IP address on your computer is optional, it is still a very good idea to go ahead and do it. In the long run it will make your port forward much more reliable.

Login To The Actiontec PK5000

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To get started forwarding a port you need to login to your Actiontec PK5000 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Actiontec PK5000, follow our Actiontec PK5000 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Actiontec PK5000 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Actiontec PK5000

router status mac address internet IP
This is the status page from your Actiontec PK5000 router.

Starting on the Home page of the Actiontec PK5000 Qwest router, click the choice in red, labeled Advanced Setup. Then on the left side of the page, pick Advanced Port Forwarding, you can find it under the heading of Security.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Actiontec PK5000

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

port forwarding nat screenshot
This is the port forwarding page from your Actiontec PK5000 router.

You should now be on a page like the one you see here. This guide deals with the boxes in the section 1. Set the LAN port and IP information.

  • If you are forwarding only one port, enter that port number in both the Starting Port and Ending Port boxes.
  • If you are forwarding a range of ports, enter the lowest number in the Starting Port box, and the highest number of the range in the Ending Port box.
  • Next, use the Protocol drop down menu to choose the type of protocol you wish to use.
  • Next is the LAN IP Address. Enter the IP address of the device you are forwarding these ports to. If you are forwarding these ports to run a program on a certain computer, be sure to use that computer's IP address here.
  • Tick the Apply button.

That's all there is to it!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Actiontec PK5000 you should test to see if your ports are forwarded correctly.

To test if your ports are forwarded you should use our Open Port Check tool.

Other Actiontec PK5000 Info

Don't forget about our other Actiontec PK5000 info that you might be interested in.

This is the port forwarding guide for the Actiontec PK5000 Qwest. We also have the following guides for the same router: