Cisco Linksys E1550 Port Forwarding Instructions

This page will show you how to setup a port forward on the Cisco Linksys E1550 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.

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.

Configure your Computer to Have a Static IP Address

Port forwarding the Cisco Linksys E1550 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 Cisco Linksys E1550

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You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.

To get started forwarding a port you need to login to your Cisco Linksys E1550 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Cisco Linksys E1550, follow our Cisco Linksys E1550 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Cisco Linksys E1550 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Cisco Linksys E1550

router setup — This is the *setup* page from your Cisco Linksys E1550 router.

You begin on the Basic Setup page of the Cisco Linksys-E1550 router. To forward a port, or ports, click the choice at the top of the page labeled Applications & Gaming.

If you are forwarding a single port, tick the option in blue labeled Single Port Forwarding.

If you are forwarding a range of ports, click the choice in blue labeled Port Range Forwarding.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Cisco Linksys E1550

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

router virtual server screenshot — This is the *virtual server* page from your Cisco Linksys E1550 router.

If you clicked Single Port Forwarding:

Enter the name of the program in the box labeled Application Name. This is not crucial to the process, but for your future reference.
Type the one port number you are forwarding into the boxes External Port, and Internal Port.
Use the Protocol drop down menu to choose the type of transport you want to use while forwarding these ports.
In the To IP Address box, enter the LAN IP Address of the specific computer you are forwarding this one port to.
Place a check in the box labeled Enabled.
Hit the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

port forwarding nat screenshot — This is the *port forwarding* page from your Cisco Linksys E1550 router.

If you clicked Port Range Forwarding:

Enter the program name in the Application Name space. This is not important to the process, but for your future reference.
In the Start~End Port boxes, enter the lowest number of the range in the left box, under Start. Enter the highest number of the range in the right box, under End Port.
Next is the Protocol menu. Use this drop down menu to choose the type of transport you want to use while forwarding these ports.
In the To IP Address box, enter the LAN IP address of the computer you are forwarding these ports to.
Place a checkmark in the box titled Enabled.
Finally, click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

That's it, you are finished!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Cisco Linksys E1550 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.