Cisco Linksys EA3500 Port Forwarding Instructions

This page will show you how to setup a port forward on the Cisco Linksys EA3500 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 EA3500 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 EA3500

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To get started forwarding a port you need to login to your Cisco Linksys EA3500 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Cisco Linksys EA3500, follow our Cisco Linksys EA3500 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Cisco Linksys EA3500 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Cisco Linksys EA3500

router setup — This is the *setup* page from your Cisco Linksys EA3500 router.

From the Basic Setup page of the Cisco Linksys-EA3500 router, click the choice at the top of the page labeled Applications & Gaming.

Below this, a new menu appears, if you are forwarding a single port, click Single Port Forwarding. If you are forwarding a range of ports, such as 80-100, click Port Range Forwarding.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Cisco Linksys EA3500

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

router virtual server screenshot — This is the *virtual server* page from your Cisco Linksys EA3500 router.

Single Port Forwarding:

The first box is the Application Name. Find an empty line and enter the name of the program you are forwarding this port for here. This is only for your future reference.

Moving to the right, enter the port number in the External Port box, and again in the Internal Portbox.

Use the Protocol drop down menu to select the type of protocol or transport you want to use to forward these ports.

Next is the To IPv4 Address. This box needs to contain the IP address of the specific computer or device you are forwarding this port to.

Place a check in the Enabled box on the far right.

When all of the above is done, tick the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

port forwarding nat screenshot — This is the *port forwarding* page from your Cisco Linksys EA3500 router.

Port Range Forwarding:

Enter the program name or something that helps you remember why you are forwarding these ports in the Application Name box.

The next two boxes are the Start~End Port boxes. Enter the lowest number of the range in the left box, and the highest number in the right box.

Select the type of protocol you want to use from the Protocol drop down menu.

Then, in the To IPv4 Address box, enter the local IP address of the specific computer you are forwarding these ports to.

On the far right, place a check mark in the Enabled box.

When you are finished, click Save Settings.

Congratulations! You did it!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Cisco Linksys EA3500 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.