Cisco Linksys EA4500 Port Forwarding Instructions

This page will show you how to setup a port forward on the Cisco Linksys EA4500 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 EA4500 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 EA4500

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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 EA4500 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Cisco Linksys EA4500, follow our Cisco Linksys EA4500 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Cisco Linksys EA4500 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Cisco Linksys EA4500

router setup — This is the *setup* page from your Cisco Linksys EA4500 router.

Starting on the Basic Setup page of the Cisco Linksys-EA4500 router, click the link at the top of the page, in gray, labeled Applications & Gaming.

Under this, in the blue bar, if you are forwarding a single port, click Single Port Forwarding. If you are forwarding a range of ports, click Port Range Forwarding.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Cisco Linksys EA4500

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

port forwarding nat screenshot — This is the *port forwarding* page from your Cisco Linksys EA4500 router.

Single Port Forwarding:

Unfortunately, we do not have the Single Port Forwarding screenshot, but it looks very similar to the one above.

Enter the program name in the box labeled Application Name.
The next two boxes are titled External Port, and Internal Port. Enter the port number in both of these boxes. Make sure the numbers match.
Then, use the Protocol drop down menu to choose the type of protocol you want to use while forwarding these ports.
In the To IPv4 Address, enter the specific local IP address of the computer you are forwarding this port to.
Place a checkmark in the Enabled box.
Tick the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

Port Range Forwarding:

Type in the name of the program you are forwarding these ports for in the box labeled Application Name.
The next two boxes are labeled Start~End Port. 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.
In the To IPv4 Address box, enter the IP address of the specific computer you are forwarding these ports to.
Place a check in the Enabled box.
Hit the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

That's it, you're done!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Cisco Linksys EA4500 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.