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Cisco M20 Port Forwarding Instructions

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 3 minutes

This page will show you how to setup a port forward on the Cisco M20 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 Cisco M20 Guides

This is the port forwarding guide for the Cisco M20. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Configure your Computer to Have a Static IP Address

Port forwarding the Cisco M20 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 M20

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To get started forwarding a port you need to login to your Cisco M20 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Cisco M20, follow our Cisco M20 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Cisco M20 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Cisco M20

router setup
This is the setup page from your Cisco M20 router.

Starting on the Basic Setup page of the Cisco M20 router, click the option at the top of the page labeled Applications & Gaming.

You now have two different options to choose from. If you want to forward only one port, click the option below the gray bar labeled Single Port Forwarding. If you want to forward a range of ports, click Port Range Forwarding.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Cisco M20

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

router virtual server screenshot
This is the virtual server page from your Cisco M20 router.

Single Port Forwarding:

First, enter the name of the program you are forwarding this port for in the box labeled Application Name.

Second, enter the port number you are forwarding, in the External Port box, and the Internal Port box.

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

Use the To IP Address box to enter the local IP address of the computer you are forwarding this port to.

Then, place a check mark in the Enabled box.

When you have finished, click Save Settings.

port forwarding nat screenshot
This is the port forwarding page from your Cisco M20 router.

Port Range Forwarding:

First, enter the name of the program you are forwarding these ports for in the box labeled Application Name.

Then, enter the lowest number of the range in the left box of the Start~End Port and the highest number of the range in the right box.

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

Use the To IP Address box to enter the local IP address of the computer you are forwarding these ports to.

Put a check in the Enabled box.

Now that you have finished, click Save Settings.

That's it, you did it!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Cisco M20 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 Cisco M20 Info

Don't forget about our other Cisco M20 info that you might be interested in.

This is the port forwarding guide for the Cisco M20. We also have the following guides for the same router: