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Dlink DIR-412 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 Dlink DIR-412 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 Dlink DIR-412 Guides

This is the port forwarding guide for the Dlink DIR-412. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Configure your Computer to Have a Static IP Address

Port forwarding the Dlink DIR-412 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 Dlink DIR-412

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To get started forwarding a port you need to login to your Dlink DIR-412 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Dlink DIR-412, follow our Dlink DIR-412 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Dlink DIR-412 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Dlink DIR-412

router setup
This is the setup page from your Dlink DIR-412 router.

You begin on the Internet Connection page of the Dlink DIR-412 router. First, click the option at the top of the page titled Advanced, then looking to the left side of the page, choose Port Forwarding.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Dlink DIR-412

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

port forwarding nat screenshot
This is the port forwarding page from your Dlink DIR-412 router.

You are now on the correct page to create a port forward. In the first empty row of boxes, place a check mark in the small far left box. Placing a check mark in this box, enables this rule.

Next is the Name. It's not real important what you enter here, but we suggest entering the name of the program you are forwarding these ports for.

Below that is the IP Address. Enter the local IP address of the specific computer you want to forward these ports to. If you are unsure of how to find your computer's internal IP address, What is my IP Address is a great guide on how to find any computer's internal IP address.

Go ahead and ignore the next two boxes, you already entered the name and address.

If you are forwarding only one port, enter that number in the left and right boxes of the Public Port. Enter it again in the left and right Private Port boxes. You are entering this one port number a total of four times. Now, if you are forwarding a range of ports, enter the lowest number in the left box of the Public Port and again in the Private Port. Enter the highest number in the right boxes of both the Public Port and the Private Port.

The Traffic Type is referring to the protocol, such as TCP or UDP, use this drop down menu to choose the type of protocol you need to use here.

Set the Schedule to Always.

Then, click Save Settings.

You did it, congratulations!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Dlink DIR-412 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 Dlink DIR-412 Info

Don't forget about our other Dlink DIR-412 info that you might be interested in.

This is the port forwarding guide for the Dlink DIR-412. We also have the following guides for the same router: