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Dlink DIR-450 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-450 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.

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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-450 Guides

This is the port forwarding guide for the Dlink DIR-450. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Configure your Computer to Have a Static IP Address

Port forwarding the Dlink DIR-450 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-450

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

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To get started forwarding a port you need to login to your Dlink DIR-450 router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Dlink DIR-450, follow our Dlink DIR-450 Login Guide.

Forward a Port on the Dlink DIR-450 router

Find The Port Forwarding Section of the Dlink DIR-450

router setup
This is the setup page from your Dlink DIR-450 router.

You start on the Internet Connection page of the Dlink DIR-450. To forward a port or ports, click the choice near the top of the page labeled Advanced. Then, looking to the left, choose Port Forwarding.

Configure the Port Forwarding section of your Dlink DIR-450

Now to forward a port, make the following changes:

port forwarding nat screenshot
This is the port forwarding page from your Dlink DIR-450 router.

If you are forwarding only a single port, you can click the choice on the left labeled Virtual Server. The Virtual Server only allows for single port forwards, where the Port Forwarding link allows for ranges and singles. This guide will follow the Port Forwarding link as that is more useful.

First, find an empty row of boxes to create your port forwarding rule, and place a check mark in the small box on the far left. By checking this box, you have enabled the rule you are about to create.

The Name box isn't important to the forwarding process, but for your future reference. We suggest entering the name of the program you are forwarding ports for.

Under that is the box titled IP Address. This refers to the internal IP address of the computer you are forwarding these ports to. If you are unsure of how to find the computer's internal IP address, we have a guide for that, What is my IP Address.

If you are forwarding a single port, enter that port number in the Start box, and again in the End box.

To forward a range of ports, enter the lowest number of the range in the Start box, and the highest number in the End box.

The Traffic Type is referring to what is commonly called the protocol. Use this drop down menu to choose the type of protocol you need to use to forward these ports.

Then, on the far right is the Schedule. Set the schedule to Always.

Finally, click the Save Settings box at the top of the page.

You did it, congratulations!

Test if Your Ports are Open

Now that you have forwarded ports on the Dlink DIR-450 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-450 Info

Don't forget about our other Dlink DIR-450 info that you might be interested in.

This is the port forwarding guide for the Dlink DIR-450. We also have the following guides for the same router: