I'm trying to open some ports so i can play Left 4 Dead on steam without getting disconnected mid game. Thing is i have my firewall open and i have the "Add a port" thing open but i'm struggling with what i should put in there,
This is what the steam guide says...
"If your computer is behind a router with a firewall, you must open the ports that Steam uses to connect to the Internet. Most embedded firewalls require you to open ports manually (they do not automatically learn your used ports). Routers without firewalls rarely need to have ports opened for a game client, but usually do for game servers.
If you can specify ports to open, please use the following:
UDP 27000 to 27020 inclusive
TCP 27020 to 27050 inclusive"
But i don't know what to put in for port number.
Do i put "27000 to 27020 inclusive" or each number from 27000 to 27020 individually?
I'm on windows vista by the way :) Thanks
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Just put 27000-27020.
You really shouldn't even have to do that.
But, for kicks, try this:
Go to 19.2168.1.1 and log in (it's your router)
There should be an area where you can forward ports. From there, type in hl2.exe (that's what most of valves games run as, if I remember correctly), and add ports 27000 to 27020.
When your computer runs a network application - email, web, World of Warcraft, etc. it uses a specific port on your machine. Think of a port as an apartment inside a large apartment complex. When you send email, that's apartment (or port) #25. The problem is, when you sit behind a router, the rest of the internet does not see your computer. This is due to the NAT function of the router. This is normally a good thing unless you want "the internet" to initiate a connection to your computer - say because you're running a game server let's say. Therefore, routers have the ability to assign port numbers on the router and have it connect back to a port number on your computer that's sitting on the private network. You may hear the term tunneling, or redirecting, and that's largely what this is. Some routers have different ways of dealing with opening ports. * Always open. The port on the router is always open, and always pointing to a static IP#. Problem is, if your PC's IP# changes, you have to change the router setting. * Port triggering. This is a dynamic way to open a port in which the port is closed, until your computer starts up that program. This then "triggers" the router to open the port. * Virtual Server - I'm not entirely sure what this is. You'll have to check your manual for details. In general, port triggering is considered a safer way to open a port than using the "always open" option.