KB1011 - Ports that you must forward to play on Voobly

Created​	Verified​	Approved​
24th August 2015​	26th August 2015​	27th August 2015​
+kimberly@voobly​	+chris@voobly​	+chris@voobly​

Ports that you must forward to play on Voobly​

Voobly is using a technology called NAT-Traversal, it allows you to play or to host a multiplayer game on Voobly by forwarding a single Port only, which is UDP 16000. Older installations of Voobly have used UDP 5000, this was however changed due to known problems with other services. You can change this port at any time, by clicking menu Options > Settings > NAT Traversal and entering the desired port. Please remember, that you have to restart Voobly after doing so.

General purpose guide on how to forward Voobly's NAT-T port in your router​

Due to popular demand we decided creating a general purpose guide that explains how to forward Voobly's NAT-T port in a random router. This guide will also cover a general requirements check that helps you understanding, why Network Diagnostics still detects you as Not Forwarded.

First of all, let's determine the type of our internet connection that is required, in order to play on Voobly.

You can properly forward any ports if one of the following is true:

• using a DSL connection with a valid IPv4 address
• using a Cable connection with a valid IPv4 address
• using a Fibre connection with a valid IPv4 address

You cannot properly forward any ports if one of the following is true:

• using the Personal Hotspot of your phone
• using LTE / 4G / 5G or any other form of cellular phone network
• using an internet connection with an IPv6 only address
• using a public or shared connection with multiple routers
• using a enterprise network of a Library / School / University / Company / NGO or Government organization

Go to www.whatismyipaddress.com and check, whether you have an IPv4 or an IPv6 address assigned to your WAN or both. You must have at least an IPv4 address assigned. The games played at Voobly are simply too old, an IPv6 address is therefore not supported.

There exists a provisional workaround, that would allow you to play on Voobly without forwarding any ports and without appearing as Fast Proxy. Please understand, that this provisionary arrangement by using a VPN connection comes with many downsides, as it:

• may drastically increase the monthly costs of your mobile phone
• may exceed the allowed or included data traffic of your mobile phone after only a few days
• may lead to security problems of your computer system
• may cause additional costs depending on the VPN provider you choose
• may lead to shared bans at Voobly

We strongly discourage you from using any VPN providers in order to play on Voobly.

Now we are convinced, that we have an IPv4 address assigned to our WAN and that we are using a DSL / Cable or Fibre connection, you may go ahead and continue reading this guide.

Start > type "cmd" > right-click on "Command Prompt" > run as administrator > Confirm with Yes

Type "ipconfig /all" into the black Command Prompt Window. You may have to scroll down a bit, depending on your hardware and whether you are using wireless or a wired connection. Locate the network adapter with a RFC1918 ip address that includes an IPv4 address, a default gateway and a DNS Server starting with the following prefix:

• 192.168.***.***
• 172.16.***.***
• 10.***.***.***

Below you find an example output of ipconfig /all in Command Prompt.

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (11) I219-LM
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Open your favorite browser, such as Chrome or Firefox and type the IP address of the Default Gateway into the address bar. You should now see a login prompt or a grey popup-box asking for an Username and Password. In the past, all vendors were using the same identical preset passwords. Examples:

• Login: admin | Password: admin
• Login: Admin | Password: Admin
• Login: admin | Password: password
• Login: Admin | Password: Password
• Login: admin | Password: <blank> (no password)
• Login: Admin | Password: <blank> (no password)
• Login: <blank> (no login) | Password: admin
• Login: <blank> (no login) | Password: password
• Login: access | Password: access

If none of those passwords are working, you already have one of the next-generation routers, usually shipped by your ISP. Go check your router and look for a label printed on the backside of your router. If there isn't label with any login information, write down the vendor and model name / model number of your router and check the online manual of your router. If this doesn't help, either call your ISP (if the router was shipped by your ISP) or the vendor itself (if the router was purchased by you). We have also seen routers, that require an app on your phone in order to make any configuration changes (ISP: Comcast, USA).

Once you can access the web interface of your router in web browser, try locating the port forwarding configuration page. The following terms are commonly used by their vendors:

• Port Forwarding (NOT Port Triggering)
• DNAT or Destination NAT
• Virtual Server
• Port Sharing

Create a new DNAT rule, and it should now ask to fill out many text fields. We will provide an example that should cover every possible scenario, so don't be confused if some options are not missing; you may safely skip them. Some options may have different names.

Service Name: / Description: This is the name of the DNAT rule.	Voobly​
Internal Port: Usually two text fields divided by a dash. It allows you to define a port range (with Start / End port) or a single port.	16000​
External Port: Usually two text fields divided by a dash. It allows you to define a port range (with Start / End port) or a single port.	16000​
Type: / Protocol: This must be set to UDP. You can usually choose beteen TCP, UDP and both.	UDP​
Inbound Host: / Private IP address: This is the local IP address of your computer. Simply scroll up to the output of ipconfig /all where you also found your Default Gateway. In some routers, you may also have a drop down menu with your PC listed.	192.168.0.***​
Outbound Host: / External IP address: This text field must be either set to 0.0.0.0 or must be left blank.	0.0.0.0​
Enabled: This is usally a checkbox or a drop down menu. Make sure it's enabled!	ENABLED​

Some routers require to be rebooted after adding new port forwarding rules. You can simply achieve this by temporary pulling the power cable of your router.

Change Management​

Version​	Date Created​	Author​	Description​
1.0​	24th August 2015​	+chris@voobly​	Initial Release​
2.0	14th April 2024	+chris@voobly	Added Guide