How to open PS4 ports

Have you just bought a fun new game for your PS4 but are unable to access its online mode due to a network error? Don’t despair. Situations like this are very common and often to solve the problem it is enough to open the router ports .

To tell the truth, the procedure you have to follow to open PS4 ports is not exactly intuitive, but I guarantee you that, once you understand the dynamics behind this operation, a pinch of good will is enough to be able to do everything in a few minutes .

All you have to do is set a static IP address for the console, find out which ports are used by the console (and / or by the game in which you cannot use the online multiplayer mode) and proceed with their “forwarding” in the admin panel of the router. For all the details, read on: everything is explained below!

Index

• Preliminary information
• How to open PS4 ports
  • Find the IP addresses
  • Set static IP on the console
  • Log in to the router and configure it
  • How to open PS4 ports: Fastweb
  • How to open PS4 ports: Vodafone
  • How to open NAT PS4: Aeolus
  • How to open NAT PS4: TIM
  • How to open NAT PS4: Infostrada – WINDTRE
• Concluding operations

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of this guide and explaining , in practice, how to open PS4 doors , let me explain why it may be necessary to do this operation and on which doors, precisely, to intervene.

The router is the device that allows you to use a single Internet connection and share it between multiple devices: it is thanks to this network device that the data is “sorted” correctly and arrives exactly at the computer, smartphone or tablet that has requested it.

This happens thanks to a mechanism of local IP addresses and internal ports : to be precise, the local IP identifies a given device connected to the LAN, while the port is used to identify the software that, specifically, has requested or must receive data. from Internet. Therefore, the router knows exactly from which device and program / app the request data comes from and where to direct the response data, thanks to the combination of IP and port included in the packets in transit.

By default, except in rare cases, devices connected to a LAN can receive data at a given port only after requesting it . However, this approach may not be enough to run some programs, apps and games, especially if you intend to serve as a server, which is often the case for multiplayer games.

And this is where opening the ports comes into play: by doing the latter, you allow a given device on the network (computer, smartphone, tablet, console, television or any other) to receive data on a specific port without first having requested it . A similar behavior is required by a large number of titles for PS4 (but also for other consoles), and that is why, for the gaming experience to proceed smoothly, it is necessary to open the specific router ports for the console. .

But what are these doors? To find out, go to the Sony website and check the list of ports located under the heading When you cannot connect to PlayStation ™ Network . Often, it is enough to unlock the ones listed below.

• TCP:80, 443, 3478, 3479, 3480.
• UDP:3478, 3479.

Some titles may still have exceptions and require the unlocking of additional doors: if you continue to have problems with one or more games, connect to the website of the software house that developed them and find out which ports are used by the latter ( here for example find the list of ports used by Electronic Arts titles).

Still talking about ports, the UPnP protocol (or Universal Plug’n’Play ) deserves mention : it is a system, supported by almost all modern routers, which simplifies the connection between remote devices, automatically creating a P2P network between the appliances involved.

Wanting to simplify the use of UPnP in the specific case of this guide, it allows you to immediately and automatically open the router ports for all games that require server functions or incoming connections without any previous request, without having to manually unlock the ports involved. .

The UPnP system is not always required, but it could improve – and significantly – game performance in direct and indirect streaming, especially when using online services of this type, such as PlayStation NOW .

However, it should be noted that the use of UPnP could represent a security risk, especially if someone – other than you – is aware of the public IP associated with the router: before adopting this approach, therefore, carefully consider the pros. and cons and enable UPnP only if gaming performance suffers significantly in a positive way.

How to open PS4 ports

Having made all the necessary clarifications, the time has come for you to explain, in practice, how to open the ports required for the correct functioning of the games on PS4 and enable, if necessary, the UPnP functionality.

In principle, everything takes place in a few steps: first you need to set a static IP address on the console, to prevent the IP associated with the PS4 from changing after a certain amount of time (by default, routers assign random addresses to devices connected and renew them at regular intervals).

Subsequently, it is necessary to access the management panel of the router , identifying its IP address and the access credentials used to protect the settings, and then proceed with the actual opening of the necessary ports and the activation, if provided, of the protocol UPnP. You will find everything explained in the following sections of this chapter.

Find the IP addresses

The first thing to do is to identify the router IP and the specific subnet mask for the LAN generated by it. You can do this using any computer, smartphone or tablet connected to the router via cable or Wi-Fi (it doesn’t matter), following the procedure that best suits your operating system.

• Windows: Open the Command Prompt using the icon residing in the Windows Accessories folder of the Start menu , type the command ipconfigin it and press the Enter key on your keyboard. The Default Gateway is the IP address of the router, while the Subnet Mask is the subnet mask you will need to use to assign an IP address to the PS4.
• macOS: open System Preferences directly from the Apple menu (the symbol of the bitten apple located at the top left) or through the gear icon located on the Dock , click on the Network icon and select the type of connection from you in use (eg Wi-Fi ) from the left sidebar. Finally, click on the Advanced … button and then on the TCP / IP tab , in order to display the subnet mask to be used later and the IP address of the router (they are listed under the headingConfigure IPv4 ).
• Android: go to the Settings> Network and Internet> Wi-Fi menu of the phone or tablet, press on the gear symbol corresponding to the name of the wireless network you are connected to and then on the word Advanced , in order to view the IP of the router ( Gateway ) and the subnet mask / subnet mask .
• iPhone / iPad: Open the menu Settings> Wi-Fi of the device and, after locating the name of the Wi-Fi network you’re connected, tap the button (s) and get the IP address of the router and the mask subnet .

In case of problems, you can take a look at my guide on how to find the IP address of the router , in which I have shown you the procedures in this section in an even more exhaustive way.

Set static IP on the console

To be able to configure the static IP on the console, turn on the console and, using the pad, select the Settings icon located in the menu, at the top right; now, select the Network item from the screen that opens, go to Set up Internet connection and choose whether to use a Wi-Fi network or whether to connect the console to the Internet using a LAN network cable .

Subsequently, in the screen that opens, choose the Custom item and, if you have chosen to connect the PS4 to the Internet via a Wi-Fi network, select the name of the network in question and type the key to access it; when asked to set the IP address of the console, choose the Manual option and fill out the form that is proposed to you as follows.

• IP address:here you have to type the IP address you want to assign to the console. You can choose the address freely but it must be consistent with the other addresses of your network: for example, if the IP of the router is 192.168.1.1, that of the PS4 must be of the type 168.1.xx , where instead of the ” x ”you will have to enter a number of your choice between 2 and 253 (and in any case different from the one with which the router IP ends).
• Subnet Mask:enter the value 255.255.0 , or that identified previously as a subnet mask or subnet mask .
• Default gatewayand primary DNS : Here you have to enter the default gateway / IP address of the router (e.g. 168.1.1 ).
• Secondary DNS:Leave this field blank.

Once the PS4 IP is configured, go ahead, set the MTU value to automatic and choose not to use proxy server . Well now you have a static IP console and you can proceed with opening the ports in the router

Log in to the router and configure it

Finally, the time has come to open the router ports necessary for the PS4 games to work. So, to start, open the browser of your choice on any computer, smartphone or tablet that is connected to the Wi-Fi or Ethernet network on which to intervene, type the IP address of the router (eg. 192.168.1.1Or 192.168.1.254) in the address bar of the browser and from Enter .

If everything went well, you should see the access page to the management panel of the network device appear on the screen : depending on the precise model in your possession, you may have to immediately indicate a password to be used for future logins, or enter the factory default login credentials to the manufacturer.

The latter generally correspond to admin / admin or admin / password ; in some cases, they may be printed on the back of the router or inside its sales package. If you cannot identify the password to use to complete the login, I suggest you read my in-depth analysis dedicated to the passwords of the most used routers , or the user manual supplied with the network device.

In any case, once access is complete, enter the section of the management system relating to the Network / Network or the NAT and then start the creation of a new rule or a new virtual server : fill in the form that is proposed to you by following these instructions.

• In the local portand external port fields you must type the number of the door to open.
• In the IP addressfield you have to enter the static IP address you previously assigned to the PS4.
• In the Typefield you must indicate whether the one to open is a TCP or UDP port.
• In the Namefield you have to assign a rule of your preference to the rule you just created (e.g. PS4 port 1, PS4 port 2 and so on).

Repeat the operation for all the ports I listed above and go to the Advanced configuration menu of the router to verify that the UPnP option is active: if it is not, activate it yourself.

Unfortunately, the indications I have just given you are very general. The problem is that each brand of router has an administration panel structured in a different way and therefore I cannot be more precise in my instructions: what I can do, however, is to explain to you what are the steps to take for the most popular routers provided by fixed telephone and / or Internet operators.

How to open PS4 ports: Fastweb

If you use the FASTGate modem supplied by Fastweb , after entering the administration panel, click on the Advanced item located at the top of the window and then on the Manual ports configuration option , located in the menu that appears on the side.

Once you have reached the next screen, click on the Associate new port mapping button and fill in the next form specifying the name of the rule, the local IP address of the PS4, the protocol of the port to open and the external and internal port number . Finally, click on the Add and Save changes buttons to activate the set rule. If you are also interested in enabling UPnP, click on the Simplified port configuration item in the left sidebar and move the lever corresponding to the word UPnP from OFF to ON.

If, on the other hand, you have the NeXXt Internet Box , open the MyFastweb app from any smartphone or tablet connected to the Fastweb fixed network, touch the ☰ symbol visible at the top left and select the NeXXt item from the menu that appears. Now, tap on the Network Settings item , then on the Advanced Settings option and, finally, on the word Internet .

Finally, press the Add button located under the heading Port Mapping , enter the information relating to the port to be opened in the appropriate fields (PS4 IP, port number and type), move the status lever to ON and tap the Save settings button . To enable UPnP, go to the Network Settings> Advanced Settings> Local Devices> UPnP menu instead . More info here .

How to open PS4 ports: Vodafone

To open the doors of the Vodafone Station Revolution and the Vodafone Power Station , once you have entered the relevant management panel, click on the drop-down menu located at the top right (next to the number of connected users), set it to the Expert user mode option and wait for the router management interface to reload.

Now, click on the Internet resident item in the bar visible at the top, click on the Port management option that appears in the side menu and press the (+) button corresponding to the wording Port association . Finally, set the first drop-down menu you see on the Custom option , type a name to associate with the rule and fill in the remaining fields specifying the local IP address of the PS4, the protocol and the public / local port to open. Finally, click on the Save and Apply buttons and that’s it.

To enable UPnP, instead, click on the Sharing item located at the top, then on the Advanced settings option (on the side), move the switch corresponding to the UPnP item from OFF to ON and press the Apply button to save everything. More info here .

How to open NAT PS4: Aeolus

Almost all the routers supplied by Eolo belong to the FRITZ! Box family : to open one or more doors, after logging in to the management panel, click on the Internet item visible in the left sidebar and select the submenu Qualifications .

Now, go to the Port permits tab located on the next screen and press the Add device to enable button to start creating a new rule: use the Device menu to select the name of the PS4, or choose the option Manually enter the IP address , to specify the console address by hand.

After that, click on the button New enablement , affix a check mark next to Enable doors and sets the pull-down menu Application on Another application . Now, specify the protocol and the port number in the appropriate fields, put the check mark next to the item Activate enabling and press the OK button .

If, on the other hand, you wish to activate UPnP for the PS4, instead of proceeding with adding a new authorization, put the check mark next to the item Allow automatic door authorizations for this device , located at the top (immediately below the address MAC of the PS4). Once you have completed the necessary adjustments, click the OK button located at the bottom of the screen to apply them.

How to open NAT PS4: TIM

Let’s now pass to the TIM HUB modem from TIM. Once logged in, to open the ports, click on the gears symbol located in the box called WAN Services , reach the IPv4 port forwarding table section located on the next screen and press the Add a new IPv4 mapping port button .

Once this is done, use the next form to specify the name to apply to the rule, the type / protocol of the port to open, the number of the same ( WAN Port and LAN Port fields ) and the IP address of the PS4. Then click on the Apply button to add and activate the rule. Again through the same window, you can activate the UPnP service . More info here .

How to open NAT PS4: Infostrada – WINDTRE

If you are a WINDTRE user (formerly Infostrada), you can open the doors on the WINDTRE HUB / Home & Life modem that was provided to you by the operator in the following way: after logging in to the appliance management panel, click on the ☰ button located at the top left, then on the Network resident item in the menu that appears and, later, on the LAN option .

Now, click on the Port Forwarding tab , then on the Add New Rule button and make sure that the toggle at the top of the small window that appears later is set to ON , otherwise you do it. Finally, fill out the form with the information relating to the port to open ( name of the rule, start / end port , PS4 IP and protocol ) and click on the OK button , to add and activate the rule. The UPnP service, on the other hand, can be enabled from the Network> Local network LAN> UPnP section . Read more here .

Concluding operations

When you have finished opening PS4 ports , turn on the console, go to the Settings> Network menu and select the Check Internet connection item to make sure that the procedure is successful.

If – as I hope – everything went well, in the NAT Type field you will find either Type 2 or Type 1 (if the console is connected directly to the modem via an Ethernet cable). while in the fields Get IP address , Internet connection and PlayStation Network access you will find the word Success .

If Type 3 is written in the NAT Type field , it means that the ports have not been opened correctly. Then go back to the router settings and check that you have done everything right.

In the unfortunate event that you are unable to get over the situation, do this other test: set a static IP on the PS4 as explained in the opening bars of this tutorial, access the management panel of your router, look for the entry relating to the DMZ , enable this feature and set as the IP the same IP that you assigned to the PS4.

For your information, setting an IP as DMZ – or demilitarized zone – means allowing the router to forward all incoming connections to the specified address, regardless of port, without applying any filters or firewalls. In other words, activating the DMZ for the PS4 will be like opening all the ports of the console at the same time.