How to Manually Configure Your Router for Windows Home Server Remote Access

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So you have checked to see if your broadband router can be automatically configured for you by following this article.

If your broadband router doesn’t support UPnP or cannot be configured automatically, don’t worry, you can manually configure the port forwarding on your router, it’s just quicker and easy if it’s all done for you.

Caution: Configuring port forwarding on your router may be different to the steps that are about to be described, so check your router documentation before continuing to ensure that you don’t make any mistakes.

Connect to your router (you may need to check your documentation to find out how to do this).

Note: The following example is using the BT Home Hub router so it is likely to be different for your router.

Click on the Firewall icon to access the Firewall settings on the router.
Click on Firewall Settings so that you can make changes to the firewall.

As it is very unlikely that there will already be a application defined that allows the three specific network ports through the firewall then you will need to add a new user-defined application.

Click on Add a new user-defined application to display the Edit Application dialog box,.

Enter a name in the Application Name box. For example, Windows Home Server.
In the Port (or Range) section, enter 80 in the From: box, and 80 in the To: box (ensuring that TCP is the selected Protocol).
Click on the Add Definition button to add that port range.
In the Port (or Range) section, enter 443 in the From: box, and 443 in the To: box (ensuring that TCP is the selected Protocol).
Click on the Add Definition button to add that port range.
In the Port (or Range) section, enter 4125 in the From: box, and 4125 in the To: box (ensuring that TCP is the selected Protocol).
Click on the Add Definition button to add that port range.

You should now have those three ports (80, 443 and 4125) displayed in the Definition List.

Note: ignore the 4126 in the image below, it was a typo – it should be 4125! 🙂

Click Back to return to the Firewall Settings screen.

You should now be able to see the new application listed.

Select the computer you want to host applications through the firewall from the drop-down list. In my case, the Windows Home Server is listed as SKYVAULT.
Click on the new application (Windows Home Server Remote) and then click Add.

This should now show that Windows Home Server is a hosted application for SKYVAULT.

Click Done to complete the manual process.
Close down the connection to your router.

Now hopefully that means your router is now configured to allow the use of the Remote Access features of Windows Home Server.

The next thing to do is to configure your Windows Home Server.

32 COMMENTS

Todd Oct 9, 2009 At 9:57 pm

how do you configure a crappy netopia
- Andrew Edney Oct 9, 2009 At 10:09 pm
  
  Hi Todd
  
  Sorry, I have no experience with a netopia. I suggest you print out the article and try and find the netopia equivilants and give it a go.
  
  Andrew
Rick Oct 21, 2009 At 6:00 pm

I am having trouble with a linksys wrt400n Router. I can't seem to get port forward working Any suggestions
- Andrew Edney Oct 21, 2009 At 6:53 pm
  
  Hi Rick
  
  Sorry, I dont have one myself so I couldnt really give you advice.
  
  You might try contacting Linksys support?
  
  Andrew
Russ Oct 28, 2009 At 2:37 pm

Thanks, this is a very useful article and enabled me to get remote access to my WHS via my BT Home Hub, but one thing's missing for me: when accessing WHS console remotely, my computers are listed as "Connection disabled." I suspect this is a BT Home Hub config issue. Do your instructions above configure the BT Home Hub to allow this or have I missed something?

Thanks,

Russ
- Andrew Edney Oct 28, 2009 At 7:53 pm
  
  Hi Russ
  
  I have the Home Hub myself.
  
  There are no hidden or additional steps you need to do, what I would ask if what is the software and version that are showing as Connection Disabled as only certain versions of Windows are supported for remote access through Windows Home Server.
  
  Andrew
Russell Heath Oct 29, 2009 At 4:19 pm

Hi Andrew,

All my computers that are listed as "Connection disabled" are running Windows XP Professional, is that what you mean? Do I need to enable remote access in those PCs?

Russ
Russell Heath Oct 29, 2009 At 4:35 pm

After a bit of poking around, I've realised that I hadn't got "Allow remote connection" (or similar) enabled on my PCs, doh! Now I can see "Available for connection" but it times out when I try to connect. I expect there's something else I've overlooked! BTW, this also happens when I try to access the WHS console too…

Russ
- Andrew Edney Oct 29, 2009 At 5:01 pm
  
  Hi Russ
  
  Hmmm, sounds like maybe a firewall problem? Have you opened any ports on whatever firewall you are using?
  
  Andrew
Russell Heath Oct 30, 2009 At 4:27 pm

Hi Andrew,

You're right, I hadn't got all the ports open. As well as the ones in your artilce above I needed port 3389 opened for TCP. It's mentioned in the MS help file, buried deep in the trouble-shooting section.

Incidentally, you say use port 4125, yet your screen shot of the Definition List seems to say 4126, is this right?!

Thanks for your help,

Russ
Andrew Edney Oct 31, 2009 At 1:59 pm

DOH!

Typo on the screenshot – its 4125 🙂

Andrew
Todd Nov 7, 2009 At 12:13 pm

Andrew,

my router 2wire same software as yours, wants to make the hpserver dmz. I can not figure out how to get around this, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Todd
- Andrew Edney Nov 7, 2009 At 1:00 pm
  
  Hi Todd
  
  Have you followed the steps precisely? All I need to do each time is what is shown above and it works for me.
  
  Sorry!
  
  Andrew
Todd Nov 7, 2009 At 3:36 pm

another question,

How do i know the name of my server. I thought I knew it so I can remote into the server but I guess I do not. I can get into it from console but not remote
- Andrew Edney Nov 7, 2009 At 3:46 pm
  
  Hi Todd
  
  the name of the server is whatever you called it when you first set it up.
  
  You should also be able to tell the name from the Local Network Devices list on your router on the Home page.
  
  Andrew
todd Nov 7, 2009 At 3:52 pm

any reason you can think of, why my router shows the server inactive?
- Andrew Edney Nov 7, 2009 At 3:55 pm
  
  Todd
  
  The only reason I can think of is that it cannot see the server anymore. Have you confirmed you still have network connectivity? Can you ping it or connect using the WIndows Home Server Connector?
  
  Have you tried rebooting the server and/or the router?
  
  I would also suggest backing out any changes you made to the router regarding the remote access piece to see if that makes a difference.
  
  If the above do not work, can I suggest you go into our forums and start a new discussion thread for people to help you?
  
  Andrew
Stan Jan 5, 2010 At 7:38 pm

Thanks for putting these guides together, they're a great help. Getting ready to go through this myself and I noted that in my router configuration (Linksys), UPnP is disabled by default. Just for grins I'll probably try the MS tool with it enabled and disabled just to see what it reports, but I'm thinking that some folks might miss this router setting and maybe make their life a little more difficult.
ak_lj Jan 14, 2010 At 3:02 am

Thank you, thank you! I have been struggling with this! I have a rather old and complicated stand alone snap gear firewall and it was being stubborn! Following along and looking for my firewalls equivalent was just the ticket!
- Andrew Edney Jan 14, 2010 At 8:53 am
  
  Glad we could help 🙂
  
  Andrew
Keith Feb 25, 2010 At 6:31 pm

I use the 2 wire as well and it won't let me forward those port. I get this error message:

Windows home server cannot be mapped. The port or ports are in use by another application.
- Andrew Edney Feb 26, 2010 At 7:36 am
  
  Hi Keith
  
  Can you check to see what else is using those ports on your router? Have you set anything else up in the past?
  
  Andrew
  - Keith Mar 2, 2010 At 12:02 am
    
    Hi Andrew,
    
    I found my ISP blocks the ports that WHS uses so I changed them and it's working now. The 2 wire actually has 2 of the ports opened by default – that' why I was getting that error that they were already mapped.
    - Andrew Edney Mar 2, 2010 At 7:20 am
      
      thanks Keith – glad its sorted.
      
      I didnt have that problem on my 2Wire – very interesting!
      
      Andrew
Anthony Aug 2, 2011 At 9:38 am

I have followed this to the letter and WHS 2011 keeps telling me Remote Access is not available. Its also telling me UPnP isn’t working (Duh!) and I may be connected to multiple networks.

Calling AT&T in the morning I know I’m not the only one with this problem.
Nick Roads Nov 9, 2011 At 9:46 am

instructions worked like a dream on bt business hub 2701hgv – thanks
Christina Nov 9, 2011 At 6:05 pm

I am trying to map my Spiceworks app to port 80 and 443 but keep getting an error that they are already in use. When I scanned the active ports, 443 is being used by my LogMeIn software. Nothing seems to be using 80. Is it possible to open up another HTTPS port?
- Andrew Edney Nov 9, 2011 At 8:37 pm
  
  port 80 is standard HTTP so that is just web. I think you will need to change the ports that Spiceworks uses as its not easy (I dont know of a way off the top of my head) to do it in WHS