Port forwarding enables you to access the IXrouter's LAN network (machine network) from inside the local corporate network. This way you can locally access the machine's PLC, HMI, or other hardware, without having to set up a VPN connection first.
VPN connection
Port forwarding has no effect on the VPN connection.How it works: when you are inside the local corporate network, you access the IXrouter's WAN IP address at a specific network port (i.e. 5900 for VNC traffic). The IXrouter's port forwarding will then forward the network traffic to a target IP address and network port, resulting in a connection with the target device (PLC, HMI, or other).
Long-term accessibility
To maintain long-term accessibility, it is recommended to set a static WAN IP address for your IXrouter.The next steps show you how to add port forwarding.
- Go to [Devices] in the main menu
, select the concerning device
, open its [Config] tab
, and edit 
the firewall settings
.
- Press [Add port forwarding]
.
- Enter the external port, target IP address, target port, and press [Add].
Port number
The port number is application dependent. For example, VNC applications use port 5900 by default. Search online or contact the manufacturer for the correct port number.Tip - Multiple VNC servers
If you're adding port forwarding for more than one VNC server, simply up the external port by 1 for each consecutive port forwarding (5900, 5901, 5902, etc.). Keep the target port at 5900.Port forwarding added
You can now access your PLC, HMI, or other device by accessing the IXrouter's WAN IP address and network port. The configured port forwarding will then forward the network traffic to the target device.