Port Forward doesn't work, think Smart Hub 2 is defective

[HelenLogan]

We have a BT Smart Hub 2, it is on the latest firmware (v0.40.00.04147-BT)

Port Forward rules are set for a specific computer, but they are not open.

Please read before commenting/answering;

This is over a wired connection. Ports ARE forwarded in Windows Firewall settings as well as BT Hub Manager Firewall

What we have tried;

uPnP disabled
IPV6 disabled
Firewall disabled
Adding the computer to a DMZ
Multiple factory resets (which don't do a full factory reset btw, as they keep my configured IP settings)

And according to multiple websites, including ShieldsUp!, the ports remain closed.

I'm not the first person to have issues with Port Forwarding on the BT Smart Hub 2, and I am starting to believe I have a defective router.

Port Forwarding is critical for what we currently need the internet for.

Please advise.

[Crimliar]

DMZ is not the same as port forwarding, and if you are testing ports but there is no server attached to those ports then they might as well be closed coz the data you are throwing at them is still going nowhere!

[HelenLogan]

Thank you, but that adds nothing of note.

[Crimliar]

If you are port forwarding the relevant incoming ports to the ports being used by a specific service on a specific machine you do not also need to place that machine in a DMZ.  In order to test that the port forwarding is working you will still need to have the service up and running, with the specific ports on the machine opened on it's own firewall before any kind of test on them will work.  Port forwarding on the router is managed by software running on the router - it's not a hardware component that can fail independently, so I seriously doubt that your SH2 is faulty.

Maybe if you let us know what you are trying to do rather than how you are trying to achieve it we can help further.

[HelenLogan]

I am far from the only person to note that the SH2 struggles with port forward rules, feel free to google for yourself.

Ergo, the router has a firmware issue preventing port forwarding.

I tried a DMZ simply because I ran out of other ideas, you can disregard it, it is irrelevant.

Specifically I need to open a port for multiplayer connectivity on a server I am running for a group of players.

If you read the OP, you will see everything I have tried already. I am convinced the issue is not on my end.

Windows Firewall has the ports set to open on both TCP and UDP.

SH2 Firewall has the ports set to open on UDP currently, I have tried UDP/TCP and TCP separately to cover my own frustrations.

I have tried completely disabling both Windows Firewall and SH2 Firewall, still the port is closed.

My external IP address is not under a NAT protected range as far as I am aware, it is an 82.XXX.XXX.XXX IP.

By all accounts, the port should be open. And yet.

[licquorice]

Port forwarding works just fine for me with the SH2.

As @Crimliar has said, unless there is a service running on the port, it will show as closed.

What does the port show in Shields Up. Open, closed or stealth?

[Les-Gibson]

Two things come to mind

1. Assuming your broadband is residential, don't rely on any remote user being able to address your server using your public IP address, it will be dynamic not fixed. You need DDNS which some providers will allow you to sign up for free of charge.

2. Even when using DDNS, the remote user will need to suffix the URL with {:PortNumber} (minus the brackets), e.g. :8080

[HelenLogan]

Stealthed

[HelenLogan]

Yup, well aware, of both accounts.

[ptrduffy]

Can you connect to the server from another machine on your local network?  That would show that something is listening and it's not being blocked by Windows, which would point conclusively to a Hub issue.