Hi Can anyone help with a Router Configuration situation please

[OrdinaryGuy]

I am caught by the old boring excuse being given to me by both BT and Pokerstars "We cannot assist you with Third Party Software" etc etc. 

Pokerstars have issued me with the following instructions:

Hello Michael,

Thank you for your further email.

The Network Status Report (NSR) you provided shows data packets are being lost at the first hop for all traced sites.
 
Hop #1 belongs to your router, which means that it may be blocking our software from connecting properly as sometimes the default firewall that routers have can interfere with our software's connection. Most routers are fine pieces of equipment but sometimes they need to be updated and configured for online gaming software.
 
Please set the trigger (automatic port forwarding) for the following ports: 26002, 443 and 22.
 
Using a Web browser, bring up your router's configuration page. By default, the URL is 192.168.0.1 (or similar), the user name is 'admin', and the password is blank. Once you have accessed the router configuration page follow these instructions as a guideline (exact instructions may vary depending on router model).
 
1. Click the 'Advanced' tab
2. Click the 'Applications' button
3. Click the 'Enable' button
4. After Name, enter the name of our software (or anything you wish to label this setting)
5. After 'Trigger Port', enter 26002
6. After 'Trigger Type', choose 'TCP'
7. After 'Public Port', enter 26002
8. After 'Public Type', choose 'TCP'
9. Click 'Apply'
10.Repeat these instructions for ports 443 and 22

The problem I have got is that BT doesn't use the same terminology within their Router management software so I am not sure if I am doing what I need to do correctly

I have done this:

 From Home / Advanced Settings / Firewall 

Created a new port forwarding rule for all three ports

For the External Ports and Internal Ports I have put the 26002 / 443 / 22 in both start and end boxes for each and made the protocol TCP so they look like this:

Pokerstars Michael External Ports Start 26002 End 26002     Internal Ports Start 26002 End 26002  Protocol TCP

Pokerstars Michael External Ports Start 443 End 443  Internal Ports Start 443 End 443 Protocol TCP

Pokerstars Michael External Ports Start 22 End 22  Internal Ports Start 22 End 22 Protocol TCP

All I want to know is if I have done what Pokerstars suggested correctly within my BT smart hub but neither Pokerstars or BT will answer me and are hiding behind the catch all "3rd party software"

Does anyone with good Router knowledge know please?

Thanks

Mike 

[hbillsmith]

You have it correct, just don't be surprised if it doesn't work. On my Cisco router I have the option to do similar to what your instructions say or if I want to just say to heck with it, I can select my PC that I want to use and then tell the router to put it in DMZ mode where all ports are open. First time I tried it worked great. Then I decided to close the DMZ and just open 2006, 443, 22 and that worked great. Then the next day it was unconnecting as before. I got the router and switched to DMZ mode and it still didn't work. I tried other PC's same excuse. So I went to see if my smartphone pokerstars worked and it did. So I turned off smartphone wifi and turned on mobile hotspot such that I can could go back to the PC and hotspot over to the smartphone. Basically, I was having the PC Pokerstars app use cellular data. It worked flawless and has continued to be the only workable solution for the last year. Pokerstars on your home network will often fail. You can logon, join a tournament and everything's fine then you get kicked off and the only to get back on is to setup your smartphone and change the wifi connection from PC to Smartphone hotspot. Do this and just hope you don't get blinded out in the meantime.

[Anonymous]

Your port forwarding is as it needs to be.

Have you checked the firewall on your computer? see https://www.pokerstars.com/help/articles/firewall-generic-instr/7480/