ANSWERED: What is Port Triggering and how to set it up on the Xfinity Gateway?

Port triggering is an advanced setting for your wireless gateway that is typically used to improve online gaming and online chat applications. By configuring this setting, your WiFi network will be able to communicate with a designated server, and you will have greater control over what inbound traffic is coming into your WiFi network over the open port used for that communication.

Benefits of port triggering

In many cases, if you wish to connect a gaming console to your WiFi network, you will need to open communication between your WiFi network and the gaming server. You can enable port forwarding as a method for establishing this communication; however, this can leave your WiFi network exposed to random inbound traffic, not just the specific servers with which you want your WiFi device (e.g., computer, laptop) to interact.

Port triggering offers a more secure alternative. The advantage is a rule put in place that has the inbound port open only when you initiate a session on that port. Once the session is dropped, the port is closed to random inbound traffic, and your WiFi network is closed to any potential hacker.

Set up port triggering

1. Open a web browser, type in http://10.0.0.1 to go to the Admin Tool, and sign in.
   • If you haven’t changed your login, the default settings are:
     Username: admin
     Password: password (case sensitive)
2. If you have not changed your password for the Admin tool, you will be asked to change it.
   • Change the password and, if required, log in to the Admin Tool with the new password.
3. Navigate to Advanced > Port Triggering on the left side of the page.
4. Ensure that port triggering is Enabled.
5. Click the ADD PORT TRIGGER button on the right side of the page.
   
   • Consult your gaming console manufacturer's guidelines for assistance in entering values for the fields on this page (or visit these Xbox and PlayStation pages for additional information); the below values are for illustrative purposes only.
     
   • Note: The trigger and target port numbers you enter will need to be different from each other for each port trigger rule you add. Once you know which ports are required to communicate over your WiFi network, enter values for the fields on this page, including:
     • Service Name: Enter a name for the port triggering rule you are creating.
     • Service Type: Set the format for the port, where you can choose from options of TCP, UDP or TCP/UDP.
     • Trigger Port From/To: Enter the inbound port range for the port trigger.
     • Target Port From/To: Enter the target port range for the port trigger.
6. When finished entering these values, click ADD to complete the process.

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​Additional Resources​

​https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/wireless-gateway-port-triggering​

​https://forums.xfinity.com/conversations/internet/answered-how-to-set-up-port-forwarding-on-your-xfinity-gateway/602da6cdc5375f08cdd20bc2​