Topic: Port Forwarding & Monster Hunter Tri

This is a question for anyone who knows anything about port forwarding.

I need guidance.

I finally regained access to my internet box, and it is preset with several games and applications that it can work with.

Monster Hunter 3 (a game I have reet trouble with online) was not on that list, but after a bit of digging, I found a (probably American) solution which says to set the range as (either UDP or TCP) 1-65535.

I followed that procedure.

A funny thing just happened though. After defining the settings for the game (it's name, signal and range), I apply the game to the list (I made sure Wii was selected as the device) and it completely shuts off my Internet!.
I can't visit any pages (curiously one particular page was unaffected for a short while after making the changes, but now, I can't access that one either), although a mozilla download seems to be unaffected and I am able to open my Internet manager page and remove the entry - thus regaining access to my Internet.

So I've got a few questions:

1) Should I set it to TCP or UDP?
2) Is the range different for European and American users?
3) On setting up port forwarding for a particular website/application/game, Is it supposed to shut off all other Internet use

And another thing. What does the MTU value you set on your Wii settings govern? Should I keep that at 0 at all times?

Thank you.

1) 1-65535 is the range of every single available port. Just set your Wii's IP address to DMZ and it'll have the same effect without all the technical hassle.

I swear I've told you this like 3 times already.

2) Router settings have the same range for routers of all regions. Some routers require you to set your region/country correctly so it can conform to local regulations on wireless usage, but apart from that all the other settings should be unaffected by region.

3) Port forwarding shouldn't affect normal use at all. What may have happened is you are routing your web browser packets (port 80) and other common utility packets to your Wii only, so you can't access the internet on your computers. Still it's very odd that would happen. I think removing the forwards and making your Wii DMZ should solve that problem.

4) The MTU value on your Wii should be set to the MTU value of your router. It defines the maximum transmission data size is over your local network. If the values are the same then the data doesn't need to be rebroadcast if any data is not received due to differing packet size expectations. Typically you shouldn't have to set this... Well it's usually 1492 or 1500. You can check your router's settings to get it to match up properly, although it shouldn't really make a difference.

Do I do this through my Wii or through my broadband settings? I've gotten to what I suspect is the DMZ page on my computer, but It only allows me to apply this to my PC and an unknown device (My Wii is labled "Edward's Wii").

[EDIT] I gave it a try (visited bthomehub.home) on my Wii and was able to find the option to apply DMZ to a device and my Wii was up there. I checked the box, applied the changes and lost all Internet connection to my Wii. I had to go back on my computer and edit the settings from there, but it's back to how it was before.

It also says that doing this will lower the device's firewall. Will that be a problem?

That kind of makes sense in hindsight - me forwarding every single port like that. But I read on that other forum that the correct range was 1 - 65535. He must have been wrong.

Thanks for the help. We will solve this...

@edhe The risk of DMZ is that there will be no firewall protection for the device. It's not a big issue considering it's just a Wii you're exposing. No one can do anything to it - they can't put in trojans or viruses or hack it for any important information. Nor would they, considering it's just a game console. And opening ports 1-65535 basically does the same thing anyway. It's safe to do it.

I wouldn't set a computer to DMZ though, or a console which stores sensitive information like credit card details.

And as Zaphod said, you may momentarily lose your connection as the router adjusts its settings and attempts to re-connect. (Not all routers do that though.) If your internet connection drops for a long time and you haven't unplugged the line or messed with the connection settings then try restarting your modem, router and connected devices.

That's a lot to take in, but here's what I can understand: on my Internet configuration page, I searched for DHCP and am presented with (under a heading of Hub IP Address) my IP Address and Subnet Mask.

Underneath that, is a heading DHCP Server, with an Enabled/Disabled checkbox (it's enabled), a Start Address and an End Address and a Lease time set to 1 day and 0 hours.

So that would be the range you're talking about. How would I go about choosing an IP address for my Wii, and where would I do it? (I assume I'd do it through the internet broadband manager)

Regarding DNS, my Internet broadband manager states:

To use a dynamic domain name system (DNS) service, you'll first need to register with a service provider. The service provider will send you the information that you'll need to set up your BT Home Hub (including your username, password and host name)

Which means I'd probably have to wait a bit to be able to carry on with this procedure. When I check the box "Use Dynamic DNS Service", a form opens with the fields username, password/confirm, service (a drop down menu with the choice of "dyndns", "custom", "No-IP", "DtDNS" and "gnudip") and a field for the host (single or multiple).

What would be the best way to set DNS

I really appreciate the help you're giving me (both you and HolyMackerel), but you must understand I know next to nothing about all of this. That being said, I'm able to understand a few things as I go along, but It won't stick in my mind, so I'll have to keep this topic safe!

So here's what I did:

I began with my IP Address for my Hub (what I believe everyone else apart from BT calls a router), and the Start and End addresses.

I made an address outside that range and applied it to my Wii (instead of it auto detecting an IP address. I put the Subnet mask in (same as yours as it happens) and the IP address of my router or "Hub" in the last field.

For the Auto-Obtain DNS, I switched it to "No" and entered the same Hub IP address as above in the Primary DNS (left the other one blank) and saved it.

I then applied DMZ to the Wii (difficult, because I can only do it online with my Wii - I think I did this before hand - you'll see why in a minute). On the DCHP table, the Wii has a blank 0 ID address, but when I click "Wii" it goes to a page containing the IP address I assigned for it.

It did the connection test and it worked - I was able to go straight onto MH3 where I had a quick game - I experienced a bit of lag, but maybe that can be expected. I'd have to play on it longer to see if I'm safe from random DCs, but so far so good. Does that sound right?

Incidentally, I got it wrong the first time, and was unable to pass the connection test - I don't know whether it was because I put in a wrong number or failed to apply DMZ, but after applying DMZ and giving it another go, I was able to connect at least.

It'll be a shame if after all this, my connection isn't up to it, but the advice from both of you is greatly appreciated. By the way - these configurations obviously affect the online performance of all online (Wii) games I play - where does port forwarding (specifically towards a particular game or service etc.) come into this all? Would I need to bother with and specific port forwarding now?

Thanks again.

If this is the case, are my hopes actually in vain? It wouldn't be a bad thing. I'll just have to move to a city.
My connection speed is actually quoted at 54mb/s on the bthomehub page, but I'll be lucky to get 50kb/s. It's currently at 27kb/s and it's something that makes me extremely agitated. This is of course due to broadband line quality which is maintained and operated by the once national - now privatised BT, and as such aren't obliged to do a thing about it.

I mean, I'm not fussy - I'm not expecting them to kit out a tiny village with fibre optic broadband - just something closer to the Internet connection advertised and the one we currently pay for.

I really couldn't tell you the specs of my phones, but even our telephone line is poor. But what do you mean by the statement "[old fashioned phones will] blow your wireless network into the middle of next week"? Do you mean that in a good way or a bad way (Sorry - I'm unable to undersatnd your point)