In the context of port forwarding, a port has nothing to do with the physical ports on the back of your router. After forwarding a port in your router, incoming data on that port is sent to the destination device that you have chosen. A port forward maps data that is bound to a designated port number to the device or app that you want it to go to. Port forwarding directs your router to send any incoming data from the internet to a specified device on your network.
This is needed for security cameras, torrenting, and optimal gaming experience. A port forward puts a device outside of your router, as if it was directly connected to the internet. What is port forwarding? Port forwarding is a way of allowing people from the internet to connect to you. Most people get NAT Type Open by using Network Utilities. This is the most comprehensive definition of gaming console NAT Types on the internet. If you are trying to change your NAT Type be sure to read our NAT Types Defined guide.
