Port Forwarding help?

I am excited about GlassWire. I think it is going to provide me the view into network/internet activity I have been wanting for my home network. Not being a “network” guy though, I don’t understand Port Forwarding. I have heard it mentioned, but I don’t really understand why I would use it. I am willing to read more, but everything I see so far seems to assume that I already know what it is and why I would use it. I don’t really run a “server” per se on my network. Really just a collection of pc’s and devices. But I do have one main computer.

I currently use Norton so I realize I cannot use the Windows Firewall feature (Disabled by Norton). But it seems like I could get more “control” on my network with port forwarding? At least this is what I am guessing, but I can’t really tell how.

Thanks,
cboshdave

@cboshdave

Since every router/network is different it’s difficult for us to give instructions. I recommend doing a Google search for your router and “port forward” or “port forwarding” and then set it up.

Please be careful downloading utilities that claim they can do port forwarding for you because some can be malware/spyware, or include bundles.

Port forwarding would only be helpful if you wanted to monitor multiple your PC remotely using another PC with GlassWire, so in the case you’re talking about it may not help.

For people using third party firewalls we plan to add a “network security monitor” mode in the future that removes our Firewall tab completely for people who prefer to not use our firewall. I hope this helps!

Thank you. I am going to purchase GlassWire, will that purchased version give me visibility into my kid’s computers as well as IP address management without using port forwarding? I need to be able to say, “Kid #1, you are using WAAYY too much of a particular site that is eating up our limited data.” Or even just to manage what each computer/kid is doing on the internet (app usage, etc).

I guess stated another way, it sounds like Port Forwarding has nothing to do with what I listed above?

I think my NetGear Router has Built In port forwarding. But again, maybe I don’t need that?

You’re right on both counts.

Port forwarding usually has nothing to do with monitoring other computers on your network. Port forwarding is commonly performed by the router so servers on the Internet can communicate with specific computers on your network without being blocked by the firewall. Or so servers on your local network can be accessed from the Internet. The most common use is to open specific ports for gaming.

You can use GlassWire to monitor your kids’ computers. The free version only allows you to monitor one remote computer but the paid versions allow more. See the comparison chart in this post:

Ken, the questions about remote monitoring keep coming up with new customers. At time you have provided very specific step-by-step instructions about how to implement remote monitoring and that almost always results in success by the user. Could you perhaps include those instructions in the Glasswire User Manual? Or perhaps make it some kind of “sticky” here so that it will be easily found? I’m sure it would help with these type questions.

For reference, this is all the User Manual says:

Remote Monitoring
You can use GlassWire to monitor remote servers or other computers that you control. Remote monitoring is off by default and can only be turned on with your administrator password.

Remoting Out – To remote out and connect to another computer or server go to the “Client” tab in the settings. The settings can be accessed by going to the top left “GlassWire” menu and choosing “Settings”. Next click “Remote Server” then put in the Name (you can name it whatever you want), the computer IP address or host name, and password that you set up with GlassWire. Once you are connected the remote server’s network activity will appear via the GlassWire graph window and you can monitor your server or computer remotely.

Allowing Remote Monitoring – To allow someone to remotely monitor your computer or server you must go to the GlassWire settings then choose the “Server” tab. Next, click the “Remote Access” option and click “Unlock” and type in your operating system password to turn on this feature. You can then choose to allow remote access to the server and put in a password. For extra security we recommend you only allow access from your IP address if it’s a static one that doesn’t change often.

@richlife69

I plan to include this all when we do our 2.0 website revision. Maybe I can get the web team to add it before.

Do you mean the numbered steps I sent you that time, or which thread is useful?

Actually, not specifically the ones you provided me. You’ve posted steps a few times and I thought one of the most recent (THE most recent?) was particularly clear. For my part, not a concern. 2.0 may be a good time – whatever is the greater need.

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