topic Re: Checking UDP Ports are open in My Router

Checking UDP Ports are open

Fotoman — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 12:26:38 GMT

I am sorting a problem with my security cameras and the manufacturer's have asked me to turn on all the UDP ports from 1-65535 on my router as the cameras use random UDP ports for remote connection.

Can some kind person please point me to where I would find this setting within my Router settings? I have a Hub Two Router.

Thank you.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

MisterW — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 12:32:32 GMT

the manufacturer's have asked me to turn on all the UDP ports from 1-65535 on my router as the cameras use random UDP ports for remote connection

@Fotoman are they taliking about outgoing connections or incoming ?

All outgoing ports are open by default. Opening all ports for incoming connections sounds very strange...

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Fotoman — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:13:35 GMT

They don't say. I am presuming Outgoing as the camera problem is with me accessing my security cameras when away from my home network.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:18:31 GMT

@Fotoman

Some more details of your CCTV system would be helpful.

Are you connecting to an individual camera, many camera's or a NVR/DVR

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

jab1 — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:19:00 GMT

@Fotoman As @MisterW says, all outgoing ports are open by default. You really need to get your camera manufacturer to be a little more specific.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Fotoman — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:48:53 GMT

I've got two cameras (Reolink Cameras) but I cannot access them when away from home. If all ports are open by default, then presumably, it's another fault outside of the home network and more to do with the camera set up.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Jon — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:58:22 GMT

Hi,

According to How to Forward Ports on Router Interface for Reolink Products the ports needed forwarding are 9000, 80, and 1935. You should be able to forward these, along with the protocol (TCP or UDP, or both), to whichever host within your network is needed.

The ports aren't being blocked at the ISP level, so should be a case of just adding the rules above to allow remote access.

Thanks

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

7up — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 21:10:12 GMT

@Fotoman wrote:

They don't say. I am presuming Outgoing as the camera problem is with me accessing my security cameras when away from my home network.

So that means incoming ports - which is what you configure in your router.

You connect to the cameras in your network by connecting to your public IP address (router) which then forwards your traffic to the device which then responds to you using that connection. That is known as an incoming connection (it's incoming to your network).

However as pointed out elsewhere, opening up every single port on your router (or in effect, turning off your firewall) is very odd and not normal behaviour for any application to need.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Champnet — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 22:32:10 GMT

I’ve 4 Reolinks in the house which I can access remotely. I’ll check tomorrow how it’s setup, I do know I have not opened any ports on the router…

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Champnet — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 09:48:00 GMT

I've had a quick look but I must have set this up ages ago...........

Looks like I have a Reolink Account and all cameras are registered to the account. Windows desktop, iPad & iPhone use the Reolink app. so an educated guess: Camera's connect to Reolink servers, external users also connect to the Reolink servers, connection between camera and user made. Can't prove this but I'll try to find a way to monitor outgoing camera traffic

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Champnet — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 13:57:59 GMT

Just to confirm there is a permanent connection between cameras and remote servers

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Fotoman — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:21:19 GMT

Thank you all for your quick responses. The situation has now been resolved. It would appear that I met with the 'work experience' person from the manufacturer who was directing me to the wrong menus.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

7up — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:13:33 GMT

@Champnet wrote:

so an educated guess: Camera's connect to Reolink servers, external users also connect to the Reolink servers, connection between camera and user made. Can't prove this but I'll try to find a way to monitor outgoing camera traffic

That's quite common as outgoing connections are not often blocked by a firewall and so if the camera makes an outbound request to a server that is not blocking incoming connections and the client so also makes an outbound connection to that same server they can both relay data to each other without the worry of firewalls and ports.

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

Champnet — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:22:53 GMT

@7up Agreed, but these connections are permanent which is not ideal.

@Fotoman Care to explain the solution ?

Re: Checking UDP Ports are open

7up — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:11:05 GMT

@Champnet wrote:

@7up Agreed, but these connections are permanent which is not ideal.

Depends on your perspective of things. For me that would be convenient - instant access +/- a second or two. It's not like hackers are going to be able to send commands to your other computers via that device - ok the owners of the server might be able to LOL but they'll want to keep that to themselves rather than share it about.