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View Full Version : Port Forwarding is going to be the Death of FG for Me



ShadeRaven
October 7th, 2017, 14:48
First off, let me say that I love Fantasy Grounds. I've been using it since '08 and grabbed the Ultimate License in '11 and have been absolutely satisfied with the value I've gotten out of the purchase since. My wife even bought me the complete bundle of 5E rulebooks and adventure modules last Christmas. It truly is a wonderful product.

That said, having moved from Oregon to Pennsylvania, including a couple of temporary house-hunting apartments in between, has really put a strain on my love of FG because of one simple and consistent hassle: Port Forwarding.

Currently, because xfinity/Comcast doesn't service the area of PA we are in, we are using a fiber optic carrier called Empire Access. While not as solid as Comcast, it's working out fine but for some reason, their router is constantly fighting me on keeping Port Forwarding going to my host PC. Driving me absolutely crazy for the past few weeks. I've had to set up Port Forwarding 4 times in the last 3 months because of the move and this one is plaguing me the most. And for the first time, I've seriously considered using Roll20 just to avoid the hassle....and that makes me genuinely sad.

At any rate, I hope there's a version down the line where dealing with this rather technical hassle is a thing of the past. Just found myself needing to vent after losing another night of play time because people unexpectedly couldn't connect.

damned
October 7th, 2017, 14:50
Hey ShadeRaven a fix is very likely to be a part of FGU but that doesnt help you now.
In about 30mins I can have a look with you if you are free. PM me your Email address if you would like to do this...

Bidmaron
October 7th, 2017, 14:53
There is a way to give your computer a static IP (varies depending upon the OS you are using), and if you do that, you only have to set up the port forward once. Be advised this static IP is a static INTERNAL (to your LAN/WAN) IP, not a static external IP.

The other problem you may be having is that your new provider is sharing IPv4 addresses. If that is the case, you either need to switch providers (doesn't sound like an option) or pursue either Hamachi (if you can burden your players to also use it) or PureVPN, which is the only known VPN to work reliably. You might be able to convince your provider to assign you an unshared IP, but if they are even willing to do that, it may come at some nominal expense.

ShadeRaven
October 10th, 2017, 00:38
Just a quick update: I did manage to sort out the issues with the modem's port forwarding to the fiber optic lines we have running to the new house, so all's well that ends well. Still, it will be a beautiful day when we no longer have to deal with this particular issue.

I always want to thank damned for his willingness to be an aid in this. The community of support for FG is one of the reasons it's my favorite online product of any kind.