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There are a lot of people who can’t host custom games in Bnet, I was one of them, I tried many things and kinda gave up on it after a couple tries, but to be honest I just got tired of having to wait for the game I WANT to play, so I decided to finally fix this problem and start hosting games, after a couple more tries I was finally able to find a solution and now I can host, yay!. And I wanna share that knowledge so This is my 3 step guide to be able to “Host” custom games on Bnet, This tutorial is intended for Windows XP OS users and I have only tried this for Warcraft III TFT, however, I’m sure that it will work for any other game (Starcraft, RoC) since it’s the same principle.

There are 3 “Blocks” that could prevent you from hosting games, so there’s 3 steps on this guide to take care of them.

The Blocks

1. The Firewall
   
2. The Router
   
3. The Modem
   

STEP 1. The Firewall

The first step is to manually open the Port Warcraft III uses for Bnet which by default is 6112 TCP in the Windows Firewall, it’s not enough to just “Allow” WCIII access to internet you need to open them manually. To do this follow this steps:

START > Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Exceptions (Tab) > [Click on] Add Port >

Now enter the name and number of the port, and make sure TCP is checked

[Example: Name: Warcraft; Number: 6112]

Press the button on the Left corner and Make sure that “Any computer” is marked

[Click on] Accept > [Click on] Accept

Note: If you have more Firewalls you will have to open the same port in all of them, I know by experience that just turning the Firewall OFF won’t always work so it’s better if you open the ports.

STEP 2. The Router

Most home internet connections (if not all) have a Router as part of their networks, this router can be configured to deny access to some features or to some of the users of the network, some even have a Built-in Firewall that we will need to “Turn Off” but don’t worry this only applies to the ports we open manually, and in some cases through your Router your computer will be given an IP address (different than the IP that your internet Provider gave your computer).

To access the router’s configuration do the following:

Start > Run… > [type] CMD [hit enter] > [type] IPCONFIG [hit enter] > [write down] IP address and Default Gateway numbers for later.

• Open an Internet Browser [Firefox, Explorer] and Write the Default Gateway number on the address bar and hit Enter.
• You will see a login screen; by default the Username is admin and the Password is admin, if it doesn’t work contact your Router’s Manufacturer for assistance
• Go to SETUP and write down the following information under “Internet Connection: Static IP”
  Internet IP address (We will call this your Static IP, if it’s the same as the IP you got with IPCONFIG it’s ok)
• Go to “Security” and Disable the SPI Firewall Protection.
• Make sure that Filter Anonymous Internet Requests is UNCHECKED and Only Filter Multicast and Filter IDENT are CHECKED.
• SAVE the new settings (do it twice just in case)
• Go to “Aplications and Gaming” and make sure you are on the Single Port Forwarding TAB, and fill one of the lanes like this:
  Name: Warcraft
  External Port: 6112
  Internal Port: 6112
  Protocol: TCP
  To IP address: [type in the IP Address you got with IPCONFIG]
  Check ENABLE
• SAVE the new settings (do it twice just in case)
• Go to Port Range Forwarding and fill one of the lanes like this:
  Name: Warcraft
  Start/End Port: 6112 to 6119
  Protocol: TCP
  To IP addess: [type in the IP Address you got with IPCONFIG]
  Check ENABLE
• SAVE the new settings (do it twice just in case)

Now login to Battle Net and try to host a game, if possible whisper a friend there to try to join your custom game (There’s a chance no one wants to join your game :D) if you don’t have any online friends entitle the Game so people want to join the game, titles like “Can I host?” or “Whisper me if u can’t join my game” will prevent people from joining so avoid them. If your friend CAN’T join your game there’s still one more step to take.

Note: My router is a Linksys but if you have another brand the Interface shouldn’t be so different, if your still having problems refer to this site http://www.portforward.com/ , or if it’s possible contact your Router’s Manufacturer for assistance

STEP 3. The Modem

Now this is the tricky part, internet providers usually keep certain Ports closed for security issues, if this is the case you will not be able to host until you open those Ports manually, if you completed Step 2 and tried to host and had a friend try to join your game and couldn’t do it then the necessary port might be closed in your Modem configuration which is alike your Router’s configuration.

Modems also have IP addresses, unfortunately I don’t know a way to obtain this number through the computer, in my case I had to call my provider and explain that I needed some port open to be able to play, at first they didn’t want to give me the IP (because some users could reconfigure the settings resulting in technical problems) however after being very persuasive about it (I had to call many times until they finally gave me the number, username and password) I got the information, the representative even walked me through the process of opening the port manually on the Modem, the process is VERY similar to opening the port in the router:

• Copy and paste the Modem’s IP on a Browser’s address bar, hit Enter
• Enter the Username and Password given by the provider (providers usually change the defaults in this login screen)
• Go to Advanced Setup
• [You will see many options] Click on WAN IP Filter and fill a lane like this:
  Check ENABLE
  LAN IP Address: [type in your STATIC IP, see Step 2]
  WAN IP Address: leave blank
  Protocol: TCP
  Ports: 6112
• Click on Update, then SAVE Configuration
• Go to Advanced Setup again, Click on “Save Configuration” under Administration and Save changes again.

The final TEST! Port Checker this is a small and safe application designed to check if the 6112 port is enabled, I didn't make it but I can assure you it doesn't have any viruses or spyware. run it and wait for the result, if the result says something like "Your port is not open" then you need to check if you either made a mistake on any of the steps or maybe you forgot to open the port in other firewalls on your system, however if the result says "Your port is open" that means that you are READY! to start hosting games on Bnet, if you’re still having trouble, contact me in Lordaeron Realm, my nickname is Windrune