Member Avatar for varundeveloper

I'm interested in creating a home server wherein i can upload websites, ftp server and vpn.
I've set up a freedns dynamic ip updater account so that i can access the computer even though the ip changes on each reset of the modem.

the problem is that when i access the router through an external ip, even after port forwarding, I end up opening the router admin page. I've checked that the port is open using www.canyouseeme.org and found out that it is open. the ip address is properly linked to my desktop internal ip address.

can anyone suggest any fix for this problem?

  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 301 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by rch1231

Dani AI

Generated

A few practical clarifications and steps that expand on what , and started:

Many consumer routers behave two ways that confuse this scenario. One is that the router’s own web UI listens on the WAN-facing HTTP port, so an external request hits the router instead of the internal server. The other is lack of NAT loopback (hairpin NAT): requests from inside the LAN to the router’s public IP may be handled differently (or returned to the router) even though external clients work fine. A remote port-check (like the OP used) only proves the port is reachable — it does not prove the packet reached the intended internal service.

Quick diagnostics (from an external network such as a phone on mobile data or a remote machine):

  • Fetch headers to see who answers: 
    curl -I http://your-ddns-name

    If responses contain router-identifying text or a router model in the HTML/title, the router is answering.

  • Verify the server is actually listening on the LAN and not bound to localhost: 
    netstat -an | grep LISTEN

    Look for 0.0.0.0:80 (or the server port) rather than 127.0.0.1:80.

Practical fixes and safe long-term choices:

  • If router firmware offers NAT loopback/reflection, enable it. If not, use split-horizon DNS (configure the router or local DNS to resolve your DDNS name to the server’s LAN IP) or add a local hosts entry:
    192.168.1.50 your-ddns-name
  • If the router’s admin UI is listening on the same port, move the admin interface to a non‑standard port or restrict it to LAN-only (firmware permitting). As alternatives, forward a different external port (e.g. 8080->80) or place the server in a DMZ only after considering security trade-offs.
  • Prefer VPN or SFTP/HTTPS for remote access rather than exposing FTP/RDP directly. Reserve the server’s LAN IP (DHCP static or MAC reservation) and harden the service (firewall rules, strong auth, up-to-date software).

These steps fill in diagnostic gaps and offer both short-term workarounds and safer long-term approaches for hosting services at home.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for rubberman

My guess it that the port you want to use is the one used by the modem for remote access/diagnostics. You can either select another port, or alter the router's settings so that remote access to the router is disabled.

Member Avatar for RTFMID10T

If your forwarding 21 for FTP that one isn't used by a router remote admin page and 3389 is your general windows rdp port. My guess is when you type the address you may not be specifying the port. Simple solution too is if you can remote to the home server then no need to have the remote administration enabled on the router and can turn it off that way port 80 can go straight to your home server. Which I hope you have extra security if you allow port 80 since its not secure by any means.

Member Avatar for rch1231

Check your router. They normally have an option for setting one of the systems as a DMZ host. This is the system that will receive all requests from the internet for things like HTTP and FTP.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.