3 hours at this..At my wits end.. Xfinity and port forwarding

[Kurtis500]

FYI, I have BI on another computer using my own router and have never had issues opening ports....ever.. Now, I have a new windows 11 pro machine with Blue iris running perfectly. Cameras are setup and the HD is recording fine...all is good. This unit is at my house in utah that uses Xfinity. Xfinity forces you to open ports through their phone app since the router/modem is their unit. There is no logging in from a desktop to the router. I can get on the app and select the Blue iris computer, it shows up easily. I select the port and open it then reset everything and still i cannot access the port from the outside. I have done all their troubleshooting stuff and tried getting in to the Windows 11 settings. Ive been checking rules and all sorts of BS I really shouldnt be f-ng with. The Ipv4 is on and IPv6 is off, just like Xfinity says. The DHCP is set to automatic, just like they say. There has to be something missing because i had a Windows 10 machine on here maybe 1.5 years ago and remember doing this time wasting game to get it to work. What I did i dont remember, it was that much of a rabbit hole to get it to work. And BTW, the computer came from a normal router setup and was working fine there. Does anyone know why Xfinity and Windows cant get it to work? Windows Firewall has been totally disabled too. Any suggestion would help

Lastly, if there is a simple way to go around this port forwarding bs and still use the same Iphone app I use to access the other system please let me know. Something VERY SIMPLE TO SETUP if possible.

 

[Jimmyjames]

I don't have much to offer for your specific scenario unfortunately.....other than to say never rent equipment from an ISP. Purchase your own router and install it yourself. It's a much better way to go. I hate dealing with main gateways that require ISP apps. It's retarded.

 

[Kurtis500]

I don't have much to offer for your specific scenario unfortunately.....other than to say never rent equipment from an ISP. Purchase your own router and install it yourself. It's a much better way to go. I hate dealing with main gateways that require ISP apps. It's retarded.

You are correct. I tried to do that but they penalize you enough to make it not worth it. I think it forces you on to a data plan. Lame.

 

[Jimmyjames]

You are correct. I tried to do that but they penalize you enough to make it not worth it. I think it forces you on to a data plan. Lame.

I had a good thing going for a while here in southern Michigan dealing with comcast/xfinity…… I initially opted for their bare minimum plan: $25.00 per month. I avoided their fees by installing my own DOCSIS modem and a TP Archer router. The good old days didn’t last long before they jacked up the price. “Fine Print” I guess. Now I’m paying the full price monthly as if I’m renting their equipment.

But at least I fully control every device on my home network. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

[Flintstone61]

Google search result. try asking AI mode your questions in plain language and see what it offers as a work around.
it may ask questions. I'm getting somewhere now with AI search mode on Goog Chrome.



When had Comcast last, my buddy said to buy a Blah Blah Modem/Gateway/Router/4port Switch from Best buy as it was an authorized/approved device. It appears as though this is no longer the case?
So i ran the Bestbuy modem/router combo to interface with Comcast/Xfinity and behind that was my Asus RT-Ax55. I think at one point I tried to Bridging one of the routers ( probably Comcast)
I wasn't very good at setting up the Internal BI web server and the ISP would change my WAN IP at certain intervals. and funk it all up.
And the VPN bullshit from inside the router was as cryptic as Russian to me.
So when Tailscale VPN became a thing, I set that up on my phones and my PC's, and havent looked back.
I turned off automatic updates on Tailscale so it doesn't make something go Wonky when I leave town. That's the only time BI or ISP or some goddam device or protocol will go off the rails when your 200 miles away.


Murphy's Law of Remote Viewing Apps ...... IF an app's connection can fail, it will do so at the exact moment you need to check your camera stream.
In the context of remote viewing—whether monitoring home security via Ring or accessing desktop environments through tools like AnyDesk—Murphy's Law manifests through predictable technical vulnerabilities.

---

1. The 4 Laws of Stream Failures

• Critical Moment Blackouts: Feeds drop only during actual security anomalies.
• Bandwidth Death Spiral: Cellular signals weaken only during high-stakes monitoring.
• The Update Trap: Mandatory app updates trigger exactly when opening an alert.
• Notification Paralysis: System alerts lag until the event resolves itself.

---

 

[Flintstone61]

Here is a look at Tailscale PC console. There is an Phone app as well. hmmm Ipcamtalk wasn't letting me post a .png/jpg.

Tailscale | Secure Connectivity for AI, IoT & Multi-Cloud

The connectivity platform for devs, IT, and security teams. Zero Trust identity-based access that deploys in minutes and scales to every resource. Start free.

tailscale.com

 

[Flintstone61]

Here tailscale is connected to my apps on my phone thru att cellular it works at home and out and about at the 100.x.x.x Ip address.
and there is the funky looking Web server with 4 IP address for adaptors.
There was a time in version 5 and with another ISP ( verizon home internet) where i had to click " bind exclusively" for whatever reason to get the BI APP to connect reliably away from home.
Now It's not selected, and everything is working so im not fucking with it.

t

 

[Flintstone61]

So there is a walk thru my web server menus and remote access wizard. Even though it comes back unreachable. I had to clip the last video frame and attach it as a photo to blackout the QR code so Arjun doesn't log in and watch the girls bend over at the shoe stand.
It still works with the Tailscale VPN.
Im quasi network literate in IP addresses and router and modems but I'm also a Fossilized 65 yr old.
And some of this shit is for the birds.
View attachment Screen Recording 2026-08-04 031111.mp4

 

[Flintstone61]

Tailscale setup routine.
View attachment Recording 2026-08-04 033629.mp4

 

[IAmATeaf]

Have you allowed port 82 within the Windows Firewall ? BI should do that as part of the Wizard but worth checking

Also is the internet service new or has it always been there? Reason I ask is that my provider uses CGNAT which means that I can't port forward ipv4 but can setup access to ipv6 from outside.

 

[danweber1]

Give up port forwarding and use a VPN of some kind, any kind. Port forwarding does not belong in 2026