FG mysteriously stopped working

[thrilljack]

When I got this program I couldn't get it to work properly -- 'cannot connect to host problems.' I fiddled with it for days and finally concluded that it must be a problem with my router -- port 1802 or something. I tried to open that, but that required a static IP. I tried to get a static IP, but that got complicated and didn't work, so I just decided to try to bypass the router altogether.
I connected directly the modem, unplugged the modem and then turned it back on. Viola! FG worked and my friends could get onto the hosted game. We scheduled our first game for today, Thursday.
So Thursday rolled around and I followed the same steps -- hooked up to modem and reset it. Same problem as before: cannot connect to host. I tried connecting to one of my players who's on ethernet, same problem. They tried to connect to each other, same problem.

So does anybody have any bit of inspiration as to how I could bypass all these connectivity issues and successfully host a game?

FG 1.
My firewall is off.
Dell XPS laptop.

[Griogre]

I'm afraid you probably need to open port 1802 on your "modem" and port forward it to your laptop. That "modem" likely has a built in firewall or NAT in it like your router.

I hate to tell you this, but you are going to have to configure you network settings at least in the modem to get FG to work. You *have to* open port 1802 and port forward it to your laptop if you want to host.

[thrilljack]

There a walkthrough for that?

[Griogre]

Look up in the sticky for firewalls above and in the FAQ. There is no specific walk through because each "modem" and router tends to be different in the specifics.

The good news is that your modem probably came from your ISP and if you are willing to wade through their tech support until you find someone who knows what they are doing they should be able to tell you how to get it to port forward 1802 and open the firewall for that port with your hardware.