# How can someone see my webserver if I have a wireless router

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-someone-see-my-webserver-if-i-have-a-wireless-router/77871>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 1, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-someone-see-my-webserver-if-i-have-a-wireless-router/77871 "2006-12-01T04:46:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-someone-see-my-webserver-if-i-have-a-wireless-router/77871/1 "2006-12-01T04:46:38Z")

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Here is my question. I have a laptop and I run a ruby/rails based web  
brick server which serves up html pages. I have emailed people a way to  
access this webserver through a URL that looks sort of like:

[http://201.120.126.203:1000/](http://201.120.126.203:1000/)

I could be at a public library on a wireless connection, and as long as  
my web server is running, people can get to my website. I figured out  
the url through ipconfig. However, now I have a wireless router in my  
condo, so my laptop is wireless through the router. The url I used  
before doesn’t work, and of course ipconfig shows a generic intranet or  
whatever ip address for my local area network. Is there anyway I can  
still have someone get to my website on my laptop ?

I suppose I could unplug the router and plug the laptop in if I want to  
show someone something particular, but the cable modem seems to take a  
while to reset and doing it like that of course is kind of a pain  
anyway.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 10:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-someone-see-my-webserver-if-i-have-a-wireless-router/77871/2 "2006-12-01T10:43:10Z")

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Hello,

> the url through ipconfig. However, now I have a wireless router in my  
> anyway.  
> Yes, it can be done so don’t give up 🙂

You need to know your external IP address – depending on your ISP it  
may always be the same or it may change each time you connect. This  
site[1] will tell you what it is at any given time. That’ll make up  
the URL you can give people.

You need to configure your router to accept requests from the outside  
world to port 80 and forward them to port 1000 on your laptop’s local  
IP address. This is called ‘port forwarding’.

You need to make sure your router’s administration web interface (if  
it has one) is not running on port 80 – this has caught me out in  
the past. If it is, move it to a different port.

Finally, you need to open up port 1000 on your laptop’s own firewall,  
if it has one. It sounds like you don’t need to do this because  
you’ve had it working in the library.

Regards,  
Andy S.

[1] [http://www.canyouseeme.org/](http://www.canyouseeme.org/)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 12:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-can-someone-see-my-webserver-if-i-have-a-wireless-router/77871/3 "2006-12-01T12:05:33Z")

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On 01.12.2006 10:42, Andrew S. wrote:

> > the url through ipconfig. However, now I have a wireless router in my  
> > Yes, it can be done so don’t give up 🙂
> 
> You need to know your external IP address – depending on your ISP it  
> may always be the same or it may change each time you connect. This  
> site[1] will tell you what it is at any given time. That’ll make up the  
> URL you can give people.

Dynamic DNS is much better - you need a domain though.

> You need to configure your router to accept requests from the outside  
> world to port 80 and forward them to port 1000 on your laptop’s local IP  
> address. This is called ‘port forwarding’.

Frankly I would not do that. I’d rather use any arbitrary other port -  
for security reasons. Port 80 is the first one an attacker will try.

> You need to make sure your router’s administration web interface (if it  
> has one) is not running on port 80 – this has caught me out in the  
> past. If it is, move it to a different port.

Well, no need for that if a different port is used. Also, since the  
router can distinguish where the request comes from (LAN or WAN) and you  
do not want someone from the outside to access your router’s admin  
interface it might actually work to have both on port 80. This depends  
on the router though.

> Finally, you need to open up port 1000 on your laptop’s own firewall, if  
> it has one. It sounds like you don’t need to do this because you’ve had  
> it working in the library.

```
robert
```