What is UPnP, and should you turn it off?
In short: UPnP is a router feature that lets devices on your network ask the router to open a door to the internet for them. CISA and the FTC both say to turn it off unless you need it.
What UPnP is
Your router normally keeps the internet out. If a game console, camera or app wants to be reachable from outside, it needs a door opened in the router. UPnP, short for Universal Plug and Play, lets a device on your network ask the router to open that door by itself, with no one signing in to change a setting.
CISA describes it this way: "UPnP is a handy feature that allows networked devices to seamlessly discover and establish communication with each other on the network." It then adds the catch: "though the UPnP feature eases initial network configuration, it is also a security risk."
What the agencies say
- CISA, in its 2016 alert about home routers and cameras: "Disable Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) on routers unless absolutely necessary."
- CISA, in its home network advice: "You should therefore disable UPnP unless you have a specific need for it."
- The FTC lists UPnP with two other router features, remote management and Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and says: "Some routers have features that can be convenient but weaken your network security."
So the agencies agree: leave it off unless something you rely on needs it.
What might stop working
Some games, consoles, video calls and remote-access apps use UPnP, so turning it off can break them. If something stops working after you turn it off, you can turn UPnP back on, or ask the maker of that app how to open the one door it needs by hand.
How it connects to Network Check
The free check cannot see whether UPnP is on. It only sees which doors answer from the internet. If it finds an open door that nobody set up on purpose, UPnP is one possible reason, because a device may have opened it. Turning UPnP off and running the check again is a good way to find out.
How to turn it off
The setting lives in your router, usually under advanced, NAT or port forwarding. Steps for any router are in how to turn off UPnP. We also have plain steps for Netgear, TP-Link, ASUS and Linksys. If you are not sure how to sign in, start with how to sign in to your router.
When you are done, run the check again and test the thing that might have needed UPnP.
Run the free checkSources
- CISA, "Heightened DDoS Threat Posed by Mirai and Other Botnets" (alert TA16-288A, released October 14, 2016, now archived): cisa.gov
- CISA, "Home Network Security" (archived page, released February 1, 2021): cisa.gov
- Federal Trade Commission, "How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network" (consumer advice, December 2022): consumer.ftc.gov
Quotes are copied from those pages. We read them directly on November 8, 2026. Agencies revise and archive pages, so check the originals for anything you plan to rely on.