Thread: Flight Problem

I use the FSNavigator multiplayer add-on with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. Before changing to Talk Talk broadband and using a SmartAX MT882 modem, I would close down Zonealarm. This new modem has a built-in firewall that cannot be turned off. With the old modem and Zonealarm deactivated I could see other players, but now I can't.

It is possible to set both Zonealarm and modem firewalls to allow multiplayer
game communication without having to turn them off altogether. However, doing so will leave your computer vulnerable when online. All programs that talk with other computers do so using an internet address and a port. A port is a dedicated electronic channel that enables a computer to communicate directly with web services. There are a total of 65,535 ports, but many applications have their own permanent port number.

Software firewalls such as Zonealarm restrict communication based on the specific program; you don't have to remember which ports Flight Simulator needs, so long as it has been given permission to access the internet. If it has been blocked accidentally, double¬click on the Zonealarm icon in the Notification Area (it uses the initials ZA). Click.on the Program Control option in the left-hand column, then on the Programs tab. Look for any entries for Flight Simulator or FS avigator.

The software is being blocked if there is a red cross. To change this, left-click on the cross and then on the green tick to allow the connection. The firewalls built into modem routers work a little differently. Instead of checking what software is trying to access the internet, they block or allow communication by the port; think of it as having different doors to a house locked or unlocked. This seems more complicated because they need ports to be opened. Refer to the help files for your router for more details. Flight Simulator uses ports 6073 and 47624, so these must be allowed as well as port 23432, which is used by FSNavigator. For a wealth of advice on opening ports, see