Documentation

UPnP — the universal fallback

UPnP isn't a router brand — it's a feature built into most home routers that lets devices on your network share information automatically. Network Weather uses UPnP to pull baseline data from your router, even when it doesn't recognize the specific brand.

Think of it as the safety net: even if you have an uncommon router, UPnP data probably still works.

What Network Weather collects via UPnP

  • Your external IP address
  • Internet connection status and uptime
  • Internet link speed
  • Traffic data — how much has been sent and received
  • Port forwarding rules (up to 256)

All of this happens automatically. You don't need to log in or set anything up.

Is UPnP enabled on my router?

Most home routers have UPnP turned on by default. If Network Weather isn't showing this data, check your router's settings page (usually at 192.168.1.1 or similar) and look for a UPnP toggle. It's typically under "Advanced" or "Network" settings.

One exception: UniFi routers have UPnP turned off by default. If you have a UniFi router, go to Settings > Network > Internet and enable the UPnP toggle.

A note about security

UPnP lets devices on your network automatically set up port forwarding on your router — this is how game consoles, video chat apps, and smart home devices work without manual configuration. Some security-minded users choose to turn UPnP off.

If you've deliberately turned UPnP off, that's fine. Network Weather only reads data from UPnP — it never opens ports or changes any settings on your router. But with UPnP off, you'll miss out on the baseline traffic and connection data described above.

Good to know

A few routers have quirks with their UPnP support:

  • Eero and Google Nest WiFi report unreliable traffic totals in bytes, so Network Weather uses packet counts instead when it detects these routers.
  • Some older Linksys E-series routers report placeholder values for serial and model numbers. Network Weather ignores these.
  • UniFi has UPnP off by default, so you won't see any UPnP data unless you turn it on.