[petermahairas]

I need to get remote desktop working again, we had a lightnig/power surge and damaged our netgear adsl mode/router. We have replaced it with a similar unit all works OK as in network and internet functions but the remote desk top function keeps giving me errors I am asuming it is the ADSL modum had some firewall seting allowing remote desktop to work dose anyone now what to do.

[Scleros]

The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) uses TCP/IP port 3389 by default. If your router is configured for NAT (network address translation) with a private IP subnet used for the local LAN (a very common configuration), this port will need to be forwarded to the local IP addresses you desire to control remotely. Note that this is a severe security risk if the source IP range is not limited to only the machines you wish to remote in from. This port will also need to be allowed by any local firewalls (Windows) on the machines, but your power outage should not have affected their existing configuration. RDP can also use UDP for sound, but since those packets would be headed out of your local network, specific configuration for these on the router normally isn't needed. See your router documentation or post the exact model for info on configuring port forwarding.

Tip: Powering the networking equipment with an uninterruptible power supply with surge suppression can thwart downtime like this. Surge suppressors for the Ethernet cabling itself are also available. A properly grounded equipment rack or ground lug is required for both.