Firewall Configuration

Required outbound connections

Allow the following outbound TCP connections from both the computer sharing its screen and the support technician's computer:

• supporthopper.com, TCP port 443 (HTTPS): required for communication with the web service and software downloads.
• supporthopper.com, TCP port 22 (SSH): required for the encrypted tunnel carrying the remote desktop connection.

Restrict these rules to the destination above. If your firewall supports hostname-based rules, use supporthopper.com. Otherwise, ask your network administrator to maintain the corresponding destination IP addresses.

No inbound port forwarding required

Both computers initiate outbound connections to the SupportHopper server. No inbound port forwarding is required on your router or network firewall. A stateful firewall automatically permits the return traffic for allowed connections.

SupportHopper also uses dynamically allocated local TCP ports. These are separate from the server destination ports listed above. Do not create a general inbound or outbound rule opening the entire 49152–65535 port range.

Endpoint firewall and antivirus settings

The SSH tunnel is established by the Windows OpenSSH client, normally located at C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe. If outbound connections are restricted by application, allow this executable to connect to supporthopper.com on TCP port 22, and allow SupportHopper to access the web service on TCP port 443.

Endpoint security software may also filter the local connection between the SSH client and the screen-sharing component. If a connection fails, check the firewall or antivirus logs and create a narrowly scoped exception for the blocked application and connection, if required.

Do not disable your firewall or antivirus software, or exclude an entire folder, as a general troubleshooting measure.

Troubleshooting

Run the following commands in PowerShell on the affected computer:

Test-NetConnection supporthopper.com -Port 443
Test-NetConnection supporthopper.com -Port 22

If TcpTestSucceeded is False, ask your network administrator to investigate access to the indicated destination and port. If both tests succeed but SupportHopper still cannot connect, check application-specific firewall rules, antivirus or endpoint protection logs, and SSH tunnel errors. A successful TCP test confirms port reachability, but does not confirm that the application or SSH session is permitted.

If you need assistance, contact SupportHopper support with the exact error message and any relevant security log entries.