High port (10001–65535) Standard/Low risk

Port 18516 HEYTHINGS

Quick answer

Port 18516 is the IANA-assigned heythings port for HeyThings Device communicate service (UDP).

TransportUDP
RiskStandard/Low
Typical useCustom high ports

What is port 18516 used for?

Port 18516 is assigned to heythings and uses UDP. The IANA registry describes the service as “HeyThings Device communicate service”. It sits above the registered range, where most numbers are transient client ports. A fixed high port is worth documenting precisely because tooling often assumes the default.

Ports are the transport-layer address a service listens on. This entry has no TCP assignment: UDP is connectionless, so a client that gets no reply may be hitting either an idle service or a firewall drop. That is why a port conflict appears whenever two processes try to bind the same number.

Use the commands below to confirm whether port 18516 is actually in use before you change firewall rules. Blocking the port stops new inbound traffic at the firewall, but it does not stop a local process from listening, and it does not remove the service from the machine.

Source: IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry. Registered assignee: [Guangdong_OPPO_Mobile_Telecommunications_Corp_Ltd].

Check and block port 18516

Copy-ready commands for the protocols assigned to this port. Run the check first, then block only what should not be reachable.

Check on Linux

sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :18516'

Check on Windows

Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 18516 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Block with UFW

sudo ufw deny 18516/udp

Block with iptables

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 18516 -j DROP

These commands are examples for a typical host. Check the listener before you change firewall rules, and persist iptables rules with iptables-save or netfilter-persistent. On Windows, use Windows Defender Firewall or New-NetFirewallRule for persistent blocks. The iptables rules here cover IPv4; mirror them with ip6tables if IPv6 is enabled.

Is port 18516 safe to expose?

Standard/Low

This port is not on our curated list of services with a widely exploited profile. Exposure is only safe when the listening service is intended, patched and protected by a firewall. Keep the listening service patched and remove it if unused. A default-deny firewall policy with explicit allow rules is still the safest baseline.

Where port 18516 is usually used

Most traffic on port 18516 falls into these scenarios. The demo below is a safe way to confirm the listener before you change anything.

Demo

Confirm the UDP listener

This port is not registered for TCP, so an nc TCP probe cannot confirm it. Run this on the host that runs the service; empty output means nothing is bound to port 18516.

sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :18516'

Common problems with port 18516

No reply from the service

Because UDP has no handshake, a missing reply can mean the service is idle, the packet was dropped, or the client sent it to the wrong interface. Check the listener locally before blaming the network.

Port already in use

Find the process holding the port with sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :18516' or sudo lsof -i :18516. Stop that process or configure it to bind another port; killing it without identifying it can take down a production service.

Firewall rule did not survive a reboot

UFW and Windows Firewall keep rules across restarts. Raw iptables rules do not: save them with iptables-save or the netfilter-persistent package, and re-apply after upgrades that reset the ruleset.

The port is blocked but still reachable

A firewall rule filters inbound traffic; it does not close the listener. Confirm with the check command above and bind the service to 127.0.0.1 when only local clients need it.

Port 18516 at a glance

Port number18516
Service nameheythings
Transport protocolUDP
CategoryCustom high ports
RangeHigh port (10001–65535)
Risk levelStandard/Low
Registered assignee[Guangdong_OPPO_Mobile_Telecommunications_Corp_Ltd]
Registry descriptionHeyThings Device communicate service
SourceIANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry

Frequently asked questions

What is port 18516 used for?

Port 18516 (HEYTHINGS) uses UDP. HeyThings Device communicate service.

How do I check if port 18516 is open?

On Linux run `sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :18516'`. On Windows run `Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 18516 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue` in PowerShell. If the port is open, the output shows a process listening on port 18516; empty output usually means nothing is bound to it.

How do I block port 18516?

With UFW run `sudo ufw deny 18516/udp`. With iptables run `sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 18516 -j DROP`. Persist the iptables rules with your distribution's netfilter-persistent or iptables-save tooling so they survive a reboot.

Is port 18516 safe to expose?

This port is not on our curated list of services with a widely exploited profile. Exposure is only safe when the listening service is intended, patched and protected by a firewall. Nevertheless, keep the listening service patched and remove it if unused. A default-deny firewall policy with explicit allow rules is still the safest baseline.

Primary data: IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry.

Last reviewed 2026-10-30 · Methodology · About · Privacy