How To - Run Your Own Minecraft Server On A Mobile

Last night my son wanted to play Minecraft with his mates. It''s really easy if you''re in the same house or on the same WiFi access point. He spent New Years Eve sitting on the couch with his friends, iPads a-plenty and creating new worlds.

They were all in one house so they all connected to the same WiFi hotspot.

It can be difficult to connect if you are in different locations. It involves connecting with a server over the internet. If you want to make your own, you will need to either download a Windows executable (or a Java program) which can be run on Linux. It''s possible to have a Windows computer lying around, but do you really want it on all the time? It will only display this screen...

This will require you to have a computer running (or on the internet), and you''ll need the ports open.

However, you can actually do all this on an old Android phone. What you''ll need is this PocketMine app and a phone you can leave on. Before you start, you should be familiar with the basics of how your broadband router operates. Most routers have strict settings and your broadband provider won’t let you alter them too much. However, if you do like to have a "fiddle", here''s the details.

Download the app and choose the version you like. The stable version worked for me.

I''ll be back on the rest of the app setup in a moment, but it''s pretty self-explanatory. Dhaka''s blog You only need a name and not much else.

If you open up Minecraft and click "Play" then "New" you''ll see a little symbol at the top that looks like this..

..not any people hit that. They just create a world and then off they go. But, it will ask you to hit that in a second.

This is where your broadband router will need to be adjusted. First, find the external IP address for your broadband connection. Search for "my IP", or use turboluck.com/my_ip to locate the IP address. You will need to give this information to your relatives or friends so that they can insert it into their iPads, phones, or tablets to join your server. However, they''ll be trying to connect on a certain port. This can be almost anything on Minecraft, so choose one (or keep the standard one it comes up with as default) and then go into the advanced setting of your broadband router. You will need to search for "NAT/PAT". Your router will ask for the request to be sent to the appropriate internal port at your LAN''s internal IP address.

Yes, this can be confusing. Let''s start by using the PocketMine App. It will ask you to create a server, port, and the type of game you want to make (Creative Survival Adventure Adventure Spectator). Once you start it, you can stick that phone somewhere in the house and forget about it. You will need to find the IP address of your phone''s local IP address. Go into your WiFi settings to find out its internal IP address. It could be 192.168.0.7, or something similar. Make a note.

Next, head to your router and go into your NAT / PAT rules and set it so that any requests for your magic port (say, 22535) go to 192.168.0.7 (your phone) on port 22535. You are basically doing a little routing, which is why the thing exists.

Then, it''s as simple as asking your friends to enter your IP address and port settings. Once the app is installed on an Android phone that you don''t have, everyone can play together. It''s done.