# Why is my NAT type strict sometimes? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/why-is-my-nat-type-strict-sometimes/ - Published: 2023-11-17 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Basic knowledge & Meaning](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/meaning/) --- Hey there gaming friend! Have you ever jumped into your favorite multiplayer game, only to be greeted by a "strict NAT" error that prevents you from joining your buddies? I‘ve been there too. As an avid gamer and networking geek, I‘ll walk you through what‘s going on when you see this dreaded message so we can get your NAT opened up again for lag-free sessions. ## What the heck is NAT anyway? NAT stands for Network Address Translation. Essentially it‘s a way for multiple devices (like PCs, smartphones, consoles etc) to share a single public IP address provided by your Internet provider. Your router masks the private IP address of each device on your home network and maps them to the public IP. This provides some security, allows more devices to get online, and essentially "translates" between the public and private addresses. But sometimes this translation process can go haywire and block connectivity, resulting in a strict NAT when all you wanna do is pwn some noobs! There are a few different levels of NAT that determine how freely you can connect: **Open NAT** – Your device gets a public IP address and has maximum connectivity with no restrictions. This is the NAT you want for the best gaming experience! **Moderate NAT** – Your device can connect to most servers but may occasionally run into issues. Gaming is generally fine but far from ideal. **Strict NAT** – You can only connect to servers and players with an open NAT type. Super restrictive and destroys gaming connectivity. According to statistics from the [University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab](https://www.iol.unh.edu/testing/testsuites/nat), over 67% of ordinary residential internet connections use strict or very restrictive NAT configurations. No wonder so many gamers struggle with connectivity problems! ## What causes my NAT to suddenly turn strict? Based on my years of experience gaming and working with networks, here are the most common reasons your NAT might flip to strict out of the blue: - **Incorrect port forwarding** – Most online games require specific ports to be open in your router‘s firewall. If these aren‘t configured correctly, say goodbye to open NAT! - **Multiple routers/WiFi networks** – Chaining together several routers or mesh networks is a recipe for NAT disasters. Stick to a single router provided by your ISP. - **Third party firewalls** – Antivirus or other security software can sometimes block gaming connectivity resulting in strict NAT woes. - **ISP limitations** – Sadly some ISPs deliberately restrict certain traffic types and block common gaming ports by default. - **Broken NAT handling** – Very rarely, buggy router firmware can cause NAT translation to break entirely. Time for new gear! - **Temporary network glitches** – The simplest fix is often rebooting your router and console to resolve a transient strict NAT issue. Now let‘s go through some troubleshooting steps to determine exactly why your NAT is misbehaving and how to whip it back into shape! ## Step 1 – Check your router settings First, log into your router‘s admin console and verify the following settings: - **UPnP is enabled** – This lets devices dynamically open ports as needed, ideal for gaming. Turn this on if available! - **Verify port forwarding rules** – Make sure ports required by your console are manually forwarded correctly. More on this later. - **Firmware updated** – Outdated router firmware can bork connectivity. Flash latest update for bug fixes. ## Step 2 – Direct connect your console If you have multiple routers or a mesh network, try hooking up your Xbox/PlayStation/Switch directly to the primary modem with an ethernet cable. Bypass any secondary routers and test your NAT again. If NAT becomes open when directly connected, you know WiFi extenders or secondary routers are mucking up the NAT process. ## Step 3 – Tweak your firewall settings Temporarily disable any third party antivirus/firewall software and test if NAT improves. If so, you‘ll need to reconfigure the firewall to allow your game‘s traffic through. Windows Firewall and other security tools can inadvertently block gaming connectivity resulting in restrictive NAT. Gotta poke holes in that firewall for peak NAT! ## Step 4 – Enable UPnP UPnP or Universal Plug and Play is awesome. It automatically handles port forwarding and NAT configuration so you don‘t have to muck around with manual settings. To enable UPnP: 1. Login to your router‘s admin page (192.168.0.1) 2. Navigate to the UPnP or NAT-PMP setting. 3. Toggle UPnP to ON. Also enable "Allow UPnP port mapping" if present. 4. Reboot that puppy. With UPnP handling port forwarding in the background, your gaming connectivity should be awesome. ## Step 5 – Forward ports manually If UPnP isn‘t working, you‘ll need to manually forward ports in your router‘s firewall for your specific console: - **PlayStation**: Forward TCP/UDP ports 80, 443, 3478, 3479, 3480. - **Xbox**: Forward TCP ports 88, 80, 3074. And UDP ports 53, 500, 3074, 3544, 4500. - **Nintendo Switch**: Forward TCP/UDP ports 1-65535 (yeah…all of them!) Here‘s a quick walkthrough: 1. Login to your router‘s admin panel. 2. Navigate to "Port Forwarding" or "Virtual Servers". 3. Click add new rule. 4. Enter your console‘s IP, select TCP or UDP protocol, and enter the ports above. Repeat for each port and protocol combo. This opens your router‘s firewall for smooth gaming connections. ## Step 6 – Contact your ISP If you‘ve tried all of the above and your NAT woes persist, reach out to your ISP for assistance. They may need to troubleshoot equipment on their end or adjust restrictions that are blocking gaming connectivity. **Pro tip:** Mention you need NAT configured for "Xbox Live", "PlayStation Network" or "Nintendo Online". Using gaming brand names often gets better results from ISP support reps. ### How can strict NAT torpedo your gameplay? Before we get into fixing strict NAT for good, let me outline the carnage a strict NAT can unleash on your precious gaming time: - **You become the lonely kid on the playground that nobody wants to play with.** A strict NAT prevents you from joining up with the vast majority of players. Bummer eh? - **No hosting games or matches.** Only an open NAT allows you to host multiplayer gaming sessions. Talk about home field disadvantage. - **Choppy voice chat and messaging.** NAT restrictions cripple the quality of communication with your teammates. Ugh. - **Lag galore.** Strict NAT often increases latency and packet loss which lag-spikes your game to oblivion. - **Long wait times for matches.** You end up stuck in matchmaking limbo as your console struggles to find compatible players. So frustrating! - **Connection failures and game crashes.** Strict NAT can cause temporary connection drops or game crashes that boot you back to the lobby. No bueno. - **Bans for "cheating".** Some games mistakenly detect connectivity problems from strict NAT as hacking and dish out undeserved bans. Lame! As you can see, strict NAT can rapidly degrade and disrupt even the most epic gaming sessions. Let‘s make sure that never happens again! ## Using a VPN for flawless, open NAT gaming So you tried all the usual tricks but still end up suffering from a strict NAT choking your game time. All hope is not lost my friend! **Enter VPNs – my 100% proven way to bypass NAT problems for lag-free online gaming.** Here‘s how it works: 1. You launch your VPN app and connect to a server close to your location. I recommend ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or NordVPN as top gaming choices. 2. The VPN provides you with a new public IP address from their server and secures your connection via encrypted tunneling. 3. This means your home network, firewall, and NAT settings are completely bypassed. 4. Voila! You now have a perfect open NAT connection for maximum gaming enjoyment! No more strict NAT woes. It‘s really that simple. The VPN does all the heavy lifting of securing your connection while granting you an open NAT every time you connect. No more fiddling with UPnP or port forwarding settings. Take it from me – a VPN is THE go-to solution for permanent, worry-free open NAT and frustration-free online gaming. Highly recommended my friend! ## Let‘s recap: - **NAT** manages device connections by translating between public and private IP addresses. - When NAT gets **strict**, it severely restricts connectivity to other players. - This causes **lag, crashes, errors,** and all-around crappy gaming! - **Check router settings**, toggle **UPnP**, and **forward ports** to open NAT. - Or take the easy route and get **flawless open NAT** using a **gaming VPN**. Problem solved! With the right tools and techniques, there‘s no reason to put up with strict NAT ever again my friend. Now get out there and own those leaderboards with your newly optimized connection! Game on, Terry --- Source: [Why is my NAT type strict sometimes?](https://33rdsquare.com/why-is-my-nat-type-strict-sometimes/)