Strict NAT Xbox

bexyboo88 · 04-12-2009, 13:17

Hya all. This has really been doing my head in. I've searched everywhere and all solutions have not worked, or im doing them wrong somehow. When i connect to xbox live it connects but comes up with an exclamtion mark saying my NAT is strict, which causes problems trying to get into games on CODMW2.
I'm Connected to BT Broadband like this:

Xbox > Ethernet Cable (network Bridge) > Laptop > Wireless connection > BT HomeHub.

Ive gone into my BT settings online, My UpNp is ON. When i look at applications and click on XBOX live, it shows the ports are open for it. So I'm thinking that most likely if the xbox was wired straight to the Homehub, there'd be no issues. I think its possibly something between the network bridge.
ICS is Ticked on the top box. I have to play around with these sometimes to get it to connect to xbox live. And I've tried disabling windows firewall on my laptop but made no difference.

Please has anyone got a clue how to fix this?

Thanks

Bex

Kymmy · 04-12-2009, 13:23

Don't suppose the BT homehub has a DMZ?? If not then try forwarding the required ports directly..

You'll never get rid of the NAT unless you get a non-routed modem (or a modem/router and turn off the NAT but then you can only get on device on at a time..

As for the bridge it should be transparent and just like a HUB unless it's a weird one..

Aragorn · 04-12-2009, 13:51

TBH, the easiest way to get a medium NAT connection is a cheap wireless bridge - I use the Edimax EM-7206APG, which works great with MW2 - about Â£20 from Novatech and others.
I used to use a wireless laptop but it is very flaky and I wasn't on XBL Gold at the time.

Kymmy · 04-12-2009, 13:59

Ahhh, never noticed that the laptop is acting as the bridge.. which of course will introduce yet another NAT unless you have it on bridged mode

Graham M · 04-12-2009, 14:10

Are you using Internet Connection Sharing or have you bridged the wired and wireless networks together?

bexyboo88 · 04-12-2009, 14:17

The Home hub has a DMZ, but i don't really want to tamper with things i dont know about I have not got a clue about any of this network stuff and literally only from hours of reading last night have a light knowledge on certain termonology.

The connection between my xbox and my laptop is through the xbox cable that came with it, and to get it to connect properly I had to read into making the connection as a Network Bridge, and its connects fine but just with a strict NAT. I really don't understand, they make things so complicated

UPnP is on, there is nothing in the settings saying anything to do with NAT in there, The xbox Ip address always changes, no idea how to make it have the same ip address, would it help? I tried to portforward last night with following the instructions from the portforward website and they were at times confusing because he was saying, copy the numbers above.. but the numbers its needs are not about they were underneath and the numbers on top picture were random. Last night it founf an Uknown device, so i thought that was the xbox but had a diff ip address to what my xbox had at the time. Now it shows nothing but my laptop and the homehub, no1 elses PC's because i reset the whole thing. I really dont know whats going on, and plugging it in directly is not an option.

The thing is that my brothers PS3 is connected wirelessly to the home hub fine and is on Open NAT. Again another reason why it must be something to do with the wire between the xbox and my laptop.
I read on another website that this kind of network bridge creates a second NAT or something...

---------- Post added at 14:17 ---------- Previous post was at 14:12 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham M

Are you using Internet Connection Sharing or have you bridged the wired and wireless networks together?

Your prolly going to think im really stupid hehe

I don't really know but the only way i can explain is:

Home hub is wirelessly connect to my laptop. That works withought ICS turned on or anything works like normal. Then to get my xbox to connect through my laptops wireless, I connect from the back of the xbox to my laptop with the cable that came with it (grey) it didnt work directly at first but i turned on ICS on and off and now it works fine each time its plugged in. at one point whenever i plugged in the cable it wouldnt let my laptop go on the internet so I read up on it and i had to 'Bridge the connection between my Xbox and Laptop. Now it all works good, except the Strict NAT.

Aragorn · 04-12-2009, 14:19

Yes, using the laptop you are double NATing - the laptop connects to the internet through the Homehub NAT, and the XBox connects to the Homehub the the ICS NAT.
As I say, ICS is not a robust solution for gaming.

bexyboo88 · 04-12-2009, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymmy

Ahhh, never noticed that the laptop is acting as the bridge.. which of course will introduce yet another NAT unless you have it on bridged mode

Yea that sounds like what i read up on, about 2 NAT's or sumthing.
In my Networks, i have my BTHomeHub which is wireless and its on Local and Internet. Then underneath when xbox is plugged in it says: Unidentified Network - Local only. (which is the xbox, no idea how to get it identified and/or if that would make a diff)

---------- Post added at 14:27 ---------- Previous post was at 14:24 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aragorn

Yes, using the laptop you are double NATing - the laptop connects to the internet through the Homehub NAT, and the XBox connects to the Homehub the the ICS NAT.
As I say, ICS is not a robust solution for gaming.

So is there any other way to connect Xbox live to the internet without using ICS or making ICS not as strict? or is the only way going to be having to spend out for some kind of wireless thing for the xbox?

Aragorn · 04-12-2009, 14:46

ICS only using a laptop in the middle and it must have NAT.
Â£25.45 from Novatech at the moment for the wireless bridge, and you don't have to keep the laptop on at the same time.

Kymmy · 04-12-2009, 14:50

Does BT home hubs not have an ethernet in the side? I know that Orange Live boxes did for game playing?? But that does mean putting the console in the same room..or via a long cable..

Is there not a wifi adaptor that you can use directly on the console?

Graham M · 04-12-2009, 14:50

He's not using ICS though he's bridged the connections

bexyboo88 · 04-12-2009, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymmy

Does BT home hubs not have an ethernet in the side? I know that Orange Live boxes did for game playing?? But that does mean putting the console in the same room..or via a long cable..

Is there not a wifi adaptor that you can use directly on the console?

Yea i cant really do that because my room is not connected to the house so no cable long enough would reach and it would have to go through the garden xD hehe

---------- Post added at 15:02 ---------- Previous post was at 14:58 ----------

I watched a video just now about some guy who has a moderate NAT using ICS.. That would even be better than strict, and then he uses DMZ to make it open along with changing aoad of ip adressess gateways and things to do with DNS. I would do that DMZ thing but would that affect anything else connected to the home hub? cause we have a wired pc, 2x Wireless PC, Wireless laptop and a PS3 connected to it so i cant make it so anyone else has problems, or would that not change anything still because of the ICS still?

---------- Post added at 15:08 ---------- Previous post was at 15:02 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aragorn

ICS only using a laptop in the middle and it must have NAT.
Â£25.45 from Novatech at the moment for the wireless bridge, and you don't have to keep the laptop on at the same time.

So what this does is Get internet from the home hub to this point.. and then i can plug in my xbox into it, and because i wont have to go though ICS, I should be able to Open up the NAT?

Aragorn · 04-12-2009, 15:19

Yep - exactly that.

bexyboo88 · 04-12-2009, 15:22

Kool. Well since im doing this mainly for my boyfriend, hes only round for a couple of days but i would like to get the game myself after xmas so its probably worth me buying one then, do you know if im able to buy one from Argos? i had a breif look but All i could find was Wireless Modems and just wirless usb adapters http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse...7C14419015.htm

pabscars · 04-12-2009, 15:32

Just a suggestion, why don't you buy the wireless adapter for the xbox 360, which should then connect you (wirelessly) to the bt home hub, and do away with the laptop in the middle.

Also would home plugs help, you could then connect one to the hub and one to your xbox via an ethernet cable which would alleviate the wireless problem and transmits the broadband connection through your electrical wiring of your house.

just a thought.

gaming especially playing fps games wirelessly will always result in frustration in my opinion.

Another consideration is how much hammer your broadband connection is getting if everyone is using it at the same time, this is surely going to influence your gameplay to some degree.

I know when the wife is on youtube and facebook and god knows what else, its makes connection flaky and I,m on 50Mb.