Gaming

NAT Type Test

Strict, Moderate or Open, and how to fix it

Test

Three servers tell this browser which outside port your router gives it. That shows your NAT type: what your console's network test reports.

  • packet.guruwaiting
  • Cloudflarewaiting
  • Googlewaiting

Still Strict? Check the router's address

Two routers in a row, or an internet provider that shares one address between customers, keep NAT strict whatever you set. The router status page shows its WAN address; paste it here.

Terminal

Console ready. Execute a command to see output...

About NAT Type Test

What is NAT type?

Your router shares one public internet address between all the devices at home. NAT (network address translation) is how it does that, and the NAT type describes how the router treats traffic that arrives from outside. Many online games connect players directly to each other for voice chat, for hosting a match and for letting a friend join, and a strict NAT stops many of those connections.

Each console reports the result in its own terms:

  • Xbox: Open NAT means you can play and host with anyone. Moderate NAT means you might not be able to play with some people and normally won't be picked as host. Strict NAT means you can only play with people who have Open NAT, and you can't host. With NAT type Unavailable, party chat and some multiplayer games won't work; Microsoft troubleshoots it together with the "Can't get a Teredo IP address" error.
  • PlayStation: NAT Type 1 is a console connected directly to the internet, with no router. NAT Type 2 is a console behind a router, the usual home setup. With NAT Type 3, some online features may be restricted.
  • Nintendo Switch: type A is the best. B works with most other types, C can have trouble connecting to stricter ones, D generally connects only to type A, and F means the network is restricting communication.

How does this NAT type test work?

What is my NAT type? This NAT type checker answers that in your browser. It sends a small request to three STUN servers, run by packet.guru, Cloudflare and Google, and each server replies with the outside address and port it saw. A router that uses the same outside port for all three keeps one mapping for every destination (endpoint-independent mapping in RFC 4787), which is what Open and Moderate NAT need. A router that picks a different port for each server (address-dependent mapping) usually shows up on a console as Strict NAT. When no server answers at all, UDP is blocked, and games that depend on it fail.

Why is my NAT type strict?

Possible causes:

  • Two routers in a row (double NAT), such as a provider box that still routes with your own router behind it.
  • Carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT): the internet provider shares one public IPv4 address between many customers, so your router never gets one of its own. The range 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255.255 is reserved for this (RFC 6598).
  • UPnP turned off or stuck. Consoles use it to ask the router to open ports.
  • A VPN, or a work, school or public network that limits UDP.

How to check for double NAT or CGNAT

Open the router status page, find its WAN or Internet IPv4 address and paste it into the check on this page. An address from 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255.255 means carrier-grade NAT. A private address (10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x to 172.31.x.x, 192.168.x.x) means another router sits in front of yours. If it matches your public address, there is neither. The check runs in your browser and the address never leaves the page. An Xbox reports the second router as "Double NAT detected", and Microsoft's first step for it is to put the provider box into bridge mode.

How to change NAT type to Open

For Xbox, Microsoft gives an order and asks for one step at a time: refresh UPnP (turn it off, restart the console, modem and router, turn it back on), update the router firmware, try port forwarding to the console with a fixed IP address, then the router's DMZ, and last a factory reset. Microsoft also warns not to combine port forwarding, UPnP and DMZ. Sony suggests restarting the router and modem, updating the router firmware, opening the ports it lists and setting a static IP address on the console. For Switch, Nintendo's first step is turning off IPv6 on the console. After a test, the page lists each platform's steps with the ports. Behind carrier-grade NAT only the internet provider can help, by giving you a public IPv4 address.

How to use NAT Type Test

  1. Start the test
    Press Start test. The NAT checker asks three STUN servers which outside address and port they see, which usually takes a few seconds.
  2. Read the verdict
    Under "Your NAT type" the coloured label shows Open or Moderate, Strict, Blocked or Not sure and how sure the test is, with what each NAT type means for playing.
  3. Check the router WAN address
    Copy the WAN or Internet IPv4 address from the router status page into the check below the result. It shows whether double NAT or carrier-grade NAT is in the way.
  4. Follow the steps for your console
    Pick Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch or PC under the result, do its steps in order, and check the console's NAT type after each one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Type 2 is the normal result for a console behind a home router. Type 1 only appears when the console connects straight to the internet without a router, and Sony ties restricted online features to Type 3.