Xbox Live and NAT Issues

[ShadowmanUK]

Hi All,

One of the most common questions regarding Xbox Live and the 360/Original Xbox relates to NAT, people either have a strict or moderate NAT setting which doesn't make for the best playing experience, or they have Open but have "over configured" their router meaning it still doesn't work properly.

The symptoms of a a poor NAT status are:-

* Unable to join friends in a match
* Unable to speak to friends in voice chat
* Unable to find many games
* Game reports you cannot host (Gears/Halo3) because of your NAT status

How do you check your NAT?

On the Xbox 360

* Select the System Blade.
* Select Network Settings.
* Select Text Xbox Live Connection.

(If you have a profile logged in, you will be logged out)

The test results (including your NAT status) will be displayed

On the Original Xbox

* Select Settings from the Xbox Dashboard.
* Select Network Settings and then Connect.
* From the Connect Status screen, press the Y button on your controller.
* Press the A button to see diagnostic information.

Look for the word NT: x, where x is your current NAT status.

* 1 means open
* 2 means moderate
* 3 means strict

What does it mean?

First of all. A bit about the NAT status and what each one means:-

Strict

This is the worst possible setup. You can play/talk to other Xbox live gamers that have a NAT Status of Open and no-one else

Moderate

Better, but not ideal. You can play/talk to other Xbox live gamers that have a NAT Status of Open and Moderate and no-one else

Open

The best experience, you can play/talk with all other Xbox Live gamers.

How to Fix it

There are four ways to overcome a Strict/Moderate NAT setting when using a router. I have listed them in the order of preference:-

1. If you have an Xbox Live Certified router, use the certified firmware for your router
2. Use UPnP. If your router supports this. Turn it on. The router will work out the ports it needs to open for Xbox live. If your router does not have this feature, check the manufacturers website for the latest firmware. (also make sure portforwarding and/or DMZ is turned off as they interfere with UPnP)
3. Port forwarding (look up your router on portforward.com then follow the instructions for Xbox Live 360)
4. Use a DMZ (De-militarized Zone)


The DMZ (De-militarized Zone) is area that sits outside of your routers firewall. Don't worry though your not at risk with your Xbox


A common router in the UK is the BT HomeHub which some people have NAT issues with, below is a guide showing how to resolve this problem:-

Add the Xbox Live Service

Software version 6.1.1.R

If the problem still persists, ensure your Xbox IP Address is set to auto (important) and follow the instructions below:-

* On the 360 Dashboard, select the System Blade/Network settings. Take a note of the 360 IP Address
* Open your web browser and type in http://192.168.1.254
* In the Home Hub Manager, go to Advanced (you need the switch to the admin user, the 'Admin' login details (usually admin/admin)
* Select Home Network/Device
* Identify and click on your Xbox 360 on the list (if you are not sure which one it is, select each one until you find the IP Address you noted above)
* Click 'Configure'
* Ensure "Always use the same address" it ticked
* Click 'Apply'
* Click 'Toolbox/Game & Application Sharing'
* Click 'Assign a Game or Application to a local network device'
* Choose 'Xbox live' from the drop down box
* Under 'Device' select 'User Defined'
In the field that appears enter the IP address you got from the 'Network Settings' on the 360.
Click 'Add'
* Click 'Apply'
* Power off the Homehub, wait 10 seconds and power back on again
* Run the Xbox Live test and you should have a NAT status of 'Open'


Add the Xbox Live Service

Software version 6.2.2.6

* On the 360 Dashboard, select the System Blade/Network settings. Take a note of the 360 IP Address
* Open your web browser and type in http://192.168.1.254
* In the Home Hub Manager, go to Advanced (you need the switch to the admin user, the 'Admin' login details (usually admin/admin)
* Select Configuration/Devices
* Identify and click on your Xbox 360 on the list (you should be able to tell as the ip address will be listed)
* Click 'Edit'
* Ensure "Always use the same address" it ticked
* Click 'Apply'
* Click 'Configuration/Game & Application Sharing'
* Choose 'Xbox live' from the drop down box
* Under 'Device' select 'User Defined'
* In the field that appears below enter the IP address you got from the 'Network Settings' on the 360.
* Click 'Add'
* Click 'Apply'
* Wait until the browser has stopped refreshing (it will have saved by then)
* Power off the Homehub, wait 10 seconds and power back on again
* Run the Xbox Live test and you should have a NAT status of 'Open'


Whilst I will do my best to keep both of these guides up to date on here, the original and most up to date version of the HomeHub guide is located here

And the general NAT guide here

Happy gaming!