NAT type and CGNAT — why Strict sometimes cannot be fixed
How to tell whether your Strict NAT is your router or your provider, in under a minute.
People spend days on port forwarding for a problem that is not on their side of the line. This test tells you which situation you are in, and it takes under a minute.
The 60-second check
- Open your router''s admin page and find its WAN IP — the address your provider gave it. It is usually on the status or WAN page.
- On any device on the same network, search for what is my IP and note the public address shown.
- Compare them.
The two match → you have a real public address. Strict NAT is a router setting, and it is fixable. Turn on UPnP.
They are different — especially if the router''s WAN IP starts with 100.64. through 100.127. → you are behind CGNAT. No setting on your equipment will fix it.
What CGNAT is
There are not enough public IPv4 addresses in the world, so providers share one public address among many customers. Your router gets a private address instead of a public one.
Outgoing connections work fine — browsing, downloads and speed tests are unaffected. What breaks is anything that needs an incoming connection: hosting, some matchmaking, and party chat.
This is why people forward ports correctly and stay Strict. The forward is working; it simply never receives anything, because the traffic stops one layer above your house.
What actually works under CGNAT
Ask your provider for a public IP address. This is the real fix. Many offer it, sometimes as a paid add-on or on a business line. Phone them and ask specifically for a public IPv4 address, not for "better internet" — the support agent needs the exact term.
Enable IPv6 if your provider and the game support it. IPv6 has no shortage of addresses, so it bypasses CGNAT entirely for services that use it.
What does not work: port forwarding, DMZ, changing DNS, buying a better router, or upgrading your speed package. If you are behind CGNAT, none of these change anything, and it is worth knowing that before spending money.
Also check for double NAT
Similar symptoms, different cause, and this one is yours to fix. If you have two routers chained — your provider''s box plus your own — you get Strict NAT automatically. Put one of them in bridge mode so only one device performs translation.
What NAT does not affect
Download speed and ping are unrelated. If your problem is slow downloads or lag rather than connecting to other players, NAT is not your issue at all.