Problems with XBOX 360 Live NAT Settings

30
Mar

Problems with XBOX 360 Live NAT Settings

Article By Noddegamra. Filed under: Xbox 360

Are you having trouble changing moderate and strict NAT settings?

XBOX Live is great fun with friends, but some people have encountered problems where they cannot hear each other on private chat or join certain games. I myself experienced this problem and found it very difficult to find advice online or get any really useful information from XBOX Live support. This is why I have decided to add a few helpful tips to this website.

Belkin Router NAT Settings Problem

NAT Settings

First of all I would just like to cover the basics of strict and moderate NAT settings. For those interested, NAT stands for Network Address Translation and is used to prevent problems with information being sent over a shared network.

With the XBOX 360, Microsoft have defined three categories of NAT. These are:

Strict
Moderate
Open

You can see the NAT level for your XBOX Live connection by going into your System blade -> Network Settings -> Test Xbox Live Connection

To be able to chat or play online with a friend you will need to have compatable NAT connections. The table below shows such compatability with each XBOX 360 NAT category.

-	To Open	To Moderate	To Strict
From Open	YES	YES	YES
From Moderate	YES	YES	NO
From Strict	YES	NO	NO

Belkin Router

The router I seemed to have these problems with was a Belkin Router, but I have seen and heard similar reports of issues with Netgear, Linksys and outher popular routers. This is not to say that I think Belkin are a bad company, or that their routers are not worth purchasing. Infact, I found the router extremely easy to setup and it has solved ALL of the problems I was getting with my previous Netgear Router.

The model I have is a Belkin G Plus, High Speed Model 7231-4, but as I mentionned earlier, the fixes I am about to suggest may apply to all routers. Note: Please check that you have the latest firmware for your router before trying any of the techniques below.

Open Ports Required for XBOX Live

The first thing to try is port forwarding for your XBOX 360, which can be done in the router’s administration pannel. By default this can be found at the ip address 192.168.2.1 and will require your username and password. Once logged in you will be able to setup port forwarding in the “Virtual Servers” section.

The ports that Microsoft recommends to be open are:

88 UDP
3074 UDP
3074 TCP

I recommend that you test your XBOX Live connection again at this stage as you may not need to do anything else. Infact, I recommend you test it after each stage/technique. If your NAT is still set to Moderate or Strict the don’t worry, we still have a few more tricks up our sleeve’s.

Static IP Address and DMZ

The XBOX 360 network settings allow you to give your console a static ip address. In this case, select something like 192.168.2.27

Back in the Belkin router’s administration pannel, there is a feature called “DMZ” listed under the firewall settings. It is here that will allow you to select one local ip address to be placed outside of the NAT settings of the rest of the network. Please note that I only recommend this feature for your XBOX 360, never use it for a PC ip address unless you want to be left open to hacking attacks.

Once you have applied these changes, I recommend that you restart your router (and possibly your XBOX 360) before testing your connection again.

UPnP

For some reason, my Belkin router had this feature turned off by default. Once switched on (from the administration pannel) I tested my XBOX Live connection (after resetting the router) and it was set to open!.

None of that worked, what else can I try?

If you are still encountering problems I strongly suggest that you double-check ALL of your firewall settings. Possibly even disabling it for a moment to check if it is the problem. Also, check all physical connections between your Xbox 360, your router, and the broadband cable that plugs into your wall.

I hope that this information will help a lot of people experiencing problems with XBOX Live. If you would like to discuss this topic further, please click here to visit the Noddegamra forum or leave a comment below.

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Comments...

140 Responses to “Problems with XBOX 360 Live NAT Settings”

Colin Adams
September 28th, 2007 at 8:28 am

Great post really helpfull and informative.

Cheers
Noddegamra
September 28th, 2007 at 9:05 am

Hi Colin, I’m glad you found this information useful
Edd
September 28th, 2007 at 4:40 pm

Thanks so much! This really helped me.
Santino
September 28th, 2007 at 6:34 pm

Thank you so much Noddegamra! After finding out about NAT through Halo 3 i’ve constantly been trying to open it but had no luck! This guide you’ve made has solved my problem and possibly prevented a murder from the rage I was feeling! Again, thanks a lot!
Osian Lewis
September 28th, 2007 at 8:03 pm

Thanks for this - I opened the ports stated above, but still didn’t work, so I tried manually entering the settings like you said, but in the xbox live test, the IP Address passess, but DNS fails. I’ve got my static IP set to 192.168.2.29 - and enabled it in the router settings, and I kept my Subnet Mask and Gateway the same as they were in automatic. (255.255.255.0 and 192.168.2.1) UPnP is enabled.

Things never just work do they
Leponge
September 29th, 2007 at 12:05 pm

thanks man, this post really help me to put it in open mode hope it will help other too
Noddegamra
September 30th, 2007 at 8:32 am

@Osian Lewis - did you try the DMZ setting? This will remove all firewall settings for a specific IP address.

ONLY use it for the xbox360 though, never use it for a PC address
Razilez
October 1st, 2007 at 7:34 pm

For the ‘Open Ports’ part, on server name, do you click on ’select a service’ or use ‘custom server’? Also, which columns do you put in the numbers, external/internal port start or external/internal port end? Not too sure what I’m doing tbh. Cheers.
conboy
October 1st, 2007 at 7:55 pm

hi, im just a kid

how am i gonna do all this

i dont know where and how to open ports
cam
October 1st, 2007 at 7:57 pm

i did the plug n play enabled and now my mtu connection fails, i have no idea what this means or how to fix it?
Danny
October 4th, 2007 at 12:39 am

Man,
you are great! I’m up and running thanks to your tips, rather than the stupid “Buy our list of approved devices” you will find on Xbox’s website.
Thanks again,

Daniel
David
October 5th, 2007 at 4:50 pm

I’ve been having problems with NAT settings with my 360s. I can get one of them to open using the DMZ method above but I can’t ever get the other below moderate. Do you know any way to get round this. I’m using a Belkin N1 Wireless Modem Router.
Upana
October 7th, 2007 at 11:13 am

DMZ ended up doing the trick for me, on a BTHomeHub router. Port forwarding and all other trickery still didn’t bring me out of “strict”

Cheers
Noddegamra
October 8th, 2007 at 1:06 am

@conboy - try going to your router’s address. You can get to it using your web browser. Go to where you usually enter a website name (the address bar) and type in your router’s ip. This is usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.2.1 by default on most common routers.

@cam - check your MTU number, about 1492-1500 is the usual. It’s always best to check with your internet provider as each one could potentially be different, You can set your MTU in your router’s configuration panel.

@David - can you please describe your setup? How many xbox 360’s do you have and how are they connected to each other, the router, and/or any PCs?

Remember: Each router is different. Try using what you can learn from this page and apply it to your router’s configuration. Try not to worry if the phrasing of some settings are slightly different or in a different place.

The main things to check are ports, UPnP, and DMZ. Also try looking over any firewall settings you may have.
Mr. K
October 13th, 2007 at 8:32 pm

Quick question, and please email me any reply, because I may not find this site again!

I’ve got a DSL modem with NAT built into it. I’ve connected a wireless router to it, which ALSO has NAT built in. Do I need to shut NAT off for one device, or what? And which one should be shut off?
Brick Tamland
October 16th, 2007 at 9:32 pm

Thanks a ton. Worked as soon as I forwarded the ports.
turbyt
October 19th, 2007 at 11:28 am

bad man, ive been trying ages with the fowarding ports, all i had to do is the UPnP thing

cheers man
jimbo
October 19th, 2007 at 3:37 pm

dude, this helped me so much, first thing I tried it worked. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Dad K
October 19th, 2007 at 11:45 pm

Thanks for the help - using the ports in the vitual servers has done it. Now NAt is open. Using Belkin Wireless modem/router.
My son still can not play against friends - any more ideas?
greg
October 20th, 2007 at 1:53 am

noddegamra, my nat settings r already on open but i cant even join half of my freinds on live. do u know wat the problem is
Fayser
October 20th, 2007 at 4:08 pm

There is too much noise in the internet about this issue of “moderate” or “strict” NAT…

The problem is pretty simple to solve. The typical configuration is:

1) You have a computer or router connected to internet. That equipment has an external IP which is the one in the internet, the “public IP”.
2) You also has a private network, in which the XBOX is. You will have a “private IP” for the computer/router and a “private IP” for the XBOX.

The things you need to do are:
1) Open the ports 88 and 3074, so they can be accessed from the internet. This function is usually named “firewall”.
2) Forward ports 88 and 3074 to the private IP of the XBOX. This function is usually called “NAT”.

No need of UPNP, no need of “XBOX compatible devices”, nothing…

Most people open the ports, but forget to forward them to the XBOX IP.
jacko
October 24th, 2007 at 7:54 pm

thanks very much for this help, my best friend had a strict NAT so i manged to get mine to open! woop cheers
John Baker
October 24th, 2007 at 10:34 pm

I was having a terrible time trying to connect the xbox360 to my new Netgear router, I tried everything, finally said F#ckit and bought the xbox 360 wireless network adapter for $100. All problems went away and it now works perfectly. I hate to say it but it was worth the money.
Luke
October 26th, 2007 at 9:50 pm

Thanks for that mate, Brought new Pro evo today, never had any problems with my NAT settings but it wouldnt let me go online, sorted it in no time with his, Thanks alot

Luke
Pete
October 27th, 2007 at 12:42 am

I connect my 360 to my pc with a LAN then it shares the wireless in my pc. I have forwarded the ports on the router to my pc’s i.p. and opened the same ports on the LAN connection to the xbox but still i get moderate. Any ideas?

How can I use DMZ with this setup?
mike
October 29th, 2007 at 9:31 pm

wwhen i forward ports what do i put in the private port box ????
jack
November 2nd, 2007 at 7:29 pm

My NAT is open and everything is connected. But when I start playing after a few seconds my connection gets very slow and I then get disconnected. My wireless network adaptor light turns from yellow to red. Then a few seconds later it turns yelow and I can sign back into xbox live. My router is a Netgear DG834. Can anyone please help me??
Noddegamra
November 4th, 2007 at 5:43 pm

@ jack - This probably isnt an xbox problem, but more of a connection problem. Does your connection keep dropping out? Does it also do this whilst you are browsing the internet?
evilcarney
November 6th, 2007 at 2:34 pm

How do i find out my xbox’s IP as such? I’ve tried applying a random one 192.168.1.69 in the DMZ enablin page…but it didn’t work…
malanax
November 7th, 2007 at 12:04 am

THANKYOU! the UPnP change of setting did the trick on mine.
jack
November 7th, 2007 at 8:29 pm

Yes my connection cuts out while on xbox live but I never get any problems with browsing the internet on my laptop or computer.
Noddegamra
November 8th, 2007 at 10:26 am

@ evilcarney - if you login to your router you will be able to check for connected systems. PC’s should have a name in the field, but the Xbox 360 tends to be the only one which is plank. You can setup a static ip address for your xbox360 though in the 360 settings. Just make sure that this is within your ip range. example = 192.168.1.x

try making “x” a number like 52 (anything below 255). Your outer is usually “1″.

@ jack - You will need to check your router firewall. Ensure that all the ports are setup correctly. You connection may drop with PC or laptop but you may not notice as much because you dont really need a “constant connection” to view pages. Ring up your internet servie provider and ask them to try a line test.

Also, check that you have microfilters for your phone line. This splits your phone and broadband connection to reduce noise and conflictions. If you do not have one, this may be why your connection also drops out. These can be purchased fairly easily and cheaply.
deaman
November 10th, 2007 at 1:16 am

i installed a linksys wireless n gigabit router and card yet i still freeze up only during “besieged” where lots of heavy action is occuring. I turned on most filter during fight and turned off rumble pack yet to no avail. Frustrated gamer!
Jon
November 12th, 2007 at 6:57 pm

lol the private ports did the trick to me, for some reason it was on 192.168.2.5

Ive edited the xbox ip network settings to 192.168.2.20
which means i had to forward the ports of the xbox to private ip 192.168.2.20

this might help.
Nate
November 12th, 2007 at 11:42 pm

how do i open my router’s administration pannel?
Stu
November 13th, 2007 at 4:34 pm

Hi
I have a similar setup to Dave, although we have 3 306’s, all using a netgear wireless router and wireless adaptors. We have one open connection but the otehr 2 consoles struggle to get more than strict! We dont have a PC connected either. Hope you can help!
MarkyMark
November 14th, 2007 at 3:53 am

This site helps a lot. I have been trying to get my NAT settings to “open” for about a month or two and i finaly did it thanks to this site. I would have to say that out of all the other web sites for nat settings this would be the best.
Paul
November 16th, 2007 at 8:43 am

I have JUST found this website after buying a belkin router.

I used to have an open NAT but since i got the belkin its moderate! i hope this works

thank god for you writing this in plain english! cheers!
JACKY WACKY
November 17th, 2007 at 9:21 pm

hi
can you plz help ive been told ur the guy to turn to.

I have a belkin N1 router and the connection is great but the NAT is moderate. can u plz help me change it.
(i dont know the 1st thing about routers)
David Cronk
November 18th, 2007 at 2:47 am

Something to note if you have a Linksys WRT54G(S) Wireless Router. My son had the problem when trying to join games where he was getting the message about the NAT being Moderate.
I did the following and he is now getting an open NAT setting and is able to join the games he was having problems with before.
1. Set the XBOX to a Static IP in the network settings. I looked at the IP his XBOX was currently using just made it a static one. Chances are he would always be assigned the same one by DHCP, but this way you don’t have to worry about it.
2. In the Linksys Router configuration menu:
3.Go to the Security tab and uncheck the box “block Anonymous Internet Requests” and then click Save Settings.
4. Go to the Administation tab and disable UPnP if it’s enabled. Click Save Settings.
5. Go to the Port Forwarding Tab and you will need to forward to 2 ports on the XBOX.
Assign an application name like “XBOXLIVE1″, set the start and end port to 88, Protocol to “both”, enter the IP address thgat you assigned to your XBOX and out a check mark in the ENABLE box. -then-
On the next line, enter the application name XBOXLIVE2, set the start and end port to 3074, protocol to “both”, enter the same IP you used on the line above and check enable. Click Save Settings.
This should be all you need to do.
I checked the XBOX network settings and NAT was now open and he was joining games he couldn’t before.
David Cronk
November 18th, 2007 at 2:54 am

Another note to my original comment:
I was under the impression that I wouldn’t have to bother with port forwarding if UPnP was enabled (which it was). I diabled UPnP when I set up port forwarding because I had heard that you don’t want to use both UPnP and Port Forwarding. I think it made the difference in the end.
Foz
November 18th, 2007 at 9:40 pm

Im using a belkin router, UPNP is enabled and my NAT is open, i can connect to xbox live no problem but shortly into a game i get connection interrupted and dropped. same with most games, its been happening all week, i dont know anything about routers, opening ports etc so have no idea what im doing. whats the problem? UPNP is enable, NAT is open, but im still getting dropped. I have a virgin broadband 20mb connection so that cant be the prob.. (can it). any help would be greatly appreciated telling me how to do whatever i need to do (since my knowledge is minimal), i dont know how to favourite this site either, so could any help please be emailed to me? thanks in advance. If anyone can solve my prob.. i’ll buy you a beer!!! thanks again
Marc
November 18th, 2007 at 10:59 pm

All goood advice but can you help me with this problem or is it even possible. My main PC is connected to the router. I have the Xbox 360 connected to a laptop in the lounge which recieves internet wirelessly. How would I go about Setting NAT to open in this case? because all is good apart from the NAT being open. The local area connection on my laptop assigns automatically IP address of 192.168.0.1 which is different to my router being 192.168.1.1 can this be the cause? Can NAT be open via a wireless laptop?

Thanks in advance.
Marc
lucy
November 21st, 2007 at 7:43 pm

1stly Thanks for taking the time to put this info together.

I have 2 360s connected wirelessly to a belkin f5d7633 and sometimes they’re fine but when my daughter and I try to play in the same game, connection is lost. It happens at other times when just one is on but not as often.

I have upnp enabled but don’t know how to do the other stuff. NAT often says moderate.

Any further help by way of explaining how to do it would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Alex Richardson
November 24th, 2007 at 5:12 pm

Hey thank you so much for this information but…..I can’t find my Router in my computer…like i am searching around to change the preferences but i cannot locate it…can you help me find it?
Ryan
November 27th, 2007 at 3:07 am

hi i really need help if its possible i have xbox live i used to play it all the time taking it to my friends house playing saints row online and it was perfect so i get the net and live at my house and i was still finding games really easy but one day it all changed everytime i go into matchmaking im finding it really hard to find players and if i do it takes a really long time and when im doing gang matches sometimes the game starts without me and im still in matchmaking and there is a few friends i can not here through private chat so one of my friends says my nat is on strict so i just thought it changed automaticaly so i test my connection in the dashboard and it say that my nat is open, i dont no whats going on i am using a bt home hub version 6.2.2.6 can someone please help me solve this proplem i will be so gratefull thankyou
tony
November 30th, 2007 at 1:47 am

So what happens when you get the test to say “open” for the NAT settings and you still have horrible lag on Xbox Live.

I have a Belkin N Wireless router and have played on live with no lag whatsoever on other wireless routers. So I know its nothing to do with my xbox or settings.

Any help would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks

Tony
kelv
November 30th, 2007 at 5:46 pm

hey thanks for taking the time to do this.i have a problem though i dont seem to have UPnP. my guess is i need firmware which i dont have a clue about and dont want to muck up my settings. i have an origo ASR-8400 do u have any idea what firmwear i need please help.

thanks kelv
Lesley
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:57 pm

I have 3 xbox 360s - wireless netgear wgt624v3 - can you help change from moderate to open - driving me nuts. You seem to be the man who knows.
Ryan
December 4th, 2007 at 10:57 pm

hi i posted last time about my nat being open but it acts as if its on stricts and im at breaking point with it now i just bought nba 2k8 and when im looking for a game i find one then i pick my team and the game is about to start then it says there is a network proplem bla bla lol i wouldnt mind but it takes me all the way back to the main menue so i have to load all my settings and search for another game only to have it do the same thing but like i said befour i have a BT Home Hub please can someone help me i will give 2100 microsoft points to whoever helps me please i am really desperate now thankyou
Ryan
jord
December 6th, 2007 at 8:25 pm

cheers m8 nice 1. this has helped but where do what would my password be for the 1st stage open ports
camilo
December 12th, 2007 at 1:49 am

I put the ip adress on the browser’s adress bar, but I don’t know
what is my username or my password. Can anyone help me?
chuck
December 13th, 2007 at 10:41 pm

Thanks, The UPNP enabled worked!
MikeyMoo
December 15th, 2007 at 12:35 am

Hi, i am havin the same problem as Ryan. i also have a BT Home Hub and my xbox nat is set to OPEN but i can never connect to my friends on call of duty 4. Please help us.
lesseirenes
December 15th, 2007 at 12:54 am

Okay, we opened all the ports, and had to shut it all down to finally get it to open NAT. My brother then unplugged the 360 completely and took it to a friends house and brought it back…
Now it is back to moderate NAT! What happend? It took forever (for me, who is like, technologically retarded) to make it open and it’s all in vain!!!
Zach
December 16th, 2007 at 11:38 pm

im soo lost right now but hopefully my dad can do something hes a computer tech
Noddegamra
December 17th, 2007 at 11:22 am

Hi all,

One thing to check that I have not previously mentionned is to make sure your router software version is up-to-date. With routers such as Netgear and Belkin you can check for this within the options (once logged in to your router). Alternatively you can search their website and support sections.

As router manufacturers are now aware of the xbox live connection issues, many have updated their routers to have certain posts enabled by default and other corrections to help you get set to open NAT.

If you have recently purchased your router I still strongly recommend checking to see if your software is the latest version.

+ I know I call it software, others call it firmware. That is probably the correct term
Danny R
December 18th, 2007 at 6:24 pm

i followed through with these steps but their not working…..i have a linksys…
Cloud
December 19th, 2007 at 3:59 am

Thank you :D. I finally fixed my NAT and I’m allowed to play with my friends :D.
Kevin
December 22nd, 2007 at 5:42 am

I did all that stuff, opened the correct ports, tried the DMZ thing. I had done live chat with three different Linksys reps where they walked me through all the possible solutions and nothing has worked. I can connect to Xbox live and send messages, but i cannot use voice chat or join my friends in a match on Halo 3, help me! BTW I am using a Linksys WRT150N router
Dan
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:39 pm

Hey… under my Network settings it says that my NAT is open, but I have problems with connecting with certain people to to an error that says I have “strict NAT”.

Also, the DMZ feature disables all of my internet…

Thanks.
uncutJiggaman
December 27th, 2007 at 6:49 am

UPGRADE YOUR FIRMWARE FOR YOUR ROUTER!

I screwed around with everything listed in every article about this before upgrading my firmware for my router. As soon as I updated, everything worked great! I was using a Netgear Router.
dAN
December 28th, 2007 at 7:15 pm

Im sure all this information will come very handy however, i have the belkin router much the same as you but when u say the ports which have to be forwarded yes they are 88 and 3074 however how do u forward them on a belkin, as there are several spaces, external start, private ect… please explain in detail how to forward those ports on a Belkin!
Mr Man
December 28th, 2007 at 7:29 pm

I also have a Belkin Router! i need help with how to enter the port forwards in the virtual servers section. it says interbnal and external port start which i imaginbe will be the 88 and 3074, however what do you pput for port end internal/external? is it just 88 and 3074 again? and you have to set a custom server i imagine?
Persononfire
December 28th, 2007 at 10:36 pm

Hey, Thanks so much for this site! I couldn’t really figure out the Port forwarding do-hicky but the after I changed the UPnP settings to Enabled on my Belkin router it worked like a charm!

Perhaps you should suggest people try that one first? =)
Taijus
December 29th, 2007 at 9:00 pm

hello… i have a SMC7004AWBR router and i have tried what you have requested but it is still saying strict.
Taijus
December 29th, 2007 at 9:07 pm

oh and thankyou for putting the time together for this
Patel
December 29th, 2007 at 9:10 pm

hi thankyou for puuting this together…i have tried all this but it is still saying stick…i have SmartAX MT882 any suggestions? thanks alot

P. Patel
Steve
December 30th, 2007 at 11:41 pm

Hi,
I’ve had xbox live wired via a Belkin F5D7633-4 router for several months with no problems until tonight when my kids couldn’t get on. I ran the tests and the NAT came back moderate. After reading your post ( very helpful thankyou ) I put the xbox outside the DMZ and NAT went to open. Everything OK for a few minutes then we got kicked again. Checked router and xbox settings NAT was back to Moderate. I’ve just managed to figure out the PNuP, switched that on and we’re back yo OPEN. I don’t have a clue about how to open ports or send UDP/TCP settings though - and would be obliged if you could explain that ( as if to a 5yr old ) in case it goes again.

Thanks again, your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Steve.

PS any idea why this would happen after months with no problems?
Singie
December 31st, 2007 at 1:46 pm

Hi, I have my Xbox 360 connected to a mac computer via ethenet cable. I use the wireless connection from the mac to my wireless router to connect to Xbox live. My NAT is on strict, and I can’t change it because I can’t get on to 192.168.0.2 or 192.168.1.2. Is it because the computer is a mac, and 192.168….. only works on windows. My router is a BT home hub

I’d appreciate any advice.
Bry
January 1st, 2008 at 6:06 am

I have a wired home network in 3 different rooms, 3 PC’s and 3 xbox 360’s. running through a switch and a Linksys AG241 adsl gateway, If two of the xbox 360 consoles are connected to xbox live using various games the system works fine automatically ,but if I try to use a third consol it wont work. It comes up with a NAT error message.
If I take one of the other 2 consols off x box live the other can connect.
Why cant I run three xbox 360’s on xbox live at the same time ???????
Skip
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:31 pm

hey dude thanks for the help my m8 put his belkin n1 router on ebay and bought an xbox specified one coz it wasn’t working with halo 3 LOL but yeah thanks very much!! it worked!!! YAY
Tylor
January 5th, 2008 at 9:10 am

Thanks for this information. And for once the information you’ve given is related to the router that I have too. The Belkin G+ is a good router, but everyone one else always refers to others such as linksys or netgear.
Cheers, again.
Tylor
January 5th, 2008 at 9:14 am

*edit for above post*

Where it said “And for once the information you’ve given is related to…..”
Didn’t mean it to sound as I was directing this at you personally, I meant information on the internet is for once related to the router I have.
Mikey
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 pm

I have two 360’s, one 360 is open, i tried to port foward 2 static ip addresses so both would be open, but one is open and the other is moderate or strict, (moderate when i do manual settings) Should i try DMZ for the second 360 to make it open? Why does it not work for two 360’s just seems wierd. Thanks
Mikey
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Also, both 360’s are connected two a linksys router via ethernet cords, straight from the console to the router
Sam P
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 pm

Thanks so much for this, got mine set to open my forwarding those ports, it worked a treat, thanks a lot, the NAT problem was doing my head in
Nick
January 24th, 2008 at 2:55 am

Thanks David Cronk!

I have that router and it worked. I tried the settings with UPnP and I got moderate, but it went to open when I disabled it. I would never have thought of disabling it.

Call of Duty 4 is so frustrating when you can’t join your friend’s party. :S Microsoft really needs to give more help with this. (I got it to open with just updating the firmware and port forwarding, but it went back to moderate after I got it repaired for some reason.)
andy
January 25th, 2008 at 11:42 am

Can anyone explain this to me, Im on open and my friends on open and we used to be able to connect on private chat and invite each other to games but for some reason this is not working now. We have both tried going straight through our modems which means this cuts out any rooter problems but it still wont connect. I just dont understand why this has happend.
deano
January 29th, 2008 at 11:09 am

hi all i have 2 xbox360s mine is port forwarded and nat is open but my sons always says moderate i have opened dmz and still cant get it to open upnp is on cant think of what im doing wrong everything seems ok but would like it to be open any help please thanks deano
Bryan
January 30th, 2008 at 10:33 pm

hey, i’m really dumb with computers and stuff. i have a mac and i dont no how to access the router’s administration panel rofl. i always lag out of my halo 3 games so i was wonderin how to stop that. anybody else got a mac and no how to access it?
Hudders
January 31st, 2008 at 11:39 am

Bryan - you should be able to access the router via its IP address whether you’re on a Mac or a PC.
Adam
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:29 pm

what is my routers adminstrator panel?
Noose
February 5th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

can someone explain how i can open the ports on my belkin wireless N router, i understand the numbers there but i dont know what the hell i put them into please help i cant play half my mates on xbox live because of this bloody NAT!
Vision
February 5th, 2008 at 9:54 pm

THX for great advices!!:)

I did have necessary ports open, I could play example. NHL08 but couldn’t host games.

Now I configured static ip-address for my 360 and put that to DMZ-zone.

NOW EVERYTHING WORKS!!:)

NAT Moderate changed to NAT Open.

THX!!

Dlink DSL-G604T
James Ramsay
February 14th, 2008 at 11:29 am

Cheers mate! This was bang on!
jamesM
February 20th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

thank you for the information ive benn playing cod4 since christmas with the game cutting out it was really starting to piss me off thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
matt
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:25 pm

the problem I seem to be having is that my link light is green, my active light is nothing. I just got this console back after the RRoD. It connects to the modem no problem, but I cant get it to stay active to the router. Any help guys?
Steve
February 29th, 2008 at 5:51 pm

Thanks, great post.
The real help was the port numbers, you won;t believe how hard it has been to find these.

Mind you if the DMZ worked on the Belkin N! router there wouldn;t be this problem, apparently according to Belkin a patch is due to be released soon.

Thanks again
hads
March 11th, 2008 at 6:39 am

can u help me mate i have a billion 7400g and i cant figure out how to get my nat from moderate to open.
hads
March 11th, 2008 at 6:43 am

sorry up date on my last post its a 7300g billion
jayne
March 12th, 2008 at 8:10 pm

Hi, my son’s xbox has been playing up lately. The NAT says strict. I’ve tried contacting x box but they just keep saying there are 5 ports blocked (UDP88, UDP3074, TCP 3074, UDP 53, UDP 3330). I’ve discussed the problem with the broadband provider, Talk Talk , on numerous occasions..only to be told they ‘don’t support xbox’. I have a smartax MT882 router…does anybody have any idea what to do? HELP!
Blade
March 16th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

I have set both my friends xbox and my xbox to open but we still can’t private chat or enter each others games.
Blade
March 18th, 2008 at 8:18 am

I’ve gotten it to work now the problem was he had to restart is Xbox before the changes took affect.
TheAzureDream
March 18th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

I’ve got a Belkin N router and use Virgin Cable Broadband (I have a wired connection from my router). When I first installed it, it went to open NAT (uPnP automatically enabled) first time and wasn’t a problem for a couple of weeks. Then suddenly a week ago I was unable to hear a certain friend of mine during games and we cannot even communicate via private chat (though we can send eachother voice mails). Both of us have open NAT settings.

Any ideas? The Router Firmware is up to date BTW.
Fullyloaded083
March 26th, 2008 at 5:56 am

Thanks saved 30 bucks by not going with the xbox router and got a cheap one that works great. A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lewis Taylor
March 26th, 2008 at 7:32 pm

I have no idea how to even get into the routers administrators panel and finding the ip adress?
Turbanater
March 27th, 2008 at 7:17 pm

i have a belkin F5D7230-4 iv been struggling with moderate nat since i got my xbox .a few weeks ago i set up a ststic ip and enabled upnp and its open . i did this for my friend aswell and we both have open nat but still cant join eachother. any help would would come in handy

CHEERS
Mikey
March 27th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

what is a UPnP and where can i find it? where do i open the router panel
xfrank
March 27th, 2008 at 9:12 pm

I get an error that says “The public port number cannot be 88. Because it will have a collision with the Wireless Router webservice.” Anyone know a way around this error message?
Turbanater
March 29th, 2008 at 1:10 am

(MIKEY) you access your router by typing 192.168.2.1 if that dosnt work google(name of router) ip .once you access your router just browse through settings till you find enable or disable upnp
Nick
March 29th, 2008 at 11:02 pm

Really good info. Does anybody know how to pull up Belkin router’s administration pannel. I cant figure it out
Joe Anderson
March 30th, 2008 at 4:52 pm

When ever i type my ip adress in the adress bar it keeps comming up to google and idk wat to do from there??? my ip adress is 192.168.2.2 please help me gamertag is joe123x contact me there or reply back.
ross
March 30th, 2008 at 9:00 pm

i want to hav an open nat, because it is very difficult to find other people to play xboxlive with and it is very annoying.
joe
March 31st, 2008 at 2:33 am

my nat is open now thx and i still cant connect to some people??? y
joe
March 31st, 2008 at 2:38 am

@jayne@ u have to type the ip adress in the adress bar and then u have to go to ur NAT and there will be a setting sayin like upnp i think then go to that and hit enable and it should work.
joe
April 1st, 2008 at 12:41 am

i need help i still cant connect to peoples rooms and my nat is open
Turbanater
April 1st, 2008 at 3:14 pm

For belkin routers its defaulf ip is 192.168.2.1
joe
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 am

i hav a bekin i enables the upnp thing and i still cant connect to people. i restarted my router i think idk how to realy but i need help.
Mitch Monsoon
April 6th, 2008 at 8:52 am

Hi there all, i have the t-mobile web n walk modem which is a dongle plugged directly into my laptop.. i have connected it to the x box viathe ethernet cable..

it connected itself all fine and i didnt have to do anything … i can get connected online fine and have played a few games online but i do have the problem of the NAT settings being strict… reading abve i see a lot about port settings for routers etc , but is the web n walk plug in thingy classedas a modem ? cananyone help me over come the strict NAT setting ??

thanks..
piratmonkey
April 7th, 2008 at 2:32 am

i have an open NAT and my connection is usually fine
but when i try to private chat someone the private chat disappears and when i try to join certain friend’s games, it says i’m unable to connect to the host
Muppie
April 12th, 2008 at 11:07 am

I have tried everything and yet still nothing works. My xbox is plugged into the router and i just run laptops wirelessly. I am sick of having strict settings that even when i follow instructions just dont go away. I am not the most skilled computer woman but i just want my xbox to be like it should !! Please please someone help me before i rip all my hair out
Muppie
April 12th, 2008 at 11:26 am

Nope its alright somehow using woman brainpower i did it….still not quite sure how though
James
April 15th, 2008 at 9:46 am

I have netgear router wireless connection to 360 upstaires but now I keep getting connection interrupted on call of duty 4 my nat is open and have ports enabled but still wont stop saying that message

please help
Thomas
April 17th, 2008 at 7:16 am

Hey , greetings from Norway.

Me and my friend have problems creating a party in COD4, I have been looking for information for a long time now. We will try this tonight! Thank you! :o)
jack
April 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

i dont understand im a bit of a dunce a computrs i ouldnt find rouers admin where can i find it n computer please
Enne (M1n1 E
April 20th, 2008 at 11:14 am

thx man i think it is fixed now my friend who i had trouble with connecting isnt online so i cant check idf i can connect him now but halo doesn’t warn any more about my nat status i hope i can connect with my friend again
THX
Webbadon
April 21st, 2008 at 6:41 pm

Hi,

I have a weird problem with my xbox 360, I connect to xbox live, and then the xbox icon appears and says x amount of friends online. But my dashboard says connect to xbox live, which I have :S I’m so confused lol.

Thanks
Webbadon
April 21st, 2008 at 6:51 pm

Hi, me again,

I just had a thought, xbox live had just updated, then my problem occured. Could it be because of the update :S. Also I have a linksy router, and my NAT settings changes from moderate to strict :S::S:S:S:S:S:S please help!

Thanks
gypsypixiegirl69
April 21st, 2008 at 11:54 pm

Hi I have a SMC Router but I can’t figure out how to get to it from my desktop like I tried going to control panel and all that I just can’t figure how to get to like the administrative thing or whatever and Its hard to play halo w/ it strict like this cause it takes a really long time to find people!
Mikey
April 30th, 2008 at 11:43 am

This looks as though it will work….. however i managed to ruin it all before i found this site.

I logged on to the routers settings and disabled the NAT thing alltogether. Now only 1 computer can connect to the internet through the router. I cant get back to the routers setting my typing the IP into the address bar. Any ideas? because its annoying now
Matt
May 6th, 2008 at 1:52 pm

Hi, need some info, my roommate and I have the belkin wireless g router F5D7230-4 and we are trying to hook up two xbox 360’s through the 4 ports in the back. We can both connect to xbox live, however, we can not play the same game for example call of duty 4. We each own the game and have two consoles but cant seem to be able to play together. I tried port forwarding for both the xbox consoles with two different IP addresses for both but in virtual servers it gives me an error saying inbound port ranges can not be the same numbers, or something. Any help is greatly appreciated
spongebob
May 8th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

There are lots of posts about trying to get more than 1 xbox to work on xbox live. I have managed to get it working with my Zoom 5590 modem but should be same for others. Initially had 1 xbox configured as per the information above: xbox with fixed IP address and my modem set as DMZ for the xbox and upnp on. This was definately required with just one xbox. I could never get a 2nd xbox to get better than moderate NAT. I now have NO DMZ or port forwarding configured (upnp still enabled) and my xbox’s are configured for Auto DHCP and Auto DNS. Both now get OPEN NAT all the time. So 1 xbox=DMZ and fixed IP and for 2> xbox = no DMZ and Auto IP.
spongebob
May 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

Forget one detail. Even though I have auto dhcp on the xboxs, I have the modem configured to give out the same IP address to each xbox. Don’t know if it makes a difference or not.
Steve
May 9th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

i really do hope this is still a monitored thread..

I used to have OPEN nat all the time.. but all of a sudden ive got a STRICT nat. I really have no idea how the hell im supposed to get it back to open. my step dad runs the network and says hes not changed anything. but it doesnt just change the settings itself does it..

any ideas how i can fix this?
Noddegamra
May 12th, 2008 at 8:14 am

Hi Steve, it is very hard to answer each comment, but I will still try

For your NAT to go from OPEN to STRICT after a long period of time, I feel something must have changed. It could be a firewall setting, a new firewall, a new router, or a recent router upgrade. Infact, there are probably many more possibilities. It is very hard to estimate with no real data.

Is it strict all the time? Or was it a one time event?

Do you have the ability to check your router settings? If so, have a look at my guide above to see what things to look for in configuration.

It may sound silly, but have you tried restarting your router? Turn the power off for 10 seconds, and then turn it back on (ah, these complex techniques are the best). This will make it re-assign ip addresses (unless you have been setup with static ones), in which case, you need to see if your xbox ip, matches one with correct rights in your firewall.

It definately has something to do with router/firewall configuration though. There is nothing in your xbox settings that will change NAT, nor will your internet provider. It’s the permissions given to what your network filters out which is responsible for your NAT setting.

Good luck, please let me know how you resolved the problem if you manage to do so as it may help others too
Andrew
May 12th, 2008 at 10:37 am

Thanks a lot for the information, helped me a lot. I eventually found the Upnp settings which made all the difference, that had to be enabled for it all to work properly

Thanks
AnotherSociety
May 25th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

Mr Man
December 28th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
I also have a Belkin Router! i need help with how to enter the port forwards in the virtual servers section. it says interbnal and external port start which i imaginbe will be the 88 and 3074, however what do you pput for port end internal/external? is it just 88 and 3074 again? and you have to set a custom server i imagine?

I also have a this problem how do i sort it out thanks very much
Christian
May 25th, 2008 at 8:44 pm

Hey, when I tried to put the 88 port into the virtual servers it said it would cause a collision with wireless router service. Any ideas?
Sam
June 8th, 2008 at 9:18 am

Hi, I’ve been having troubles with xbox live for a while now.

At the moment my NAT status is Moderate.
I have a Linksys WRT54GL router, so my internet goes to that and then wireless to all my computers xbox.

The problem is that i can play online fine but i cant join my friends games. I can’t team up with him or anything. He lives literally next door, and is on the same service provider than me.

I’ve tried this port forwarding but I’m not entirely sure if I’m dong it right. I don’t get the Start and End bit of the port forwarding.

Also I’ve tried the DMZ but it seems to make no difference.

Another thing i think i shou

Are you having trouble changing moderate and strict NAT settings?

NAT Settings

Belkin Router

Open Ports Required for XBOX Live

Static IP Address and DMZ

UPnP

None of that worked, what else can I try?

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