How to Open your NAT Type

I don't know if this is the right section, so feel free to move it. With that said, lets get started. I've been seeing a lot of people having trouble with this recently so, in this tutorial, I'll be showing you a very detailed way how to open your NAT type, so you can connect to anyone Xbox Live. First, let's cover what a NAT is, and what is does. NAT stands for Network Address Translation. Modifying your NAT will be changing how your IP will connect to other IPs. What this means, is that Strict connects to Strict, Moderate connects to Moderate, and Open connects to Open. By changing your NAT type to open, you'll be able to connect to others with ease, and without host errors. Now, let's get started. Note: Experiences may vary by router.



- Open up "Run". (Start > Run)
1. Type in "cmd.exe", without the quotes.



2. Type in "ip config /all", without the quotes. You'll get a list of numbers, go down until you find "Default Gateway". Keep that number in mind (mine is 192.168.1.1).

3. Open up your internet browser, and type in the number that you saw next to Default Gateway (mine is 192.168.1.1). A box will come up, asking for a username and password, depending on what type of router you have it will be a few options:

Username: username
Password: password

Username:
Password: admin

Username: username
Password: admin

If none of these work, try looking for your router serial number on Google, and find out what your "Default Gateway" is.



4. You're now in your Router settings, I wouldn't play with anything. Look for a tab that says "Port Opening", "Applications", or "Applications and Gaming".



5. Start your Xbox, go right until you find "System Settings", click on it. Now, go down to "Network Settings" and click on that. Next, click on Configure Network. You now see all of your network settings, look for what your IP address is. This is the address your router has assigned to you depending on a specific port. It should be, "192.168.1.xxx". Now, turn off your Xbox and keep those last 3 numbers in mind, and continue with the tutorial.

6. Next, you're going to want to fill out your router's settings like mine. Here's a list of what you need to enable.

TCP 80
UDP 88
UDP 3074
TCP 3074
UDP 53
TCP 53

When it asks for the IP Address, put in whatever your Xbox's IP address was earlier. Be sure to check "Enable" for all of them. I have more ports enabled than needed, but that is just for Media Center and other applications.



7. Now, click on Save Settings, and wait for it to say "Settings have been saved", and click "Continue".



8. Start your Xbox, and start Modern Warfare 2. Check your NAT type, and it'll be open.

Remember, depending on what router you have, you'll see different screens, and maybe even a different Default Gateway. I hope I helped.