Open NAT... please help if possible.

[Tegnik]

Hi there guys.

I always have a moderate NAT on Xbox LIVE. Some people say that they notice no effects, but I can report that I am getting issues with joining games on GoW2 and CoD: WaW.

I have searched the internet over and over, but I can't seem to get it working.

Let me explain my setup:

I live in a wireless internet hotspot. So I connect my laptop to the internet using the wireless hotspot. With regards to the Xbox, I connected it directly to my laptop with a crossover cable. I set up internet connection sharing for my wireless adapter through which my Xbox now connects onto the internet. Using this method, I am getting moderate NAT.

Take note that I am not using any routers, as you can see from the above explanation.

Some sites have been explaining that you should bridge your local network adapter and your wireless adapter and forward the necessary ports. I have done so. I think there were three ports (TCP & UDP). But then I realised that the setup they are talking about is for when you want to let your laptop be your "wireless adapter". How this then happens, as I understand, is you connect your laptop to your Xbox in your "bedroom" and then let your laptop connect to a wireless router in the "living room". As you can see, this is not my setup at all, as I don't use a router - because I connect directly through the hotspot here.

Can anyone give some advice regarding this? Is open NAT even possible on setups like these?

Thanks in advance,

Andrew.

 

[enx]

You would need to have ports forwarded on the hotspot router - so you will have to chat to the admin there and have all the xbox live ports forwarded to a static IP address.

I believe the "using the laptop as a wireless adapter" setup you are talking about is exactly the setup you are using -

HOWEVER:
The moderate nat is really not a problem, and you will not be able to get into public GOW2 or COD games by yourself even with an open nat. The thing that all the local online players do is add local friends and play local games. If you get a party of 5, then you can look for public games.

Just go to the local xbox forums: http://www.xbox-360.co.za/forum/ and you will find lots of threads similar to yours and tons of guys who play gears all the time...

Also... bridging the two laptop connections can be a hassle - definitely doesn't work nicely on OSX....

 

[Tun@]

I connect up to COD4 via 3G modem + laptop and also have Moderate NAT all the time.Don't have any problems getting on games...I just die ALOT more than i probably should be,i'm not bothering with the team/headset setup tho.

On the 360 forum is see posted that MTN can give you an unrestricted APN which the guy there was saying he can get OPEN NAT with - I got to follow up on that but for a start MTN say you got to be on contract to get it.
If you can't get/don't want fixed line ADSL then maybe that's another option,guess vodacom possibly has the same option.

Even if you show moderate NAT you can still join the games just ignore the xbox system setup + go direct to the game + log in to XBL via the multiplayer selection.

1 time i had a problem joining games after an update & i found i had to go set locale as South Africa in system settings.

 

[Tegnik]

Thanks for the help. Really appreciated.