How to Connect Wirelessly to Xbox Live With Open NAT

So there you are, primed and ready to co-op play online with your friend billy who really sucks at games, but makes you look good. Why can't you see him online? ARG! What is this moderate NAT rating that the Xbox dashboard is giving me?This is quite a common occurrence amongst those who are wirelessly connected to Xbox live. What does NAT mean exactly? It means 'network address translation', and essentially this is used to hide a whole range of private IP addresses under one single public IP.There are however numerous options that will allow you to overcome this hurdle and achieve an open NAT.1) Portforwarding. This option involves assigning a static IP to the Xbox (on your router) and then forwarding that IP.2) DMZ. This requires you to again assign a static IP and add that IP to your router's DMZ.3) UPnP. The easiest option, if it works for you. Simply turn on UPnP on your router.These are all separate methods for getting OPEN NAT. Don't mix them.For more detailed infor mation on this topic and a step by step guide click here:Moderate or strict NAT plagues many gamers wirelessly connected to Xbox live. What does it mean? Network address translation is quite often used with an IP masquerade to hide an range of private IP addresses behind a single public IP address.What does this mean in practical terms for the wirelessly connected Xbox live gamer? Essentially, if you are moderate or strict rated by Xbox live you cannot play games or chat with a lot of other gamers. This limits the Xbox live experience somewhat.However, luckily, there are numerous options to allow you to connect wirelessly to Xbox live with an open NAT. Yay!The options are as follows and ALL require you to access your router's admin software! e.g. 192.168.0.1 in your browser, type in your admin user and password. If you aren't familiar with this then you need to consult your router's user manual (online pdf or hard copy).The 3 separate options:1)UPNP. Simply turn on UPnP in y our router's admin software.2)Portforwarding. This is entails assigning a static IP to your xbox and then port forwarding that address.3)DMZ. This requires you to assign a static IP address and add it to your router's DMZ.If you are interested in a more detailed step by step guide on making NAT open and other how to connect wirelessly to Xbox live guides then click here: How to connect wirelessly to Xbox live with open NAT.

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