Double NAT: What Is It & How to Fix It in Australia? - PureVPN Blog (2024)

As a hardcore gamer, it is nearly impossible to resist the urge to answer the call of your friends for a battle night on, let’s say, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. And when you have made up your mind for binge-gaming, you would feel greatly annoyed when you can’t host a game or join a server.

The annoyance shoots through the roof when you see that all your efforts still lead to unable to host a server or join one. Ever wonder what the reasons could be behind such problems during online gaming?

6 out of 10 times, it can be a Double NAT issue. In today’s guide, we will discuss what a Double NAT is, how it ruins your online gaming experience, and what you can do to fix it once and for all.

What is NAT?

With NAT, your home network will be secured and hidden from the outside world. This process also allows all devices to share a single IP address provided by an internet service provider because every device on the network has its own private IP address, which can’t be accessed directly without going through this protocol first.

Read more: Find out everything about NAT types and how you can bypass it

What is Double NAT and How It Happens?

Double can sometimes mean trouble, and so as the Double NAT. Usually, on a home network, you connect to the internet through a single router that carries a public IP address and assign your devices a private IP address.

But often, you may find yourself behind more than a single router, such as in schools, hostels, hospitals, and everywhere there is advanced networking. Unlike in the situation of a single router, our devices are tagged with double private IP addresses in the case of a Double NAT, causing issues during online games while opening specific ports or even connecting a VPN.

In more simple words, Double NAT prevents the devices connected to the first private network from communicating to the connected devices to the second private network. So, the team chat room that you are unable to join or the Modern Warfare server you fail to host may probably be the issue that you are facing due to Double NAT.

How to Check for Double NAT in Australia

Double NAT isn’t something that you notice as soon as you switch to a different ISP. In fact, you won’t be able to tell that whether you are on a single NAT or Double NAT, not unless when you start noticing Double NAT error on your gaming console or unable to host servers.

But there’s away. By pinging to any public server on the internet via your operating system’s command prompt, you can detect if you are behind a Double NAT network. Here’s what you may need to do to identify or detect Double NAT:

1. Open a command prompt on your OS.
2. Type the following: tracert 8.8.8.8. It is Google DNS.
3. Check the first two hops for private IP addresses.

If the first two hops show private and public IP addresses, you are using a single NAT. But if the first two hops show private IP addresses, such as 192.168.1.10 or 172.16.0.1, it means there’s a Double NAT.

What are Double NAT Problems?

For starters, Double NAT means double setups and configurations. For instance, if you wish to forward a service port on your router, let’s say to play an online game, you may need to forward ports on both routers. If you happen to configure port forwarding only on one router, the incoming traffic will stop midway, leaving you without internet, gaming, or any other desired service.

Double NAT may cause trouble when using applications or services that require Universal Play-and-Play (UPnP) support. For example, you may not be able to connect to any online game servers, use a VPN, or access an IP camera remotely. You may need to turn off UPnP on your router, and in some cases, open specific ports on your router.

In another case, Double NAT may prove to be an annoyance when you need to use the QoS (Quality-of-Service) feature on your router. QoS allows you to prioritize traffic on your preferred services, such as gaming, streaming, or downloading files. But when you have Double NAT involved, things get pretty complicated due to the QoS configurations on both routers.

How to Fix a Double NAT

If it is confirmed that you have a Double NAT problem, here are a few methods you can consider to fix the problem and seamlessly enjoy gaming.

1. Remove ISP Router from Your Network

The first thing you can do to fix the Double NAT router is to remove your ISP router and connect your internet and other devices directly to your preferred router. This way, you will only have a single NAT, and you will not have to face any issues with online games or port forwarding and configuration further.

2. Enable Bridge Mode on Your ISP Router

If you don’t want to part with your ISP router, you can turn it into a passthrough modem by enabling the Bridge Mode function. Disabling the Bridge Mode removes all the routing functionality from the router and passes the traffic without any hurdles. Here’s how you can do it:

• Open your router’s login page (find details either on the back of the router or in its manual)
• Enter the credentials to proceed
• Click Wireless Options on your router (the name of an option may vary in different routers)
• Toggle on or Enable Bridge Mode
• Click Save Changes

3. How to Fix Double NAT via Your Router

Don’t worry if your router doesn’t support the Bridge Mode. You can still fix the Double NAT problem by making your non-ISP router an Access Point. The Access Point functionality will work in the same manner, removing the router’s NAT functionality.

• Open your router’s login page (find details either on the back of the router or in its manual)
• Enter the credentials to proceed
• Click Wireless Options on your router (the name of an option may vary in different routers)
• Toggle on or Enable Access Point (AP) Mode
• Click Save Changes

How to Fix Xbox One “Double NAT Detected” Error

Your Xbox One may show a “Double NAT Detected” error in the network setting if your gaming console is behind multiple routers or gateways. In that case, you can fix the error by going through the above methods, such as enabling Bride Mode, removing the ISP router, or making one router an Access Point.

If the above methods still fail to resolve the Xbox One “Double NAT Detected” error, try out the following methods.

1. Use Perimeter Network (DMZ) to forwarding Connections

• Log into your non-ISP router
• Check the status page for WAN/IP Address
• Log into your ISP router either through Wi-Fi or ethernet connection to a WAN port from PC
• Go to the DMZ settings page.
• Now, enable DMZ using the IP of your non-ISP router that you noted in step 2
• Save settings

2. Use Double Router Port Forwarding

• Log into your first router
• Now, forward ports to the other router’s external IP address
• Log in to the other router
• Forward port to your gaming server or any other application you want to run smoothly
• Now, configure the static IP address on the other devices
• Ensure the second router has static IP configured

Here’s How to Set Up a Static IP Address on Windows 10

1. Go to Command Prompt
2. Type ipconfig /all
3. Find your Network Adapter
4. Note down the following: IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, and DNS Servers
5. Go to your router’s Status page to see if the DNS servers show the same IP as Default Gateway that you noted down
6. Go to Windows 10 Settings app
7. Click Network & Internet and then click Change adapter options
8. Right-click to go to Properties of the main Network Adapter
9. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
10. Go to Properties
11. Note down current configuration
12. Select Use the following IP address
13. Choose an IP address for your PC
14. Enter the Subnet Mask and Default Gateway
15. Click Use the following DNS server addresses
16. Enter the two DNS servers that you noted from your router‘s status page
17. Click OK.

How to Fix Double NAT on Starlink Routers

The easiest way to open and fix Double NAT is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) with a port forwarding add-on that encrypts your internet connection and open ports for a stable connection. A VPN helps you access streaming sites that are not available in your region, play uninterrupted games online, and enhance privacy on devices.

How to Fix Double NAT on Spectrum Routers

Spectrum is one of the leading internet service providers. The only downside is that you might struggle to use a few sites and platforms based on the region you are in. You can use PureVPN’s port forwarding add-on to open ports and bypass CGNAT on Spectrum routers.

How to Fix Double NAT on Xfinity Routers

The best way to fix and open NAT on Xfinity routers is to get a VPN and connect to a country server. Plus, you can use the port forwarding add-on with a VPN to open ports behind double NAT or bypass CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT) easily. The best part is that you don’t need any technical expertise to open ports behind a router at home or at work.

Bypass CGNAT Now

Final Note

Double NAT isn’t a concern for every internet user. As mentioned earlier, you may not even know if you are on a Double NAT network as you may not be having trouble with online games and other services.

But if you do have trouble playing games, you may find it difficult to tackle the Double NAT problem unless you follow our guide.