I have 4 devices with static IP's that I'm trying to setup port forwarding with - PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox SX, and Steam Deck. All devices are properly setup for their static IP's. On the router-side, I have the DHCP server set to reserve those 4 IP's for those 4 devices.
From there, I used the router's "Open NAT" feature and enabled port forwarding. I found some slight inaccuracies with the 'automated' pre-sets where you can just choose Xbox Live or Playstation Network for example, and it chooses all the ports for you. I still had moderate or strict NAT with these setups. So instead I manually setup the port forwarding rules myself in the Open NAT feature. Even with all the ports configured exactly as they are listed from portforward.com, it appears NONE of the ports are actually open anywhere. Still moderate or strict NAT for the devices.
Here's my setup:
1Gb Fiber from ISP > ISP provided ONT (no router functions) > ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 (primary - router mode) > TP-Link TL-SG1024DE Network Switch > Devices (all setup via wired connections)
(For what it's worth - I also have a 2nd Rapture GT6 setup as a Node as well)
I called my ISP and confirmed the list of TCP/UDP ports that they block. NONE of those ports are gaming related or on my list of forwarded ports. They also confirmed that they do not interfere with any other ports outside of the list they provided. So there should be no interference on their end. I only have an ONT, and no ISP provided router, etc.
Things I've tried:
- Disable UPnP, reboot network - Enable UPnP, reboot network
- Put one of the gaming devices in DMZ just to see if they respond differently - STILL STRICT NAT
- Disable AiProtection
- Disable router firewall (just for testing!)
- Disable QoS
Settings I normally have ON:
- AiProtection (default settings)
- Port Forwarding
- UPnP
- Firewall (default settings)
- QoS - Adaptive/Automatic, with gaming as #1 priority
- Game Accelerator - All gaming devices are added to the list
Other things to note:
- In LAN settings, I have my DHCP server set to ON, and as I mentioned all gaming devices are assigned an IP through it. Additionally, I specify the DNS to use (cloudflare 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1).
- On WAN settings, I also specify the same DNS server. (I'm new to using this DNS, I used to just use my ISP's DNS till I got this new setup and wanted to maximize performance)
- My TP-Link switch is configurable. I left most settings default, since many of them are beyond my level of experience. However there are some things I wonder about and didn't get clear answers on - like IGMP Snooping, or whether the switch's QoS could be interfering? I tried manually setting QoS to make the gaming devices maximum priority over all others.
- In general, all my internet devices (gaming or non-gaming) work just fine. It's just my gaming devices that show limited NAT status so I'm concerned it will be an issue with online gaming. And well - if I'm port forwarding, it should work!
- When using the router GUI to perform a speed test, I'm getting essentially 100% of my paid for speed (940Mbps down, 430Mbps up on an advertised 1G down, 500M up line)
