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How to Fix Double NAT and What is it?
Learn what Double NAT is and how to fix it
6 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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If you’ve recently upgraded your Internet connection and have two routers instead of one, it’s highly likely that you’re double NAT-ing. As a novice PC user, that shouldn’t bother you too much.
Some even say that double NAT-ing is even more secure than its singular version. However, if you’re not exactly tech-savvy, you may already have a lot of questions.
You can try to use a powerful VPN service to resolve the NAT issue once and for all, making this option the easiest, but it might not be useful for all users, depending on their network setup and expectations.
In other cases,users have encountered NAT issues while using their PS4 system, which can of course cause a wide range of issues, especially if you have waited for a long time to play a game.
What is double NAT?
To put it simply, double NAT is the situation when you connect to the Internet through two routers. So, you connect to your router, which is behind another router. Thus, you are part of two different private networks, which might seem ideal but it isn’t.
This situation is very frequent whenever your ISP enforces the use of a proprietary router. The ISP-provided router might not be exactly powerful, so you buy an additional one, which is more to your liking.
Due to your ISP’s policy, you are now double NAT-ing, which restricts you in a bunch of ways. For instance, port forwarding becomes a distant memory, since it’s so challenging, if not downright impossible in this situation.
Sure, you could just remove the ISP-provided router, but some companies insist on you using their hardware. A more complicated situation is when you’re using fiber optics and your ISP’s router acts as a signal converter.
For many users, double NAT isn’t a problem. But it can become troublesome if you play online games, want to forward some ports on your router, use UPnP or rely onIP addressassignments.
How to fix double NAT
1. Remove ISP router from the network
You might need to change the way your modem handles the Internet connection. For instance, if your router only distributed dynamic IPs, you might need to change its settings so it can fill in the ISP modem’s position.
2. Enable Bridge mode on your ISP router
You will need to configure your router so it can distribute the traffic that previously ran through the first device. For instance, if the ISP router was configured forPPPoEand your personal device was indynamic IPdistribution mode, you will have to move thePPPoEsettings on your personal router.
Explanation: When you put the ISP router in bridge mode, it disables the NAT feature on it. Thus, it starts functioning as a DHCP server and stops generating IP conflicts.
More so, if it’s a wireless-enabled router, it will lose its Wi-Fi capabilities and you won’t be able to access it on your network using the default gateway address.
If none of these solutions is good for you, here are a few ways you can circumvent double NAT.
How to port forward through double NAT
Note that you should configure the second router in such a manner that its WAN address doesn’t change (static IP). If you use it in DHCP mode, its IP will definitely change at some point, which will render the DMZ IP you used in the first router useless.
If you’re not sure about setting static IP addresses for network devices, we’re going to show you how in the following section.
*– if you see the same DNS server as the Default Gateway, you will need to check the DNS servers displayed on your router’s status page. Alternatively, you can call your ISP and ask them what DNS servers they use, and they should be able to provide you with this information.**– if the IP you saw in CMD is, for instance, 192.168.0.108 (our case), you can change it to any other IP like 192.168.0.xxx, where xxx = any number between 1 and 254, except 108.
If your Internet connection doesn’t work after you went through all these steps, it can be one of two things:
Bypass or disable double NAT, ultimately it’s a matter of choice
If you’re unfortunate enough to be trapped behind the double NAT wall, it can be quite difficult to bypass this situation if you’re a novice. However, if you follow our extensive guide, you should have no trouble.
Regardless of whether you want to eliminate Double NAT or just bypass it through various means, our guide should have you covered. Make sure you follow our instructions accordingly and not skip any step.
More about the topics:Fix network issues,ports
Vlad Constantinescu
Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he’s currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them.
He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report.
In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.
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