When everything is going well, it doesn't matter how something works. If you have contracted fiber optics and you get a high-speed connection, there is little interest in the ins and outs so that everything goes well. But this changes when something goes wrong. When your connection does not allow you to play online then you wonder if the coverage is adequate, if the router fails or what is the NAT that everyone talks about.
There are many elements that influence the Internet connection to work as it should. Sometimes the problem is with the service you are trying to access. Other times it is the network in general. Others, your provider's network. It's not common but it's not impossible either. In the best of cases, you have connection problems but restarting your Movistar Router solves it.
But sometimes acronyms of technologies or protocols arise that make it possible for you to be reading this article on your smartphone, tablet or computer. When they fail, we get error messages or the page or service we want to access simply doesn't load. IP addresses, DHCP servers, DNS or NAT servers, the issue at hand.
What is NAT?
Fast answer NAT is the acronym for Network Address Translation , translated as Network Address Translation. Long answer. NAT is, according to Wikipedia, “a mechanism used by IP routers to exchange packets between two networks that mutually assign incompatible addresses. It consists of converting, in real time, the addresses used in the packets transported. It is also necessary to edit the packets to allow the operation of protocols that include address information within the protocol conversation.
A simple way to explain what NAT is is to define it as a kind of translator that connects different devices and equipment connected to the Internet. Such is the variety that with some frequency incompatibilities can occur between them. The NAT's job is to make that communication possible.
One detail to keep in mind is that there are three types of NAT depending on the good connectivity between your computer or game console and the game server: open, moderate and strict. Open NAT Type 1 does not require translation for the connection to work. The most common is NAT Type 2, moderate, which implies that the router ports are open, that our device has a fixed IP or that we have the DMZ function activated. Strict Type 3 NAT provides limited connectivity, so not all features and services will work properly. When you go to play online from a video game console, for example, it is common to find a Type 2 NAT.
The problem is that NAT does not always achieve its purpose. The consequence is that we can see on the screen a message such as “Unable to Connect to the Other console(s). NAT traversal process has failed”. In Spanish, it would come to say, “You cannot connect to the other console(s). The NAT traversal process has failed."
How does NAT influence online gaming?
We said that NAT puts different types of equipment and devices in contact. Or rather, it translates different protocols so that the connection is transparent and immediate. And this is important if we play online because we are accessing different services from each other.
From accessing the online game server to logging in with your user to the platform of the game creator. From playing Spotify music while you play to talking to other players through voice chat, which uses its own protocol independent of the game itself. That without counting on the stores where you can buy the games in digital format.
Depending on the router, the device to play online or the type of connection, we can find NAT problems or errors with certain players or servers and not with others. Video game consoles allow us to see what type of NAT we are enjoying, usually Type 2, when we analyze our Internet connection.
What is the solution to NAT problems?
Now that we know what NAT is. Depending on the type of problem we have with NAT, the solution is in our hands or in those of the person with whom we want to play. However, as a general rule, we have certain practices within our reach to improve our connection.
The main solution is to open the ports used by gaming devices. This is common for video game consoles. If you play with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One or Xbox One Series X or Series S, opening the ports will allow you to have a Type 2 NAT with which to play online without problems.
With the help of the Alejandra Portal you will be able to open the ports of your Movistar Router in seconds and with relative ease. You will find more information in this article.
Another possibility is to assign a fixed IP to the game console. In the Alejandra Portal you can also carry out this management. And in more drastic cases, employing a DMZ may solve your NAT problems. However, certain precautions must be taken into account, as we saw in this article on DMZ.