# How to open NAT for Xbox Live



## Dudeguyy (May 3, 2010)

I know this topic has been discussed to death, but I haven't been able to follow any of the guides already posted online. If I follow those guides, I can do about half of what they say, but I end up getting error messages when I get to enabling DMZ or port forwarding.

I have a Zonet ZSR1124WE router and a Siemens Gigaset SE567 router modem/router. I can access them both via their IP addresses, 192.168.1.1 for the Zonet and 192.168.254.254 for the Siemens. I've tried making my Xbox IP address static, and accomplished that much. It's static IP address is 192.168.1.97, with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, a default gateway of 192.168.1.1, and DNS servers of 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.254.254. When I attempt to enable DMZ thru the Zonet networking options (192.168.1.1) for the Xbox, I check the DMZ box, and the only digit I can change are the fourth section of the address, so I change the default DMZ from 192.168.1.14 to 192.168.1.97 and click apply. Once the page refreshes, however, it resets right back to 192.168.1.14. And when I attempt to port forward the necessary ports for the Xbox with the Zonet, I enter the port numbers, as well as my Xbox's IP addy and TCP/UDP, and I only get an input error message. Also worth mentioning is that I am using an Xbox Wireless Adapter and not connecting the Xbox directly to a modem.

What the heck is going wrong? I've tried 2 or 3 times, for hours, to open this up and to no avail. Someone please help!!


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## digitalsatori (Apr 28, 2010)

Hi Dudeguy,

I'm sort of confused by your title and your description. NAT settings and port forwarding/DMZ settings are two different things. So, what's happening when you're using Xbox Live? Are you unable to connect to the Xbox Live service? Or, are you able to connect to Xbox Live but your connection is having problems?

Also, who is your ISP and what is the model of your ISP modem? Is the modem bridged?

--- Russ


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## Dudeguyy (May 3, 2010)

I can connect to Xbox live, but my it has always said that my NAT is strict. This leads to choppy gameplay, poor connection at times, and games take forever to find because I can only connect with people who have open NAT's. My ISP is Frontier, and I'm using a Zonet ZSR1124WE router with a ZWA3006 antenna that is supposed to help increase wireless range. My xbox is downstairs and the router is upstairs, so when we move the xbox upstairs, the signal improves but the NAT is still closed. We also have a Siemens SE567 modem/router, but I am pretty sure the xbox uses the Zonet router to access the internet (i.e., the Siemens is the modem and the Zonet acts as the router). I am not sure whether the Zonet is bridged, does that mean is it connected to a modem? If so, yes, it is bridged.


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## Dudeguyy (May 3, 2010)

Oh excuse me, the modem is the Siemens SE567, which I'm pretty sure we got from Frontier, too. I believe it is bridged to the Zonet router, but I could be wrong as to which actually spits out the internet connection to my xbox. I'm not sure, but I believe the Siemens acts as the modem and the Zonet is the router.


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## digitalsatori (Apr 28, 2010)

Hi Dudeguy,

I understand. The strict NAT settings are typically something that is configured on the ISP's modem/router (Siemens). You will need to adjust these settings on the modem directly.

- Open up a web browser, such as IE or Firefox
- Browse to http://192.168.1.254 (the default IP address of the Siemens router; if you've changed it, browse to that address)
- Log in with the username and password for the modem (you may need to obtain this information from Frontier).
- Go to Advanced Settings, click on Local Network
- Click on Plug and Play just below it.
- When the three options appear on the right, click Full IGD support
- Once applied, this should reboot your modem. After the reboot is complete, try to log in to Xbox Live again.

If this works, I would strongly suggest placing your Xbox back on your network and not using the DMZ. The DMZ offers no firewall or other security measures and would allow anyone on the internet unrestricted access to your Xbox. This is a dangerous way to keep any device you own.

Secondly, to keep things a bit easier to manage, I'd recommend changing your XBox back to a Dynamic IP address rather than a Static IP address (unless absolutely necessary). If you your Zonet router fails or is otherwise replaced, a Static IP address will need to be changed to reflect the information of the new router whereas if you leave the XBox with a Dynamic IP address it will automatically pick up any changes to your router.

Hope this helps!


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## Dudeguyy (May 3, 2010)

Ok, I did what you said, checked the Siemens, but Full IGD Support was already enabled. Just ran the Xbox Live Connection test again on my Xbox and it still says closed. I switched back to letting it automatically select my IP Address (dynamic) and the Xbox set itself as follows:

IP Address: 192.168.1.97
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.1.1

DNS Servers: 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.254.254

Any other advice? Most guides for opening NAT's for Xbox live purposes suggest enabling UPnP, which I believe is enabled for both the Siemens and the Zonet, enabling DMZ, which you warned against, and using Port Forwarding to open the necessary ports for the Xbox. Should any of that be done?


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## digitalsatori (Apr 28, 2010)

No, the NAT settings will not be affected by the DMZ/port settings - those settings either work or they don't; there is no "sometimes".

I would try temporarily connecting your Xbox directly to the Siemens modem (bypassing the router) and see if you have the same result. This will tell you if the problem is coming from the Siemens modem or the Zonet router. If you see the same result with the Xbox connected to the Siemens modem, I would suggest calling Frontier directly and ask them what settings are needed to open the NAT settings on the modem to connect to Xbox Live. Leave the Xbox connected directly to your modem and be sure to tell the technician what you want to do and what the problem is; usually they have step-by-step instructions specifically for your modem and will have much more experience with your service and your hardware than anyone on a forum would. 

-- Russ


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