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I have a NAT type of D on my Nintendo Switch that won't resolve regardless of my router settings. My fixed wireless ISP claims that this is because of a firewall on their end, and that I would need to buy a static IP in order to fix this issue.

I did end up buying one, and the technician came to my house to set it up. He couldn't, so I ended up cancelling.

My question is, is a static IP strictly necessary, or should I try something else?

Giacomo1968
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2 Answers2

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@romen answer is not wrong but is not the full picture.

If the ISP is using Carrier Grade NAT for non-static IP accounts - which is becoming common - then they are correct.

Its not so much all jat you need a static IP as much as you need a *world-reachable" IP address on your router. The ISP likely gas a policy/internal technical requirement to provision world-reachable IPs as statics, which makes a lot of sense for an always on connection as it makes your life easier at no disadvantage to the ISP [over allocating it as part if a pool]

To be clear, Carrier Grade NAT (cgn) takes the concept of NAT and extends it into the ISP's network. This means that the IP address used by your connection is shared with others and inbound connection can't practically/reliably be uniquely mapped to your router.

davidgo
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Do I really need a Static IP to fix my NAT type?

Not usually.

A dynamic IP vs static IP is not relevant to NAT. As long as you have a public IP address that doesn't change from moment to moment. For most ISPs they change your IP address rarely, like once every few days or only when you reboot your modem.

NAT (Network Address Translation) is the system in your router that allows packets sent to your public IP to make their way to a specific IP address on your LAN. In the case of game consoles, this would allow you to be the host of a game if your NAT is considered to be "Open". (Probably type B or A for Nintendo).

Your router and/or modem may have firewalls and port forwarding rules that are blocking certain kinds of connections to or from the Nintendo Switch. It is also possible that your ISP has a firewall or blocked ports on their network too.

If all of the firewalls and NAT devices between the Nintendo servers and your Switch are configured properly, you should be able to achieve a NAT type of "A" even with a dynamic IP.

Romen
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  • So, what should I tell the ISP? It's their equipment I need to deal with. –  Nov 25 '20 at 19:17
  • @moonman239, First, you need to know what ports need to be open for the game(s) you're trying to play on Nintendo Switch. Then you need to set up "Port Forwarding" on your router to ensure that the packets sent on those ports are routed to your Nintendo Switch, or you can put the Nintendo Switch in your router's "DMZ". Once that is taken care of you can be reasonably sure that the ISP is responsible for any further NAT issues and you will have to find out whether their network is blocking those ports. – Romen Nov 25 '20 at 19:25