The port forwarding isn't functioning... need assistance :(
The port forwarding isn't functioning... need assistance :(
I’ve paused my subscription to my internet service provider for now. Because everyone is at home and Zimbabwe’s internet quality isn’t great, the connection was really poor. I’m currently relying on a 4G router I have, but it doesn’t appear to support port forwarding, and I’ve tried DMZ and StaticIP settings without success. What could be causing this issue?
Can you find any place where the WAN IP you receive is visible? It's typical for 4G providers to use CG-NAT instead of assigning a public IP, which means port forwarding won't work.
You can locate your WAN but need to confirm whether it uses CG-NAT. This setting influences how you configure port forwarding.
CG-NAT functions mainly as a local network setup for the ISP, preventing external access since port forwarding would be required on their end due to shared public IPs among users.
I understand, and I noticed the WAN settings on your router differ from the one on Whatsmyip. Still, thanks for letting me know!
This typically signals a clear sign. It’s often caused by the exhaustion of all public IPv4 addresses, which means 4G services—especially those not meant for gaming or hosting servers—rely on this approach to accommodate more customers than available IPs. You might attempt to call them and check if switching to a real public IP is possible, though I’m not optimistic about that. In the UK with Three, phone contracts usually provide CG-NAT, while data contracts offer a public IP address.
My carrier isn't even answering their calls, huh? That’s interesting—makes sense, right? You can’t assign a unique IP to every user on a mobile network.
However, given my location in a developing nation, the chances of it arriving at any moment are extremely low.