Troubleshoot port forwarding for FritzBox 6660 with TUF GAMING AX6000 setup
Troubleshoot port forwarding for FritzBox 6660 with TUF GAMING AX6000 setup
Hello, I set up a Counter Strike 2 server on my PC for gaming sessions with friends. I attempted to forward ports 27015 and 27016 (UDP and TCP) through both my routers—FritzBox 6660 using a cable and TUF GAMING AX6000, which connects to FritzBox and my computer. I also enabled the CS2 server via Windows Firewall using PowerShell commands as an admin. However, when my friend tried to join, it didn’t work. My system runs Windows 11. What steps can I take to ensure smooth connections for my friends?
The issue is a double NAT setup. You shouldn’t have two routers connected. This creates more problems than it resolves. Consider switching the Fritzing box to bridge mode or placing the Asus router in AP mode.
What IP address are you sharing? Is it 192.168.x.x or another format? You shouldn’t have two routers operating in router mode, as this leads to double NAT translation. This setup adds complexity to your local area network, especially with the presence of a second Wi-Fi router acting as an access point without routing. That way, traffic would flow straight back to the main router, which could hinder performance. If you’re experiencing slowdowns, consider switching to Tailscale. It enables remote access to your local network without exposing it to inbound firewall rules, and it uses WireGuard for secure communication. You can test it for free as long as the current owner retains ownership, supporting up to 100 devices at no cost. It’s open-source and designed to protect your data from interception. https://tailscale.com/
Thanks for your guidance. I set my Asus router to AP mode and it resolved the issue—both computers were showing the same user/IP in FritzBox, but port forwarding remained unavailable. After a fresh install of Windows and all drivers, the problem persists. Also, is it typical for both devices to share the same IP address on Google? Yes, you can see this in CMD via IPCONFIG—your IPv4 Address is 192.168.x.x. I plan to try Tailscale and will follow up with updates.
You might be connected to CGNAT. Port forwarding won't function properly in that scenario. The ISP relies on NAT because they don't have public IP addresses. This could be due to incorrect settings on your Fritzbox. For port forwarding, you typically require the device's IP address along with the port number and protocol (TCP, UDP or both). It's advisable that the machine needing forwarding has either a reserved IP in DHCP or a static IP outside its DHCP range. The CGNAT IP range here is 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255. On your Fritzbox, look for IP details under Internet settings—it should show your WAN IP. If it matches the range, your ISP is using CGNAT.