Xfinity ISP, Netgear modem/router, NAT problems
Xfinity ISP, Netgear modem/router, NAT problems
You're setting up a gaming hub at home with four PS4 consoles. Currently two are online, but one uses an open NAT while the other is strictly private. This prevents you from chatting or joining lobbies with others. Despite various attempts—hardwired connections, mixed wired/WiFi—I can't get both devices to appear as open NAT. The situation is worsening as you add more consoles. Your ISP is Comcast Xfinity with roughly 750 Mbps. You're using a Netgear AC1900 router and a Netgear DOCSIS 3.0 modem. You've tried opening ports, enabling UPnP, and reading online tips, but nothing works. It's frustrating, especially since it feels like a common issue today.
From a NAT perspective, you’re limited to allowing just one PS4 to be open and routed through the NAT, yet you still need access to most services.
As mentioned earlier, the problem lies with NAT. You receive just one IPv4 address which must be shared. The only solution is to buy extra addresses. This is risky since many regions don’t permit this on residential connections, and you’d also need to lease those addresses. Also, if you do, you’ll have to use their gateway because they provide static IPs and won’t allow third-party modems, at least based on what I’ve heard.