Overview

If your video game works at home, but not on campus it is most likely due to how our campus firewall handles video game traffic. Some games require opening ports out to the public internet. Due to security concerns, we do not open ports out to the internet for video games.

We do have a workaround which allows some video games to work. See the instructions below. 

How does a Strict NAT type affect playing video games on campus?

When trying to play video games on the UNW wired or wireless networks, you might find some parts of the game such as voice chat or multiplayer games do not work as expected. You might see errors such as "strict NAT", or "Incorrect NAT type".

Can I request my gaming console or computer to be set to a different NAT type? 

Yes, you can request your gaming device to be set to moderate NAT. Please do the following: 

1. Gathering the following information and submit a ticket. 
   1. For gaming consoles and computers we request the following information:
      
      1. Your wired MAC Address and current IP address
      2. Your wireless MAC address and current IP address (if applicable)
         1. (e.g. MAC: 00-A1-22-AC-E2-BC and IP: 10.22.0.123 or 10.1.0.156)
            
            
2. Please submit a ticket to the IT Department to request your gaming device to be set to a Moderate NAT
   
   1. 
      
      

How do I find my MAC address and IP of my Gaming Console? 

Most often you can find both the MAC address and IP address of your console in the network settings on your gaming device.

Please visit the link below for further instructions. 

https://kb.wisc.edu/page.php?id=79263