The Best Way To Fix 'Double NAT' Error On Xbox Series X
The Xbox series X is a powerhouse of a machine, but like all modern consoles, it relies heavily on a good internet connection for a lot of its functionality. Players don't just need the internet to play online with friends — they also need it to update their software, download titles from Game Pass, and share their captured media. That's why it's so frustrating that so many people have been experiencing something called the 'double NAT' error.
NAT stands for Network Address Translation. It's "a process in which one or more local IP [addresses are] translated into one or more Global IP [addresses] and vice versa in order to provide Internet access to the local hosts," (per Geeks for Geeks.) This is how most electronic devices connect to the internet. Unfortunately, all kinds of problems can crop up when the translation process doesn't work as intended. For Xbox users, this can manifest as being able to join the Xbox network, but not being able to connect to friends through chat, or they may not be able to host or join a party in multiplayer.
Players can check this by navigating to Profile & System – Settings – General – Network Settings. Once here, it will say "double NAT detected" if this is the source of the issue. There's no need to panic just yet though. There are a few steps that might be able to help players fix the double NAT error on Xbox Series X.
Step 1: Check if you have a modem or gateway
In order to diagnose the source of the issue, the official Xbox support page suggests that users first need to know exactly what kind of internet connection they are using. The first step in this process is figuring out if they are using a modem or gateway. According to minim, a modem is a device that takes "the broadband company's telephone lines, optical fiber, or coaxial cabling and converts the information to a digital signal." It is not generally used to distribute that internet signal, however. Modems usually rely on a connected router for that task instead. Gateways, on the other hand, are basically a two-in-one solution, performing "the jobs of both a router and a modem" all on their own.
The Xbox support page suggests that users can figure out what kind of internet hardware they have by examining the setup itself. If they only have one device, and it has multiple ethernet ports and broadcasts its own wireless signal, then it is most likely a gateway. Users should check even if they do have two devices though as they may have a router attached to a gateway. Labels on these devices might indicate the manufacturer information and the device's model number, which users can look up online in order to determine what they are using.
Once the user knows what they're working with, they can jump to the section that matches their internet setup.
Step 2: Setups with a modem
If the user has determined that they have a modem/router setup, Xbox recommends that they try using an ethernet cable to connect the console directly to the modem, bypassing the router entirely. This should eliminate any conflicting connections that the console is receiving from the router and the modem. If the console was connected over WiFi, the user may need to change the settings to make sure that it is using the connected ethernet cable as its only method of connecting to the internet.
Once this is done, restart both the Xbox Series X and the modem. Don't be surprised if the modem takes a few minutes to boot back up all the way. Once both devices are fully online again, the user should navigate to the console's Network Settings and make sure that the NAT message is gone. This should resolve the issue, but Xbox recommends that users contact their internet service provider if they are still seeing the message after completing this process.
Move on to step three if the double NAT error returns upon reconnecting to the router.
Step 2: Setups with a gateway
Setups that use a gateway can be a little bit more complicated. If the user is only using a gateway and does not have an additional router, then Xbox support suggests that the only thing that there is to do is to contact their internet service provider.
If the user has both a gateway and a separate router, however, then there might be something that they can do. They should start by removing one of them from the network. There are a few ways that this can be done.
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The first (and typically the best) option is to put the gateway in Bridge Mode. This makes it so that the gateway simply behaves as a router and does not broadcast its own conflicting internet signal.
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The second option is to change the settings on the router so that it only serves as an access point and doesn't create its own NAT.
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The third is to remove the router from the equation entirely so that the gateway is the only device creating an internet signal.
Once users have followed whichever of these solutions works best for them, they should restart their Xbox and then navigate to their Network Settings to make sure that the "double NAT detected" message is no longer there. Move on to step three if it is still present.
Step 3: Do you have more than one device broadcasting WiFi?
The main reason why most people get the double NAT error on the Xbox Series X is that the console is receiving more than one NAT signal. There are a few things that can cause this, but the most common cause that many users have found is that the console is receiving two different internet signals. Xbox's steps handle most standard situations, but there are also reports of this happening when gamers are using multiple broadcasting devices such as gateways, routers, and WiFi repeaters (AKA WiFi range extenders) – especially when those separate signals are using the same WiFi.
If the user has a second router or WiFi repeating device, then it is definitely worth temporarily unplugging it and making sure that it isn't the source of the problem. Once the device is unplugged, simply connect the Series X to the primary internet source, restart it, and then follow the same steps outlined earlier to reach the Network Settings and make sure the "double NAT detected" message is gone. If this fixes the problem, then users may need to look up how to change their second router or WiFi repeater's settings so that it simply serves as an access point.