Online NAT Type Checker

 

 

What is NAT?

NAT stands for Network Address Translation and is the conversion of a packet’s source or destination IP address in order to forward the data packets over the network. There are four core types of NAT:

The techniques used in the identification of NAT include port availability and the state of the Internet connection to determine which of the four types of NAT is being used in the network

NAT Scheme

How does NAT type influence your connection?

NAT also refers to method whereby routers enable many local devices to share a single public IP address when connecting to the internet. This makes it easy to save IP addresses and to increase the security by effectively hiding internal networks’s addresses.

NAT does not pose much of a problem on normal web browsing, where one opens a webpage or watches a video; however, it is a challenge on P2P connections. Gaming, video, or micro-conferencing that mostly employ direct device to device connection may be affected by a kind of NAT type:

Namely, your network behind Symmetric NAT can only make connections to computers in other private networks if the latter allows incoming connections as well. However, media data needs to be sent through a public server like relay or TURN server which has the drawback of introducing more delay and lesser connection quality.

Selecting the right NAT is very important for creating fluent experiences when using the Internet, especially for activities that involve establishment of direct P2P connections.

See also: