Xbox LIVE ! Friends can't join my party, i can't join theirs. (NAT Open)

[#1]

Hi everyone.
I have registered on here as i remember when i signed up, the nice guy on the phone said there's a lot of help on here ! If anyone can sort my issue i'd be eternally grateful and mightily impressed to boot ! 
The problem is really irritating and happens occasionally, well maybe a bit more than that, and is bad enough to to spoil my xboxing. Sometimes i just cannot join a party, or private chat at all. i send out invites to start a party or to private chat and i just get an unable to join message after it takes an age to try. my nat is open, but there must be another setting i've missed. my mates say it only happens with me !!
please help mr plusnet guy, or some clever person who may not work for plusnet but knows loads of stuff about this kind of thing.
dan- (Ozzzy189 gamertag)

[#2]

Welcome to the forum

Quote

According to ClickClickBoom up on the Xbox 360 forums, "all that is required is to enable DMZ, use port forwarding, or use UPnP. Using them all at the same time is just last resort. The point is to try them one by one." There is also reason to believe that this set of instructions may not work for everyone so take caution and see more pages on this topic before you proceed. Step 1: Get your Xbox 360's IP address from the system blade and choose network settings. Then edit settings should show your Xbox's IP. Step 2: Go into your routers configuration window through Internet Explorer. In the address bar type in your routers IP address. It should be default at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1. When you're prompted for a password you have found it =P. If you haven't changed it the username and password should both be admin, and admin. Step 3: USING DMZ When you enter into your router config window, you need to find the Tab DMZ, it should be under applications and gaming if you are using Linksys. Once you find the DMZ tab, click enable and type in the last digits of your XBOX into the box below. Yes when you do this you are opening all the ports on your Xbox, which is insecure, but show me someone that has hacked into an xbox 360! MAKE SURE YOU SAVE SETTINGS Step 4:Using Port Forwarding After you have enabled DMZ, find the Port Forwarding tab, which should be under advanced routing. For the name type in XBL or whatever you want, and for port range put 87 to 89, choose UDP, then your XBOX last digits and enable. Then do 3073 to 3075 choose TCP, then your XBOX last digits and enable. Then again do 3073 to 3075 choose UDP, then your XBOX last digits, and enable. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE SETTINGS Step 5: Using UPnP This is just in case. Go into UPnP forwarding and enter the same stuff you did for Step 4. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE SETTINGS Step 6: Now logout of your router config. Unplug your router and modem from the power, then plug in the router 1st, wait 30 seconds. Then plug in the modem and wait at least 2 minutes. If you don't do these hard restarts it might not work! Step 7: Restart your Xbox and go to the system blade, choose network settings, then test connection. This may take a bit, but when it gets down to NAT type it should say OPEN. If not, sorry. You can just undo all the settings we changed, you can just uncheck enabled on the port forwarding. Or if you want to restore your router to the factory defaults just push the reset button on the back of it. Again, according to ClickClickBoom, there is reason to believe that this set of instructions may not work for everyone so take caution and see more pages on this topic before you proceed. Good luck!

Source  http://news.softpedia.com/news/Guide-to-Opening-NAT-Xbox-360-71775.shtml

[#3]

thanks. i will look into this. i'll let you know how i get on.

[#4]

found dynamic dns no dmz anywhere ! although UPnP is selected. i don't know why i have these issues when my nat is open.

[#5]

none of this seems to apply to my thomson gateway at all. nothing in my menus resembles what's on the instructions.
Game & Application Sharing 
This page summarizes the games and applications defined on your Thomson Gateway. Each game or application can be assigned to a device on your local network.

Universal Plug and Play
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a technology that enables seamless operation of a wide range of games and messaging applications.
   

Use UPnP: Yes

Use Extended Security: No

Assigned Games & Applications
The table below shows the games and applications that are allowed to be initiated from the Internet.
You need to configure such games or applications if you like to act as a game server or share a server located on your local network with other people.
If you are simply a player or simply accessing the Internet, you don't need to configure games or applications.



Game or Application Device Log 



Xbox Live Xbox360 On

[#6]

i have noticed my 360's ip address in the gateway is different to the ip address in the 360 itself.
my router is a thomson gateway seen below- (i hope) !!
http://www.plus.net/support/hardware/thomson585v7new.pdf

[#7]

still not managed to find the dmz. can anyone else help please ?

[#8]

The only other thing I can suggest Is try this site and see If It helps you any. http://portforward.com/

[#9]

cheers steve. i'll try it when i have more time. all the best- dan.

[#10]

I have a similar problem to this too  
Before I explain I should say that I really don't know much about networking, NAT types, router configuration and all that jazz, so try not to be too technical with me  
I have an Xbox 360 and when I do a network test it tells me my NAT type is strict, and therefore I have a really hard time trying to connect to games on Call of Duty Black Ops. After trawling internet forums and reading numerous cases of people with the same issues I decided to try out some of the solutions people have mentioned. So far I've made sure UPnP was enabled, forwarded ports for Xbox Live and Black Ops through guides on www.portforward.com, given my Xbox a static IP, and tried putting my Xbox in a "DMZ". The DMZ thing has worked insofar as changing my NAT type to "Open", but now I just find it nigh on impossible to connect to any games.
I'm on the verge of giving up Black Ops as a lost cause unless someone can help me out?
I have the Thomson TG585v8 router supplied by plusnet btw.

[#11]

That seems to be a comon problem with the COD games and the thomson routers I have found.
One solution I have found is that if you have UPnP enabled is to disconnect the network cable from the back of the xbox, then turn off the router.  Leave it a minute and switch off the xbox.  Then you switch the router back on and wait till its fully booted and connected to the internet and with the network cable plugged into the xbox switch it back on.  I know that helped a few of my friends with thomson routers.
My concern is that this seems to be a common occurance with plusnet and the thomson routers but its not limited to the plusnet supplied ones as a non plusnet supplied one does the same.

[#12]

Thanks for the suggestion, Bud. However I have one of the new Xbox 360 S' so I connect wirelessly. Do you think it'd still help if I did the same thing minus the network cable?
I was with o2 before I move to plusnet and they supplied Thomson routers as well, I'm assuming the one I had previously would have been a v7 and I never had problems gaming with that one, NAT was always open, connection was pretty decent etc.
If I can't get this issue resolved do you know if plusnet will let me buy and use another router of my choice and return the Thomson to them?

[#13]

Not sure, as I havent seen this issue with wireless, but I guess its worth a shot.

[#14]

go to game and application sharing, and select create a new game and then select manual entry of ports add from 1 to 8000 in the port range,save it as xbox or something.if you apply it to the xbox ip address you should have open nat,it works for me

[#15]

I had similar issues with thompson router try other forum for router as they may be able to help, i changed back to my bt hub as i found thompson router was connecttion was slow and buggy ie unable to join games etc