Question Connection problems with a Huawei router (HG8245X6-10)

JCarax

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Dec 21, 2016
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Hi,
10 months ago I switched my ISP, it came with a different modem(HG8245X6-10). It is pretty decent overall but I started running into connection issues with games like Battlefield 2042. The game runs fine but I just cannot connect to matches. I get a black screen instead of a load screen and then I'm back to the main menu. I've tried hosting games and launching a game against bots it seems to work that way. Also a weird issue with Warframe rose up, I lose connection to the chat server. These are issues I've never had before with my previous ISP and modem.

I have upnp enabled in the modem interface and I assigned a static IP specifically to my PC so I can forward certain ports.

Is this something that is solvable through modem or windows?
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Hi,
10 months ago I switched my ISP, it came with a different modem(HG8245X6-10). It is pretty decent overall but I started running into connection issues with games like Battlefield 2042. The game runs fine but I just cannot connect to matches. I get a black screen instead of a load screen and then I'm back to the main menu. I've tried hosting games and launching a game against bots it seems to work that way. Also a weird issue with Warframe rose up, I lose connection to the chat server. These are issues I've never had before with my previous ISP and modem.

I have upnp enabled in the modem interface and I assigned a static IP specifically to my PC so I can forward certain ports.

Is this something that is solvable through modem or windows?
Unknown. Lets start with basics.
In a cmd.exe window run ipconfig.exe /all
copy and paste the results.
 
I know nothing about that game and how it hosts servers.

Could it be that your internet is dropping or something. If you leave a constant ping to 8.8.8.8 run in the background does it get packet loss when you have issues with the game.

So is we assume this game needs you to run a server in your house there are three key things you need.

1. You must have a public IP assigned to your router.
2. You must have the ports correctly forwarded.
3. The game must actually be running on your pc using the ports you have forwarded to.

#1 you check the ip assigned to the wan interface. This varies greatly by router. Next check that the IP is the same as a site like whatsmyip. These must be the same which means the IP is public.

#2 I would temporarily use the DMZ option so it forwards all ports to your pc. Not a good long term thing but makes it easier to confirm that the port forwarding will work once you figure out how to configure it.

#3. This I have no clue on. Most games use central servers but some allow private servers. Likely is some guide on how to run a server for that game. You might want to try to disable the windows firewall to see if that is blocking it.

Your problem though might be something more generic like issues with the internet. Most games you can play on a mobile network where you can not get a public IP so it would be strange if that was a requirement for the game.
 

JCarax

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Dec 21, 2016
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Unknown. Lets start with basics.
In a cmd.exe window run ipconfig.exe /all
copy and paste the results.
Tvnm6Qk.jpeg


I redacted some of the addresses.

I know nothing about that game and how it hosts servers.

Could it be that your internet is dropping or something. If you leave a constant ping to 8.8.8.8 run in the background does it get packet loss when you have issues with the game.

So is we assume this game needs you to run a server in your house there are three key things you need.

1. You must have a public IP assigned to your router.
2. You must have the ports correctly forwarded.
3. The game must actually be running on your pc using the ports you have forwarded to.

#1 you check the ip assigned to the wan interface. This varies greatly by router. Next check that the IP is the same as a site like whatsmyip. These must be the same which means the IP is public.

#2 I would temporarily use the DMZ option so it forwards all ports to your pc. Not a good long term thing but makes it easier to confirm that the port forwarding will work once you figure out how to configure it.

#3. This I have no clue on. Most games use central servers but some allow private servers. Likely is some guide on how to run a server for that game. You might want to try to disable the windows firewall to see if that is blocking it.

Your problem though might be something more generic like issues with the internet. Most games you can play on a mobile network where you can not get a public IP so it would be strange if that was a requirement for the game.
1 - I'm not really familiar with the modems interface but how do I see the WAN IP in the interface? I checked my ip from whatsmyip but how do I tell that's the same ip with the routers ip?
2 - I'll check if that's an option in the interface.
3 - I've asked in some other forum about this and someone told me that they had a similar problem and they solved it by purchasing a static IP from the ISP(the same one with mine). I honestly don't want to go down that road because buying a static IP is like a 35% increase in my monthly payment.
 
Tvnm6Qk.jpeg


I redacted some of the addresses.


1 - I'm not really familiar with the modems interface but how do I see the WAN IP in the interface? I checked my ip from whatsmyip but how do I tell that's the same ip with the routers ip?
2 - I'll check if that's an option in the interface.
3 - I've asked in some other forum about this and someone told me that they had a similar problem and they solved it by purchasing a static IP from the ISP(the same one with mine). I honestly don't want to go down that road because buying a static IP is like a 35% increase in my monthly payment.
Huawei locks a lot of their manuals behind some paywall/userid thing. There are almost no screen caps on the internet so it is impossible for me to give you any exact guidance.

Most routers have some kind of WAN status thing that will show you the IP address the ISP has given you. I guess worst case call the ISP and have them help you find it. The ISP will have access to the manual. They also might be able to tell you if they use public or private IP.

Still I am not so sure this really is a IP/NAT issue. It all depends on how this game works. The vast majority of online games have central servers. They don't want to not be able to sell their games to people who do not have public IP....pretty much anyone that plays games on cell phones.
 

JCarax

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Dec 21, 2016
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Huawei locks a lot of their manuals behind some paywall/userid thing. There are almost no screen caps on the internet so it is impossible for me to give you any exact guidance.

Most routers have some kind of WAN status thing that will show you the IP address the ISP has given you. I guess worst case call the ISP and have them help you find it. The ISP will have access to the manual. They also might be able to tell you if they use public or private IP.

Still I am not so sure this really is a IP/NAT issue. It all depends on how this game works. The vast majority of online games have central servers. They don't want to not be able to sell their games to people who do not have public IP....pretty much anyone that plays games on cell phones.
I see. When I go to the router interface, there is a section called WAN but it is view only.

I see one IP address for the router(WAN_INTERNET) and 1 for the Internet TV(WAN_IPTV which is a separate device connected to the router like any other device). If it is the IP next to the WAN_INTERNET we are talking about, that one does not match t he IP address that is shown on whatismyip.
 
That likely means it is a private IP. Although there are other private IP the common ones start with 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x

Not having a public IP usually just means you can not host games. For example on game consoles when you play a game say against one other player there are no servers so one of the 2 players must act as the server. If they are both have private IP then they can not play.

Again most games do not function that way....they want your money. It might be only certain game play types are available to you.

Maybe ask on the game forum what restrictions there are if you do not have a public IP.
 

JCarax

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That likely means it is a private IP. Although there are other private IP the common ones start with 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x

Not having a public IP usually just means you can not host games. For example on game consoles when you play a game say against one other player there are no servers so one of the 2 players must act as the server. If they are both have private IP then they can not play.

Again most games do not function that way....they want your money. It might be only certain game play types are available to you.

Maybe ask on the game forum what restrictions there are if you do not have a public IP.
Yeah WAN_INTERNET IP starts with 10.
My PC's assigned IP starts with 192.

That's weird because I actually can host games in Warframe at least. The game uses a peer to peer hosting there are no dedicated servers. I also checked a site that shows if your ports are open or not and the ports that I thought I forwarded through the modems interface seem to be closed.

Damn I'll probably end up calling the ISP but the problem is people who answer the calls usually are pretty clueless when it comes to the intricacies of networking. They just know where basic stuff(unplug your modem, restart it, etc).
 

JCarax

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You are behind CGNAT. See if you can find any answers on the internet.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Battlefield+2042+CGNAT

One guy said enabling ipv6 probably can solve issue.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/30x1jkkn
Oh man so the only option would be to request a static IP from the ISP which they sell for huge money. For that reason I don't think opting out of CGNAT is a possibility. I did a quick search with the keywords CGN and SOL(my isp) and turns out many people are suffering from this issue, I mean the exact same issue. I'm going through replies but like I thought it seems like buying a static IP seems to solve the issue.
Again I'll call them tomorrow and try to talk to them anyway.

As for IPv6, how do I enable it? From the router interface? Would that work with my modem/ISP ?