What is your NAT type?

Your browser contacts several public STUN servers (Google, Cloudflare) through WebRTC. Each server reports the public address and port it sees you from. If the port is the same for all servers, your NAT is a “cone” type (Moderate); if it changes, it is “symmetric” (Strict). If nobody answers, UDP is blocked.

Latency is measured with very light HTTP requests to AWS data centres around the world (median of 8 tries); jitter is the average variation between two tries, and losses are requests that got no answer. Speed is measured by downloading and then uploading data to Cloudflare for about 6 seconds, over several parallel connections. The values are close to an in-game ping, but a given game server may give a different result.

The console tests its own connection, with its own rules: UPnP, port forwarding or a DMZ for the console can make it NAT 1 while your computer stays NAT 2. A console on Wi-Fi and a wired PC may also go through different networks (extender, second router).

Telling full cone, restricted cone and port-restricted cone apart needs a server that answers you from a different address or port than the one you contacted. The public STUN servers a browser can use don’t allow that, so all three show as “Moderate”. We would rather say so than display an invented result.

Yes. It installs nothing, opens no ports and sends no personal data: only small network requests go to the STUN and measurement servers (AWS, Cloudflare). The result is not stored. The speed test can use up to about 200 MB on a very fast connection; on a mobile connection it only starts if you ask.

NAT (network address translation) lets every device in your home share a single public IP address. Your router rewrites the addresses and ports of each connection. How it does so decides whether other players can reach you directly.

This is PlayStation wording. NAT 1: the console is connected straight to the internet, without a router. NAT 2: it sits behind a properly set up router, the normal case, fine for almost everything. NAT 3: the router blocks incoming connections, which hurts voice chat, matchmaking and hosting.

A router with symmetric NAT assigns a different public port for each destination. Another player cannot guess which port to reach you on, so direct connections fail. It is common on office networks, on 4G/5G and behind CGNAT.

Jitter measures how steady your ping is. A 30 ms ping that swings between 20 and 80 ms is worse than a steady 50 ms: rubber-banding, missed shots, choppy voice. Below 10 ms the connection is stable; above 20 ms the cause is often Wi-Fi or a download in progress.

Some providers (fibre, 4G/5G, IPv6-only routers) share one IPv4 address between several customers. You are then behind two NATs, often Strict, and port forwarding on your router is not enough. The fix: ask your provider for a “full stack” or static IPv4 (often free), or use IPv6.

In order: restart the router, plug the console in with Ethernet, turn on UPnP in the router, then if needed give the console a fixed local IP and forward your platform’s ports to it. DMZ is the last resort, and for consoles only.

UPnP lets a device on your network open ports by itself. The risk comes from a device that is already infected or poorly made (old camera, cheap smart device). On an up-to-date home network, turning it on for gaming is a reasonable trade-off; otherwise, prefer forwarding only the ports you need by hand.

Use Ethernet (Wi-Fi adds jitter), pause downloads and streaming on other devices while you play, pick the closest server or region in the game, and turn on QoS or “gaming” priority in your router if it has one. A VPN almost always raises ping.

Open your router’s settings and look at its “WAN” or “Internet” address. If it starts with 192.168., 10. or 172.16–31., it sits behind another router: put the ISP box in “bridge” mode or switch your router to access-point mode. If the ISP box itself has an address in 100.64–127., that is the provider’s CGNAT.

Yes. The test then measures the VPN server’s NAT, often Strict. Turn the VPN off to see your router’s NAT, or choose a VPN that offers port forwarding.

Settings › Network › Connection Status › Test Internet Connection. The NAT type appears at the end of the test. NAT 2 is the normal result behind a router.

Xbox uses Teredo (UDP 3544) for matches and party chat. This message means UDP is being filtered: turn on UPnP, check there is no double NAT, then restart the router and the console. The NAT type is shown under Settings › General › Network settings.

A: no restrictions. B: good, fine for almost every game. C: some online games won’t work. D: you can only join type A players. F: some online services are unavailable. Run the test from System Settings › Internet › Test Connection.

Less than on consoles: many games use dedicated servers or Steam’s relays. It still matters for hosting a server or a match with friends, for peer-to-peer games and some launchers. Never put a computer in the DMZ.

Very little: the connection goes from your home to the service’s server. What matters is a low, steady ping and enough bandwidth, about 25 Mbps for 1080p and 45 Mbps for 4K depending on the service. The gaming score shown after the test takes this into account.