How to Fix Gaming Issues on WiFi Hotspots

Connectify Hotspot Fixes Gaming Issues on Wi-Fi Hotspots

Game consoles often report “Strict NAT” or “Type 3 NAT” when they connect through a PC’s Wi-Fi hotspot. The games may still start, but party chat, voice chat and matchmaking break. The reason is that the hotspot adds a second layer of network address translation between the console and the internet.

The short answer: Connectify Hotspot, a free Windows app that turns a PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot, has a gaming mode that forwards the TCP and UDP ports PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Nintendo need through that layer. It is free in every edition, including Hotspot Lite. Download Connectify Hotspot free and follow the steps below.

Strict NAT, explained

Why your game console gets Strict NAT on a PC hotspot, and how Connectify Hotspot fixes it

Strict NAT is what breaks party chat, matchmaking and hosting. The usual cause is a console sitting behind two layers of address translation instead of one, and a PC hotspot in its default mode adds the second layer.

ROUTED, NO PORT FORWARDING NET ROUTER NAT 1 YOUR PC NAT 2 STRICT console BRIDGED MODE (MAX) NET ROUTER NAT 1 YOUR PC PASS THROUGH OPEN console

Your router already translates one public address into addresses for everything at home. When a PC shares a connection in the normal way, the PC translates a second time, and the console ends up two levels deep. Game services see a connection they cannot reach back into and report Strict NAT.

The free fix: gaming mode. In Connectify Hotspot 27, every edition, including the free Hotspot Lite, forwards the ports PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Nintendo need through that second layer. Open Clients, select the console and set Gaming mode to its network (or leave Detect automatically), and keep Let apps open ports automatically (UPnP) on in Settings. Most games only need a Moderate NAT (Type 2 or B).

For hosting, Bridged mode removes the second layer. Devices on the hotspot get their addresses from the router instead of from the PC, so only one layer of translation remains and the console sits on the home network like anything plugged directly into the router.

FREE Gaming mode works in every edition, including Hotspot Lite. Bridged mode is a MAX feature.

Worth knowing

Gaming mode and Bridged mode only fix the layer the PC adds. If the router itself sits behind another router, or the internet provider uses carrier-grade NAT (common on mobile data, 5G home internet and Starlink), a layer remains outside the house and the console can still report Strict NAT. Only one console of each kind gets gaming mode at a time.

Download Connectify Hotspot See what MAX adds

How to Turn On Gaming Mode in Connectify Hotspot 27

  1. Open Connectify Hotspot, choose Wi-Fi hotspot, pick the connection to share and click Start hotspot. Leave Network access on Routed, the default.
  2. Connect the console to the hotspot.
  3. Open Clients and select the console. In its Device details, Gaming mode is set to Detect automatically: if Connectify Hotspot recognizes a PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo console, it forwards the ports for that console’s network.
  4. If the console isn’t recognized, set Gaming mode to PlayStation Network, Xbox Live or Nintendo yourself.
  5. Keep Settings → Network → Let apps open ports automatically (UPnP) on, so games can open any extra ports they need. It is on by default.

What Gaming Mode Fixes, and What It Doesn’t

  • Consoles usually get NAT Type 2/B/Moderate, as long as the internet connection you share is not restricting ports itself. Moderate is all most games need.
  • Only one console of each kind can use gaming mode at a time. With two consoles of the same brand connected, set the one you are playing on to its network, or set the other to Off. The second console still gets internet access, but may only get NAT Type 3/C/Strict.
  • If the connection you share is strict itself (a campus network, a mobile carrier, 5G home internet or Starlink), gaming mode cannot open that layer. Sharing a VPN such as Speedify through the hotspot is one way to get around port restrictions on those networks.
  • For hosting games or local play, Bridged mode in Connectify Hotspot MAX puts the console directly on your home network, with no extra layer from the PC.

Game on!

Free, PRO or MAX

Which version of Connectify Hotspot you need

FREE Hotspot Lite. Share Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a VPN or a USB-tethered phone, with gaming mode and ad blocking. Runs in timed sessions. Download → PRO No time limit. Share 4G and 5G USB modems, share through your PC's Ethernet port, and give your network any name. Buy PRO → MAX Everything in PRO, plus Wi-Fi repeater mode and Bridged mode. Recommended Buy MAX →

Hotspot Lite, the free edition of Connectify Hotspot, covers the setup in this guide. It runs in timed sessions: when one ends, start it again with one click.

Recommended: MAX adds Wi-Fi repeater mode and Bridged mode, for extending your Wi-Fi or putting consoles and casting devices on your home network.

Download Connectify Hotspot

For 64-bit Windows 10 and 11