Guide · 2 minutes
Am I behind CGNAT?
A 2-minute check. You need your router's admin page.
- Find your router's WAN (internet) IPv4 address. Log into your router (often 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or 10.0.0.1, or the ISP's app) and look for the WAN, Internet or Public IP status.
- Find the address the internet sees. Your public IP as seen by this site:
checking…(if this shows an IPv6 address, look up your IPv4 with a site like ifconfig.me using its IPv4 option.) - Compare.
- If the WAN address starts with
100.64.to100.127., you are behind CGNAT. - If the WAN address is private (
10.x,172.16–31.x,192.168.x), your ISP's modem is probably routing in front of your router (double NAT). Try bridge or passthrough mode, then check again. - If the WAN address matches the address the internet sees, you have a public IPv4 and port forwarding can work, unless the ISP blocks that port.
- If they differ and the WAN address is public, you may still be behind a carrier NAT; ask your ISP.
- If the WAN address starts with
- Test a port. Forward a port to a running service, then test it from outside your network (for example from your phone on mobile data, not on your Wi-Fi).
If you are behind CGNAT
- Ask your ISP whether it offers a public IPv4 or CGNAT opt-out, and what it costs.
- Use IPv6 if your ISP provides it and the people connecting to you have it too.
- Use an outbound tunnel (for example Cloudflare Tunnel or Tailscale) or a small VPS as a relay.
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