Open a web browser and enter your router's default gateway IP address. Log in using the admin credentials (often found on a sticker on the router itself).

Elias leaned back, exhaling sharply. "You have got to be kidding me."

He sat back, forcing himself to think. The server list saw the server. The browser saw the server. But the game client couldn't handshake. Why? He remembered a patch note from the server admins earlier in the week. They had switched server providers to reduce lag. They had mentioned something about a config change.

Before diving into router configurations, perform these rapid diagnostic checks.

These symptoms can be caused by a range of issues, from simple firewall blocks to more complex network configurations. Let's go through them in order, from easiest to most advanced.

With CGNAT, you share a public IP address with hundreds of other users. You cannot forward ports because you don't own the public IP – your ISP does.