Updated FAQ - Connection Issues

[Revelation]

Hey guys, I've tried www.portforward.com, but my Sweex router isn't in the list. I don't even know wich model I have, because my box is missing. Anyone knows an alternative solution?

[Hibernation]

Scorpz,

What do you mean 5mbps is considered slow???

I pay $100 a month for 5mbps. Thats the best service plan available. How do you get it upgraded any higher?

[AnEternalEnigma]

I have a 768k upload speed, my NAT is open, all the correct Xbox Live ports have been forwarded on my router, and UPnP is enabled on my router.

Yet, absolutely no one joins any ranked game I host. Also, my friend and I cannot play co-op together whatsoever and can't even use the 360 voice chat. But going back to the dashboard to use voice chat and playing other games, we can join up perfectly.

Before the January patch, we could connect on Gears all the time.

I love patches that make more problems instead of decreasing them.

[Revelation]

I've found the box and I know wich model I have.

[Kakashi]

I have a 768k upload speed, my NAT is open, all the correct Xbox Live ports have been forwarded on my router, and UPnP is enabled on my router.

Yet, absolutely no one joins any ranked game I host. Also, my friend and I cannot play co-op together whatsoever and can't even use the 360 voice chat. But going back to the dashboard to use voice chat and playing other games, we can join up perfectly.

Before the January patch, we could connect on Gears all the time.

I love patches that make more problems instead of decreasing them.

HELP! I have a similar problem to this guy.

Me and my friend join other people's games and play together all the time. I have hosted full games several times without any issues and other players are able to connect to me. However, he is unable to join any of my hosted games and I am unable to join any of his hosted games (versus, co-op, private, public, etc.). Both of our NATs are OPEN and both routers have upnp enabled. I even went as far as upgrading my router's firmware to the latest version and enable port forwarding of 88, 2074, and 3074 on top of everything else. We still get "Unable to connect to host" errors when trying to join each other's game.

Also, Private Chat doesn't seem to work for either of us. For reference, My friend and I are both using the Linksys Wireless-G WRT54GS with speedboost.

Any ideas?

[st0n3r 3]

My problem is very weird. About a month ago everything was working fine. When i searched games ( ranked and pmatches ) about 8-20 hosted rooms would show up. But now, i only get 1-4 and half the time it gives me the option to host because i couldnt find any rooms. What is the deal? My NAT settings were set to strict and i opened the ports and now its open. My firewall is off. It still doesnt work! And frankly im just getting pissed. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Kakashi]

After doing some digging around and messing with some router settings, I fixed the issue completely. We can now connect to each other in games and private chat. Also, there seemed to be better connectivity all around. Our hosted games filled up much faster and we only had one connection error in a span of about 4-5 hours, which was from an AFK player that probably shut his console down.

The problem seemed to be caused by a couple of things. If you have the same router as me, this may fix your problem. You have to go to your router settings and enable the DMZ host (Under Applications & Gaming) with an IP that you must manually assign to your xbox 360 (EX: 192.168.2.250). Use your router's IP for the Gateway and primary DNS (EX: 192.168.2.1) and set the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0 on your xbox 360's network settings.

Additionaly, once you enable DMZ host you need to disable any forwarded ports as they will override those opened by DMZ.

You must also disable upnp on the router since that is what is primarily causing the connection problems with this particular router. You may also have to upgrade the firmware if your router is using the same IP as your modem. Also, if the router supports parental controls, they must be disabled.

This may work for others with different routers if they have similar setups. Hope that helps!

[Crime18]

Anyone can help me with networking my laptop and xbox 360. I use a USB internet card to connect to the internet. I also need to know how to transfer my music to the xbox 360 from my laptop.

[M4yB3]

anybody know when the next update comes ?

[TheGreg]

I have a problem similar to some of the people who have posted above.

My problem is that everytime i join a game, I get to play for about half the game and then all the chating stops and all the players at my screen just start walking into walls and i can go up and shoot them and nothing happens and then just keep walking into the walls. Then I get a loading screen and I can hear the people from the game I was just playing in start complaining about how I left. Then I get a screen that sais your connection to the host has been lost. This has happend for about the last 20 games I have played. I have no clue what is going on. My NAT is open and this just started happening...worked fine before this.

[FlaMin KamAKazI]

thnx rod..great help

[yxalag42]

Okay what the heck, I suddenly can't play Gears anymore...

I have the wireless network adapter and the network settings on dashboard say i have 4 bars so the signal strength is fine. When I play Gears of War every single match says 1 red bar of connection strength. What the ****? Is there something wrong with my router? I can go browse the web on my laptop and wii just fine. Some help would be greatly appreciated. What are the things i need to enable in my router settings?

[satanismo_gtz]

the new rodie run sucks

[Vipers4Life07]

Ive been hosting games for a few months and people were joining fine. now all of a sudden noboby can find my game and join anymore. So why is my host not working all of a sudden?

[Vipers4Life07]

nvm my NAT somehow went to open and now people join again

[Flying Saffa]

I've had a problem too where I can't join certain friends' games and they are unable to join mine. I have confirmed that my NAT is OPEN. Any other reason this could be happening.

Those that I couldn't join last night, also couldn't join my game, although other friends could....

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Jadebuddha17]

I've had a problem too where I can't join certain friends' games and they are unable to join mine. I have confirmed that my NAT is OPEN. Any other reason this could be happening.

Those that I couldn't join last night, also couldn't join my game, although other friends could....

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I am having the same problems. I tried to play Sunday Night with a group of friends in Player Match. I usually send them a game invite after I start hosting a match, and wait for them to show up. But when I did this several times, it said that the connection to the host has been lost on their screens. I tried this at least 7 or eight times, even starting on different maps. I made sure it was the old maps also.

We also tried my friends hosting a couple of times and I got the Connection Lost to host message after I accepted their game invites.

I have done this several times before, but this is the first time this has happened, since the Spring Update, and since downloading the New Map Package for 800 Microsoft Points.

Help? Thanks in advanced.

[Hydrogen Hero]

I've had a problem too where I can't join certain friends' games and they are unable to join mine. I have confirmed that my NAT is OPEN. Any other reason this could be happening.

Those that I couldn't join last night, also couldn't join my game, although other friends could....

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

ME TOO! I have 6 friends that all live in the surrounding towns around me I have 30Mbit internet and my NAT is wide OPEN. I can't join any of there games Even when they invite me. No one knows why, EPIC PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS ISSUE IS NOT SMALL ITS HUGE!

[wyndorf666]

My friends and I are having the exact same problems as you guys.

We've been playing every Saturday night since launch, with the same group of people. I've always hosted and it's never been a problem......until a few weeks ago. Now we have to spend an hour or so trying to find one of us who can host. Tonight, nothing is working. All of our NAT settings say "open".

I agree with Hydrogen Hero, this isn't a small issue, it's HUGE!

[ahsatan]

Yep, this is definately a problem. Actually, I'm glad to see we're not alone, at least something may get done about it. Only four friends could connect to one another last night, and that was after several hours of trying/giving up/trying again!
The thing is, when I search for a game, I can connect to any random strangers game and invite some friends in. However, there's only so many times you can be called offensive names before you just want to play with your friends!
We always play in the same little group and now something is stopping it. Someone please get this sorted because the game just doesn't appeal to me if I can't play with who I want to.

[Dee Em V1]

I've been having the same issues as well, everything was fine until a few weeks back but now I can only connect to certain friends on my list even though my NAT as well as theirs are set to Open. Which has left us trying to fix things for an hour before we give up it's just completely frustrating that it's just started acting up where as it's worked great since the game launched.

[frednut]

Like everyone else I'm also having the same problems. Everything was fine till about a month ago. Myself and my friends just can't connect to each other at all now. Our NAT is open, I used to host but now no one can connect to me at all.

I work with routers, switches and computers etc. every day and have a broad knowledge of the area so would know if there is a problem with our ends and it is not us. The problem is either their is a glitch/bug in the game or xbox live. Please sort it out soon.

Judging by everyone else here I am not alone in this matter.

[ScorpZ]

Its slightly comforting to see that there are people with the same issue. Ive been in networking for over 10 years now and I thought I was going crazy. I tried everything possible to fix this connection issue, with no success. I'm glad its not on my end. Epic you really need to address this issue. I Can't stress to you enough, the severe frustration this is causing your Customers/fans/fellow players.

[Strawb3rry Jam]

I also been having these same issues. Everything was fine until about 3 weeks ago when me and my friends fail to connect on each attempt. I do have some luck connecting to other people but I usually cannot connect to anyone on my friends list.

[oneiztoomany]

i have been noticing that i get disconnected from xbox live quite often these days.

[ScorpZ]

Dear Epic,

I think this "connection to host problem" that people are having is tied to your Xbox/Gamertag, not your internet connection or network. My friend and I are on the same network and he can join a game with all our friends and I can't. Even when there is a space open and I have invites from all the players in the entire room.

I'm glad on the fact that its nothing to due with the client's internet or network.
What I'm unhappy about is Xbox Live and/or this new patch screwing with its customers by not letting them join certain servers. We all paid or are paying money for Xbox Live and payed for GOW. So why do only some of us suffer from this issue. Perhaps Rep...??? Please consult with Microsoft on this issue, we are suffering here.

[wyndorf666]

I had trouble again last night. I tried hosting but my friend couldn't join me, he hosted and I managed to join him......but other people couldn't.....yet some of them could join my game. All of our NAT gates were "open".

Going back to ScorpZ post, I was hosting a game once and someone couldn't join. They set up another gold account - with a new name - and they could join.

This stupid connection issue is really spoiling the fun. If it was fixed, I would pay to download those new maps. Maybe alot of other people would too - and maybe with the incentive of making a few quid, Epic/Microsoft will take time out from counting money and try and help their customers.

[DUBL DUECE]

I am having the same problems. I tried to play Sunday Night with a group of friends in Player Match. I usually send them a game invite after I start hosting a match, and wait for them to show up. But when I did this several times, it said that the connection to the host has been lost on their screens. I tried this at least 7 or eight times, even starting on different maps. I made sure it was the old maps also.

We also tried my friends hosting a couple of times and I got the Connection Lost to host message after I accepted their game invites.

I have done this several times before, but this is the first time this has happened, since the Spring Update, and since downloading the New Map Package for 800 Microsoft Points.

Help? Thanks in advanced.

I had this same problem after the spring update, me and a friend could not do co-op anymore or do a private chat, we also tried to do a player match and could not join even though we had done co-op just a few days before the spring update. He called 1-800-4MY-XBOX and they had him run the Test XBOX Live in the network settings, we both though this would not work because he had no problem connecting to Live, but it must clear either network cache on the XBOX or a routing table on the xbox because after he ran this we were able to connect fine. Try this and hope it helps.

[Revolution]

I need help !!! whenever i host a game .. everybody else lags really bad except for me and people end up quitting..now i know it might be the connection i have..which is verizon dsl..i dnt know how im supposed to fix this problem. i have a westell wireless gateway which is probably the best i can use. can someone help me out on this?

[Sherminator]

I need help !!! whenever i host a game .. everybody else lags really bad except for me and people end up quitting..now i know it might be the connection i have..which is verizon dsl..i dnt know how im supposed to fix this problem. i have a westell wireless gateway which is probably the best i can use. can someone help me out on this?

The only way to fix you problem is to upgrade to cable internet. I don't know what else to tell you.

[ScorpZ]

I need help !!! whenever i host a game .. everybody else lags really bad except for me and people end up quitting..now i know it might be the connection i have..which is verizon dsl..i dnt know how im supposed to fix this problem. i have a westell wireless gateway which is probably the best i can use. can someone help me out on this?

Yes as Sherminator said, you need to upgrade to cable or FIOS. DSL is a dieing technology running on a 100 year old phone system. Though most companies advertise it as being high speed, its really the low speed of the broadband world.

Try contacting Verizon in your area they may have FIOS. If you get that then your all set.

[Revolution]

thanks for the tip guys...i cant get Fios tho..its not yet in my area, unfortunately.. hopefully its comes soon enough, cuz i really dnt feel like switching over to cable right now lol. i have enough bills to worry about lol! once again..thanks for the help.

[Deacon]

What I find ridiculous is the fact that I can connect and find friends from London everyday when I live in Texas, but my friends that are in the same city are IMPOSSIBLE to connect with, even with invites into an empty room. That's stupid!

Granted, I love the game to pieces, but that's definitely something that they need to fix, especially before the onslaught of holiday games come out that could potentially detract from some of their online gaming.

[Zeronos]

thanks Rod

[SHk_Chimo]

Thanks for the info!

[|kiwi|]

could epic PLZ tell me why i ALWAYS get the same freakin 10 games in the matchlist? and why the hell do i get only 2-5 three bar connection games?!
man this server/filter system is such a big piece of crap...unbelieveable that they released something like this.

[twitchie]

Yes as Sherminator said, you need to upgrade to cable or FIOS. DSL is a dieing technology running on a 100 year old phone system. Though most companies advertise it as being high speed, its really the low speed of the broadband world.

Try contacting Verizon in your area they may have FIOS. If you get that then your all set.

Verizon is a rip-off.

[WNxMegax]

THx Rod for the infomation

[b0ysc0ut]

anyone know what this error code means 0xEF71DA18414238CC

i've tried everything i can think of to connect to live with no luck, pc version btw

[Stele007]

Whenever I try to connect to Windows Live, it gets stuck trying to download the profile then gives me error 0x80151907.

Now, it says to check to make sure I don't have a firewall blocking those ports, but I've forwarded ports 88 and 3074 to my computer and it still gives the same problem. You can see my network configuration here

I don't have any software firewall (including the Windows firewall), or anti-virus software running. I'm using Windows XP Home SP2 with an account that has administrator privelages, and my NIC is a Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family Gigabit Ethernet NIC.

I've never had any problems connecting to or hosting any other games. I tried overriding the live port to 6112 (which I know works for hosting Warcraft 3 games), but that didn't work either. Any ideas?