ARC just doesnt want to work for me outside the house

Support ARC: Port Forwarding Help
14

Hey @Simon_Moston,

The diagnostics you’ve provided suggest there is a redundant layer of network address translation preventing port forwarding. It sounds like you may already be aware, but here is some additional info for you just in case:

This can either be at the local-network level (commonly as a result of two routers), or at the level of your service provider (in the form of carrier-grade NAT).

If your setup involves an ISP-provided gateway (modem/router combination) and your own third-party router:

  • In the web administration interface of the ISP-provided gateway (modem/router combination), enable Bridge Mode or equivalent, where the ISP-provided gateway does not have DHCP routing enabled.
  • Alternatively, if you have already created a manual port forwarding rule in your 3rd party router, you can add an additional rule to forward the port through the ISP/second router.

If you only have one router in your setup or your modem is already in Bridge mode, please take a look through our list of known router and internet service provider solutions, as other users may have already encountered the same situation: ISPs and Routers: List of Known Solutions and Workarounds

You can reach out directly to your service provider to ask if they support port forwarding; this question will often enough to prompt them to explain whether or not the carrier-grade NAT they’ve implemented can function with ARC.

More specifically, you can pass along the following questions:

  • Have you implemented carrier-grade NAT for my account level?
  • Have you fully implemented IPv6, or do you have IPv4 addresses available?
  • Can I request a static IPv4 address to support port forwarding?
  • Are there any ports you have reserved at the ISP level I should be aware of?

While we are currently working on improving Arc functionality and connectivity, each user’s home network systems vary quite dramatically, so this is going to take some time, especially if third-party software or VPNs are involved. We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve Arc. :+1:

Thanks, Simon!