2nd Update 9 March 2007

Thanks for all the comments on this. Since the original post, the Home Hub software has been upgraded, (Your Home Hub will update itself in the early hours of the morning.) and this strict NAT thing really isn’t an issue anymore. It’s very easy to fix now, and the DMZ is easy to find in the advanced section, so this information is mostly out of date. I’ll leave it up on the site in case anyone out there has older firmware and still needs help.

OK, I managed to get my home hub to work with my XBox. Basically the NAT works properly only if you let the home hub assign your local network IP addresses by DHCP. The home hub remembers MAC addresses, so you can still set it to divert certain traffic to certain devices. There is also a DMZ, but again, the home hub has to assign the IP. This can be a bit of a pain in the arse to say the least, but it’s a work around that will suffice for most people. I’ll update again with a walk through when I get time.

Previous article follows…
I have previously on this site recommended BT’s new Total Broadband and the free equipment that is provided with it, namely the BT Home Hub. On BT’s website it does indicate that this device supports XBox Live, however I’ve had very limited success with it. Whilst I can connect to some online games the vast majority simply fail.

I’ve spent hours trying to get it working, playing with firewall settings, application sharing, port re-direction - you name it, I tried it.

The XBox 360 Live test highlights that the problem is with the Network Address Translation (NAT), and that it is “strict”, whereas it needs to be “open” for XBox Live. There are no options on the BT Home Hub to change the NAT settings and there is no DMZ either.

Don’t waste your time trying to fix it - you can’t.

One of the cool features of the BT Home Hub is that it automatically downloads firmware updates, and after spending 30 minutes on the phone to BT (read: some guys in Bangalore), I’ve been told that they are releasing a new firmware update mid to late November which will correct this issue. Once your BT Home Hub has updated you will be able to alter the NAT settings and your XBox 360 will work properly with XBox Live.

I’ll update this page once I’ve downloaded the update and tested it, and I hope it saves some of you guys unneccessary headaches. If anyone has any further info, please leave a comment.