Problem with smartlink

Do you have a CGNAT IP Address?

Determining whether you have a Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT) WAN IP address at your home involves a few straightforward steps. CGNAT is often used by ISPs to alleviate IPv4 address exhaustion, by allowing multiple customers to share a single public IP address. Here’s how you can check if you’re behind a CGNAT:

1. Check Your IP Address: First, find out the WAN (external) IP address of your home internet connection. You can do this by visiting websites like whatismyipaddress.com, ipchicken.com, or simply searching "what is my IP" in a search engine.
2. Compare with Known Ranges: Compare the IP address you found with the known IP ranges allocated for private networks and CGNAT use. The typical private IP ranges are:
   • 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
   • 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
   • 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
     If your WAN IP falls within these ranges, you are behind some form of NAT. Specifically, for CGNAT, the range often used is 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255.255.
3. Check IP Information: Use tools that analyze the geolocation and other details of your IP address. If the tools show the IP as being used by multiple users across different locations, it’s likely a CGNAT IP.
4. ISP Documentation/Support: Check your ISP’s documentation or contact their support. Many ISPs openly state if they use CGNAT, especially in their service terms or FAQs for residential internet services.
5. Router/Modem Settings: You can also check the WAN IP directly from your router or modem’s status page. This IP should match what you see on external websites; if it’s different and falls into private IP ranges, your ISP is likely using CGNAT.

These steps should help you determine if you’re under CGNAT. Being on CGNAT can affect certain online activities like hosting servers, peer-to-peer services, or complex gaming setups, where having a public IP address is crucial.