Gaming: NAT types, ping and what to ask your provider

Gamers argue about ping because it decides whether a shot lands. Before choosing any provider, learn the three terms and write down your questions. Honest answers are short.

What are ping, jitter and packet loss?

Ping is the time, in thousandths of a second, for a small message to go to a server and come back. A low number feels snappy. Jitter is how much ping varies from one moment to the next, and it is what makes a good average feel rough. Packet loss is messages that never arrive, which shows up as rubber-banding. Players tend to look at the first number and overlook the other two. A fast average with spikes plays worse than a steady slightly higher number. The latency guide has the basics.

What can a provider honestly say about ping?

It can say what it publishes. High Desert's own FAQ says its wireless system is typically under 50 ms, a sentence we quote as the company's statement and not as a measurement made at any address. This site publishes no ping figure for fixed wireless as a type, because no neutral measurement exists. The only way to know is to test from your house to your game server, at the times you play, once service is in. The gaming page covers what the plans list: up to 500, up to 800 and up to 1 Gig down, and up to 200 up (hdiss.net, read 10/15/26).

What is NAT type?

Your router shares one public address among all your devices, a trick called network address translation. Game consoles report the result as a NAT type, often Open, Moderate or Strict. Open means other players can reach you easily. Strict can stop you from joining some lobbies or hearing voice chat. The type depends on the router settings and on whether your connection shares its public address with other customers. If the provider gives each customer a public address, the router can often be set to open. If addresses are shared, some ports cannot be opened from your side. The CGNAT guide explains the shared case.

How do you improve NAT and ping at home?

Port forwarding and static addresses are covered in the open a port or static IP article.

1. Use a cable from the console or PC to the router.
2. Pause downloads and cloud uploads while you play, or use the router's priority setting if it has one; see bufferbloat.
3. Give the console a fixed address on the router, as the DHCP reservation article describes.
4. Turn on the console's connection test and read the NAT result.
5. If it is strict, check for a double router: a second router behind the first can cause it. Ask the office before you change anything.

Which questions should you ask a provider?

For game downloads in gigabytes, see the game download guide.

• Do you publish a ping or latency figure, and how was it measured?
• Does each customer get a public IP address, or is it shared?
• Can I open ports or get a static address, and is there a charge?
• Is there a data transfer limit, and do big game downloads count? High Desert's agreement says each service level has one, with the size available at info@hdiss.net and $1 per gigabyte over.
• Can a technician look at my roof before I commit?

What next?

Call 775-575-9593 any day 9 to 5 with the list above. A person answers what the company publishes and says plainly what it does not. If you want an address looked at, use the address check; someone looks at the path from the nearest tower and calls you back.