--- title: Gaming: NAT Types, Ping and What to Ask Your Provider url: https://hdiss.net/guides/gaming-nat-ping-and-what-to-ask/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Guides](https://hdiss.net/guides/) - Gaming: NAT types, ping and what to ask your provider # Gaming: NAT types, ping and what to ask your provider Ping is how long a small message takes to reach the game server and return. NAT type is how freely other players can connect to you. A provider can tell you what it publishes about each, and you can measure the rest at your own address. A family streaming TV at home. Stock photo: Adobe Stock, not High Desert customers or staff. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) On this page - [What are ping, jitter and packet loss?](#what-are-ping-jitter-and-packet-loss) - [What can a provider honestly say about ping?](#what-can-a-provider-honestly-say-about-ping) - [What is NAT type?](#what-is-nat-type) - [How do you improve NAT and ping at home?](#how-do-you-improve-nat-and-ping-at-home) - [Which questions should you ask a provider?](#which-questions-should-you-ask-a-provider) - [What next?](#what-next) 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. ## Takeaways - Ping is round-trip delay, jitter is how much it varies, and packet loss is dropped messages. - NAT type (open, moderate, strict) decides how easily friends connect to you. - High Desert's FAQ says its wireless system typically stays under 50 ms; that is the company's statement, not a measurement. - A wired console beats Wi-Fi. ## 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](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-is-latency/) 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](https://hdiss.net/internet-for/gaming/) 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](https://hdiss.net/guides/cgnat-cameras-and-gaming/) 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](https://hdiss.net/support/open-a-port-or-static-ip/). - Use a cable from the console or PC to the router. - Pause downloads and cloud uploads while you play, or use the router's priority setting if it has one; see [bufferbloat](https://hdiss.net/guides/bufferbloat/). - Give the console a fixed address on the router, as the [DHCP reservation article](https://hdiss.net/support/router-dhcp-reservation/) describes. - Turn on the console's connection test and read the NAT result. - 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](https://hdiss.net/guides/how-much-data-do-game-downloads-use/). - 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](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/); someone looks at the path from the nearest tower and calls you back. ### Sources - [hdiss.net/services/](https://hdiss.net/internet-plans/) (High Desert plan cards, read 10/15/26) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (High Desert FAQ page, answer on response time (latency), read 10/15/26) - [hdiss.net/terms-of-use/](https://hdiss.net/service-agreement/) (HDISS Service Agreement V 1.12, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/) ### Keep reading - [What latency (ping) is and what a good number looks like](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-is-latency/) - [CGNAT: what it means for cameras, gaming and remote access](https://hdiss.net/guides/cgnat-cameras-and-gaming/) - [Bufferbloat: why the internet lags when someone uploads](https://hdiss.net/guides/bufferbloat/) - [Internet for gaming](https://hdiss.net/internet-for/gaming/) - [Open a port or get a static IP](https://hdiss.net/support/open-a-port-or-static-ip/) - [Connect a PlayStation 5 and read its connection test](https://hdiss.net/support/game-playstation-5/) ## More on wi-fi and home network - [The internet is fine but the Wi-Fi is slow: how to tell](https://hdiss.net/guides/internet-fine-but-wifi-slow/): Plug one computer into the router with a cable and test it. If the wired result is close to your plan's up-to speed and the Wi-Fi result is far lower, the line is fine and the problem is inside your house. - [Where to put your router](https://hdiss.net/guides/where-to-put-your-router/): Put the router as high and as central as you can, in the open, with a clear line toward the rooms you use most, and away from metal, mirrors, fish tanks and the microwave. High Desert's cable comes in at the indoor - [Whole-home Wi-Fi and mesh: when you need it](https://hdiss.net/guides/whole-home-wifi-and-mesh/): You need mesh when one router in the middle of the house cannot reach the far rooms with a usable signal, and a cable to a second unit is the way to get the most from it. For a small or open house, one well-placed router ## Questions people ask ### Is high speed the same as low ping? No. Speed is how much per second; ping is how long a trip takes. They are separate. ### Does Wi-Fi hurt my ping? Yes, often more than the line does. A cable removes that variable.