The Switch has a built-in test that shows connection results and a NAT type. A letter in that result confuses people. This page reads it for you without promising a particular grade on any line.
Steps
- Open System Settings and choose Internet
It is the gear icon on the home screen.
- Choose Internet Settings and pick your Wi-Fi
Type the password. A Switch dock may have a LAN port; a cable adapter is needed for the handheld.
- Run Test Connection
Third-party guides place it under Internet. It reports whether you are connected and the NAT type.
- Read the letter
A and B are the open end, C is moderate, and D to F are strict. A strict type can limit who you can play with.
- Ask the friend too
If only one friend cannot connect, have them run the test, since their grade may be the strict one.
- Move closer or use a cable
The Switch has a modest Wi-Fi chip. Moving the router closer often helps more than a setting.
- Call before changing router settings
UPnP, port forwarding and DMZ are named in guides. DMZ exposes the console and is a last resort. Ask 775-575-9593 first.
Does my fixed wireless line affect the NAT type?
It can, depending on how addresses are handed out and what your own router does. We make no promise about the result. The guide on carrier-grade NAT, cameras and gaming explains the idea, and gaming, NAT, ping lists what to ask.
Why does the Switch drop out of online play?
The Wi-Fi radio may have a poor signal where you sit. Test with the console in the same room as the router. If it works there, a mesh node or a cable fixes the far room. See Wi-Fi dead spots.
Do game downloads count?
Yes. Each High Desert service level has a data transfer limit; the size is by email at info@hdiss.net, and use over it is $1 per gigabyte in a billing cycle, per the service agreement.
What if the Switch cannot find my Wi-Fi at all?
Move the console into the same room as the router and look again. If the name appears, the signal was the problem and a mesh node or a cable fixes the far room. If the name never appears, check that the router is not set to hide its name, and that a separate 2.4 GHz name exists if the router merges bands.
A Switch also stops finding Wi-Fi when it is in a dock that blocks its antenna or when a case is too thick. Take it out and test handheld. If none of that helps, restart the router, then call 775-575-9593 and read us what the console says.
Do I need to go outside or touch the antenna for this?
Please keep off the roof. The antenna, radio and outdoor cable are handled only by a High Desert technician, and a phone call starts that.
Sources
- en-americas-support.nintendo.com/ (Nintendo support; no page loaded on 2026-10-15; steps are generic from third-party guides found by search)