Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a networking protocol that allows a device to auto-configure the required Network Address Translation (NAT) settings for communication and data sharing with other devices and servers. Without UPnP, the router will be needed to set manually forwarding rules, and it will not be an easy task to set rules for every device you are using.
To ensure that the NAT type is not restricted, you will have to enable the UPnP on your mobile device, or your gaming device will not be allowed multiple connectivity options. The routers use the NAT method to translate the public IP address to a private IP address to add additional security to the network or allow multiple gaming devices to access the same IP address.
Usually, gaming consoles have three NAT types.
Your gaming device will be allowed to connect to other users’ games, and other others will also be allowed to connect to the game hosted by you. It usually works when your console is connected to the internet without the router.
When you connect to the router with the properly configured router, you will get a moderate NAT. It will allow you to connect to other players with some limitations.
Here, the router will not have any open ports, and it will restrict you from connecting with other players, and those players having strict NAT will also not be able to connect to your hosted game.
Therefore, you need to enable UPnP on your iPhone to have an open NAT or moderate NAT.
If the mobile hotspot is connected to the public hotspot, then you will have a strict NAT where the router will have many restricted ports, and the UPnP will be mostly disabled in these cases.
Unfortunately, UPnP is not available for Airports. Alternatively, you can use the feature of NAT-PMP on iPhone, which is available on the NAT tab listed as “Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol.”
The use of VPNs like Speedify and Connectify can help you change the NAT type on your mobile device from strict to moderate, which will help you bypass many NAT restrictions.
We cannot find Port forwarding on many mobile devices. Besides that, most broadband networks have not assigned public IP addresses to the end devices.
NAT type one (Open NAT) is considered the best among the NAT types, and NAT type three (Strict NAT) is regarded as the worst one.