Can't connect to games using hotspot

[sfxsfx_]

My internet connection sometimes is kind of unstable, so I would like to join games using my hotspot. However, I can't join any game using it.

I can log to the lobby but when I try to connect to a game I am stuck in connecting and I never see the "registering with server" message.

Any idea or suggestion?

 

[Norse_Harold]

Ideas for what could cause that:

• Maybe your cellular carrier blocks UDP traffic on less common ports like 0ad's default port 20595. You can try connecting to games hosted on other ports. It helps to have someone who is cooperating in order to host on a different port.
• Maybe your cellular carrier does not allow their users to "tether" or hotspot their phones to computers. How they detect and block this is not clear, but I've seen this rule written into cellular contracts before.
• Maybe the player you were trying to join has a problem with his network connection and relies on STUN to host without forwarding the port at his router. And, maybe STUN isn't working correctly for you, because maybe it can't detect your public IP address properly. Know that cellular carriers often use Carrier-grade NAT, which moves around your public IP and potentially shares it with others.

To narrow down what's causing the problem, you can host a game from your main (non-cellular) Internet connection, capture traffic with Wireshark on both computers, and see what traffic from your phone is able to get delivered and what isn't. The best scenario for testing is where the hoster isn't using STUN, has a properly configured network, port forward, NAT settings, unfiltered Internet connection, stable public IP address that accepts incoming connections from all ports. There are only a handful of people who meet this description. They tend to be the most popular team game hosters. My network meets this description.

And, if you join IRC when I'm online (visit www.play0ad.com and click "IRC Channel" at the top) then I can provide more troubleshooting ideas and help with testing.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Norse_Harold

[gui456wSERTDYF]

Hi, I only play the game using the hotspot from my mobile. For some years I was randomly experiencing issues similar to what you describe. Now I changed my provider (basically because of a better plan) and suddenly the issues are gone, since some months now. So it may be something from your provider as well.

[sfxsfx_]

On 27/12/2022 at 11:55 PM, Norse_Harold said:

Ideas for what could cause that:

• Maybe your cellular carrier blocks UDP traffic on less common ports like 0ad's default port 20595. You can try connecting to games hosted on other ports. It helps to have someone who is cooperating in order to host on a different port.
• Maybe your cellular carrier does not allow their users to "tether" or hotspot their phones to computers. How they detect and block this is not clear, but I've seen this rule written into cellular contracts before.
• Maybe the player you were trying to join has a problem with his network connection and relies on STUN to host without forwarding the port at his router. And, maybe STUN isn't working correctly for you, because maybe it can't detect your public IP address properly. Know that cellular carriers often use Carrier-grade NAT, which moves around your public IP and potentially shares it with others.

To narrow down what's causing the problem, you can host a game from your main (non-cellular) Internet connection, capture traffic with Wireshark on both computers, and see what traffic from your phone is able to get delivered and what isn't. The best scenario for testing is where the hoster isn't using STUN, has a properly configured network, port forward, NAT settings, unfiltered Internet connection, stable public IP address that accepts incoming connections from all ports. There are only a handful of people who meet this description. They tend to be the most popular team game hosters. My network meets this description.

And, if you join IRC when I'm online (visit www.play0ad.com and click "IRC Channel" at the top) then I can provide more troubleshooting ideas and help with testing.

Thanks for all the useful info.

•  UPD seems to be working fine. So I can discard this problem (no problem with `nc -vz -u 8.8.8.8 443`).
• My hotspot works fine. I can use it for any other thing such as ssh, port forwarding, even watching Netflix or any usage with high traffic.
• This option is harder to test, I guess that I will need to ask some guys in the lobby and see if someone is hosting a game without stun.

Currently I don't have a second computer to fully debug the issue. But thank you very much for all the ideas. If I see you online I'll ping you. Have a happy new year  

EDIT: I tried to join all the games in the lobby, and for some of them I am able to join actually. So I guess that your third option probably is whats happening. I guess that I will have to see if I am able to troubleshoot this. Thanks for all the ideas!

 

On 28/12/2022 at 1:16 PM, gui456wSERTDYF said:

Hi, I only play the game using the hotspot from my mobile. For some years I was randomly experiencing issues similar to what you describe. Now I changed my provider (basically because of a better plan) and suddenly the issues are gone, since some months now. So it may be something from your provider as well.

Yes, I guess this could be a possibility. When I have a friend around with a different provider I am going to make a test. Thanks  

Edited January 2, 2023 by sfxsfx_