Networking

Port forwarding works internally but not from the internet

Environment

Environment

Home server behind an ISP-provided router with a second mesh router.

What happens

What happens

The service opens through the public hostname on LAN but external connection tests time out.

What I have tried

What I have tried

Forwarded the port on the mesh router and allowed it through the server firewall.

I would appreciate advice on how to identify the root cause without risking existing data or configuration.

COMMUNITY RESPONSES

Verified community troubleshooting

1 reply
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ida_innovates Answer
user
Posted 2w ago • 0 confirmations

This looks less like a hardware failure and more like a configuration issue.

Likely cause: Double NAT or carrier-grade NAT prevents the public connection from reaching the inner router.

What I would try: Compare the router WAN address with the public address, bridge one router and request a public IPv4 address or use a secure tunnel.

Keep an eye on the relevant logs during the test; they should confirm whether the hypothesis is correct.

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AI DIAGNOSTICS

Incident analysis

Updated 4w ago• Trouble ID

Most likely causes

Double NAT or carrier-grade NAT prevents the public connection from reaching the inner router. 76%
A recent software, firmware or configuration change is exposing an existing compatibility issue. 30%

Summary

The reported behaviour is consistent with double NAT or carrier-grade NAT prevents the public connection from reaching the inner router. The safest next step is to verify that hypothesis with a reversible test before making permanent configuration changes.

Suggested Fixes

Verify the likely cause
Compare the router WAN address with the public address, bridge one router and request a public IPv4 address or use a secure tunnel.
Validate and monitor
Reproduce the issue once after the change, review relevant logs or metrics, and keep a rollback path until the system has remained stable.

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