Am I behind CGNAT?

Your router shares one internet address between all your devices. That's normal, and it's called NAT. With CGNAT, your provider does the same again one level up: many homes share one address. Browsing works the same, but things like port forwarding and hosting a game server don't.

Each home gets its own public address from the provider. Things on the internet can reach a home directly, so port forwarding works.

Check it

Compare the address ip5.io sees with the one your router has. If they match, the address is yours.

ip5.io sees

216.73.217.30

Your IPv4 address, as websites see it.

Your router says The internet or WAN address on its status page.

Try:

Type your router's address

Copy it from the status page. The steps are below.

Where your router shows its address

Open your router's page. Find your router's IP shows how.
Open the Status or Overview page.
Under Internet or WAN, copy the IPv4 address into the box above.

TP-LinkNetwork Map → Internet → IP Address

FRITZ!BoxOverview → Internet → IPv4 address

NetgearAdvanced → Internet Port → IP Address

ASUSNetwork Map → Internet status → WAN IP

Other clues

TracerouteAn address from 100.64 to 100.127

Run a traceroute and paste it into the traceroute explainer. If an early step is in that range, it marks a shared address.

What CGNAT changes

Works the same

Browsing and streaming
Video calls and messaging
Most online games
Smart home apps

Can be harder

Port forwarding
Hosting a game or Minecraft server
Reaching a camera or NAS at home from outside
Strict NAT type on some consoles

If you need your own address

Ask your provider for a public IPv4 addressMany give one on request, some for a small monthly fee. Ask for a "public IP" or to be taken off CGNAT.
Use IPv6IPv6 has no CGNAT: every device can have its own address. See if you have it on IPv4 vs IPv6.
Use a tunnel appApps like Tailscale, ZeroTier or Cloudflare Tunnel reach your home from outside without port forwarding.

5 questions

Q1What's the difference between NAT and CGNAT?

NAT is your own router sharing one address between your devices. Almost every home has it. CGNAT is your provider doing the same between many customers, so your router doesn't get its own public address.

Q2Why do providers use CGNAT?

The world ran out of new IPv4 addresses. Sharing one address between many customers lets providers connect more people without buying more.

Q3Is CGNAT bad?

For browsing, streaming and calls you won't notice it. It matters when something from outside needs to reach your home, like a game server or a camera.

Q4Does CGNAT hide me?

Not really. Websites see an address you share with others, but your provider still knows exactly which customer used it, and your browser can still be recognized.

Q5What is double NAT?

Two routers in a row, each sharing an address, for example your own router behind the provider's modem-router. It has similar effects to CGNAT and is fixed at home by setting one of them to bridge mode.