I just wanted to game with my friends using Parsec and my ISP support made me question the existence of tech support.

Parsec needs a direct peer-to-peer connection between PCs to work. With CGNAT, Parsec simply can't make that connection and throws error 6023/6024. The official docs literally say it: CGNAT blocks the connection.

I already knew that. So I grabbed my phone, called the ISP and said it super directly: "Hi, I wanna remove CGNAT and get a public IP please."

The rep went silent for like 3 seconds and answered: "What?"

I explained and she still understood nothing. Then the call dropped and I tried again. Another rep, another person who had no idea what CGNAT was, much less how to remove it. That's when I gave up.

I wonder how people get jobs at a telecom as customer support without knowing the bare minimum of networking. CGNAT isn't hacker stuff, it's a basic IP distribution technique that everyone who works with internet should have at least heard of. But I'm sure ISP HR prefers referrals or "commercial skills" instead of the obvious, technical knowledge.

For context, what is CGNAT?
Normally your house has a unique IP on the internet, like an address. But ISPs ran out of IPv4 addresses and started using CGNAT. Now, several houses share the same public IP.

To browse Twitter it makes no difference. But to game online, do P2P, use Parsec, or access your own home network from far away, it becomes a nightmare. It's like living in a building where everyone shares the same mailbox.

The solution that worked in 5 minutes:
I gave up on the ISP right away. Opened ZeroTier, created a network, sent the link to my friends, everyone joined and done. We were gaming like we were on the same local network.

ZeroTier is like a mesh VPN. It creates a virtual network between PCs and makes a direct tunnel between them. Parsec sees it as if it were LAN. No need to configure the router, no need to ask anything from the ISP, no need for a public IP. Just install and put the network ID.

Sometimes the easiest solution is simply to work around the problem instead of solving it. I could have spent 2 weeks fighting the ISP, sending screenshots, and waiting for a home technician. Or I could install a program and be happy.

I chose to be happy.

• Hamasaki