having UPnP problems

[rachael113]

my internet say UPnP is u successful and i cant figure out whats going on so i cant play any games on xbox or use it for anything else and it seriously stressing me out as i have never had any problem like this before 

[JimM1]

@rachael113 uPnP with what sky Hub?

[dex4]

• You turn on UPnP inside the hub as it sometimes dissables (easy google search) but I have found for the series x that clearing alternate mac address and then checking nat type manually on console will you refresh the glitch. Been dealing with this for 6mnth now. Sky max hub know for unstable UPnP but refresh the xbox mac and then do a nat check on console and it should be open and dual band again. I'm guessing you have fibre and the WiFi max 214 hub ?

[JimM1]

@dex4 Would be the sky Max SR213 version?

[dex4]

Oops typo yeah the srw213

[Chrisee]

@dex4 first report I have seen of UPnP issues with the SR213. Unlike virtually every other user setting the switch for UPnP is in the hub's web interface as shown below. Can you confirm you pressed save after changing the switch see below?

If you did and the setting was lost in confirms my suspicion that at least some SR213 units returned to the default setting after a recent uodate having answered a post last week about lost port forwarding settings. This should not happen but occasionally some units do reset after a firmware update. This is not unique to this model but should not recur unless you are particularly unfortunate.

[dex4]

Yep everytime it updates ot turns ot off on mine 

[JimM1]

@dex4 You would expect that for a uPnP, the connecting device ie a gaming device, connects see's the uPnP is active and then set's up the ports that the device needs to open up, that's the whole object of having that feature off/on. 

So if you shutdown the hub there is a very good chance on powering back up that the uPnP will blank out the port connections back to zero until the device reconnects and set's them back up again!  Don't have my SR203 connected anymore so cannot take a look at how it is doing, did have it and checked for the short period it was back on Mar through Apr, at that time was working ok only device using it was the daughters PS5!

Are you saying that the uPnP does not hold the saved ie i have enabled it so always keep it on in the settings?

[dex4]

Not familiar with ps5 as im xbox but this 100% works on xbox as mine has said NAT strict/moderate but UPnP had been turned on in the hub its AI instructions.

How to Clear Alternate MAC Address on PS5

1. Go to Settings from the PS5 home screen.

2. Navigate to Network.

3. Select Settings > Set Up Internet Connection.

4. Press the Options button on your controller.

5. Choose Advanced Settings.

6. Scroll down to Alternate MAC Address.

7. Select Clear.

8. Confirm the action and restart your PS5 when prompted.

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🧠 Why Clear the Alternate MAC?

- If your PS5 is using a spoofed or manually entered MAC address (e.g. from a previous network setup), it can interfere with DHCP or UPnP.

- Clearing it reverts the PS5 to using its default hardware MAC, which is often necessary for proper router communication—especially with the Sky SR203.

[JimM1]

@dex4 Sorry you may have picked this up all wrong, i am a network Engineer with over 45+ years experience, uPnP is nothing that i don't know about or how to make work! Don't even use my SR203, it's boxed back up and uPnP is turned off not used on my Asus system!

[dex4]

No m8 deffo clearing the mac on consoles does something like a quick refresh with the hub I have had to do it many times when console says no upnp available and strict NAT quick clear of MAC on console test NAT again on console and upnp reconnects with console and NAT opens. I was also xbox ambassador back in the day m8. And this works every time. 

What “Clearing MAC” Actually Does

When you clear the alternate MAC address on an Xbox:

- It reverts to the console’s built-in hardware MAC.

- This often forces a DHCP renewal from the router.

- The Xbox essentially appears as a “new” device to the router.

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📡 Why That Fixes Strict NAT on the Sky SR213

The Sky SR213 hub is notorious for UPnP flakiness and NAT issues, especially with multiple consoles or after firmware updates. Here’s why clearing the MAC might help:

1. UPnP Table Reset Trigger  

   - The SR213 maintains a UPnP port mapping table.

   - If the Xbox previously had stale or conflicting port mappings (e.g. from a different MAC or IP), clearing the MAC forces a new DHCP lease, which can trigger the router to refresh UPnP mappings.

   - Result: NAT type improves from Strict to Open.

2. IP Conflict Resolution  

   - If two devices (or the same Xbox with a spoofed MAC) were assigned the same IP or had overlapping port requests, the router might block or restrict traffic.

   - Clearing the MAC resets the Xbox’s network identity, resolving conflicts.

3. Bypassing Cached NAT Behavior  

   - Some routers (like the SR213) cache NAT behavior per MAC/IP.

   - If the Xbox had a history of failed or restricted connections, the router might keep applying those rules.

   - Clearing the MAC resets that history.