Game server un-reachable on port 28000

[AtlasActual]

Hello, I'll start by saying I have experience hosting game servers, configuring firewalls, and setting up port forwarding.

My issue pertains to the game IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad. It needs to be hosted on ports 28000 and 28100. Both TCP and UDP are open on my home hub, and they are correctly routed to the local IP address. Additionally, the firewall has rules in place to allow traffic on these ports.

However, I'm encountering a problem where inbound connections to my PC are not working. While the server appears correctly in the game's server list (indicating outbound connectivity is good), attempts to connect result in client timeouts after multiple tries.

I've tried nearly everything I can think of, spending three hours troubleshooting and systematically eliminating potential causes. I even attempted to use a VPN, but the issue persists. Could these ports be blocked by Bell?

[Vanadiel · Accepted solution]

Link 

Not an uncommon question. The issue is it's a PPPOE connection, meaning point to point. If you check the first hop after your default gateway address, you will notice the IP is a private range IP. It's not a public IP address. If you do a traceroute to 8.8.8.8 you will see what I mean.

Bell by default blocks all unsolicited network traffic to a port, so unless the traffic is the result from a request within your network, you cannot connect to the port even if you use ADMZ and have the port opened, and have enabled UPNP.

[AtlasActual · Accepted solution]

Resolved by adding my PC to DMZ list. Without using ADMZ, is it safe to leave my computer there? Anyways, I'll start troubleshooting from there to try and not use dmz if possible.

[Vanadiel]

They must have fixed ADMZ then. I have read reports of it not being stable, or having issues before, so your mileage may vary.

With ADMZ the machine in question will be open to the internet, so that comes with consequences. Make sure you have the machine configured properly to avoid issues.

[Chame]

What is your advice to get around the PPPOE connection? 

I have many services on my network running and only the hosted game servers are unreachable externally. Would running PFSense on a device in my DMZ help here? Thanks.